Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications
Editorial Review of The Frontline Presidential Debate: Discussion with RTE
10:45 am
Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I welcome Mr. Curran and the other witnesses from RTE. On the night, if that tweet had not been part of the programme, would we be here at all? Would we have said everything was fine and there is no problem with the editorial oversight of and production of this format? I know the tweet has been dealt with but has it uncovered an even greater underlying problem? Is there a role in future presidential election campaigns for audience participation in programmes like this? The impact of social media was mentioned. Who is to say in seven years' time, social media will have to changed so that its format and input cannot be verified when forming opinion in RTE and, through RTE, public opinion?