Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 8 November 2016
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Public Service Broadcasting: Discussion
5:00 pm
Mr. Michael O'Keeffe:
It goes back to my comment on the public purpose of the commercial sector in broadcasting in this jurisdiction.
They all have requirements for matters such as fairness, impartiality and objectivity. There is not much difference in what they are required to do. I would not necessarily agree that there is not much difference in what they provide. All broadcasters provide different approaches to news and current affairs. The commercial pressures are around the cost of operating in that model. I would not interpret it as commercial pressures being brought to bear on broadcasters in terms of how they cover material. It is more a question of the challenges they face generally. There is not that much difference in what is required. There are different levels or scales in that respect but they both have obligations. That is within the legislation and we implement it.
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