Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I am sure Deputy Sean Fleming will permit me to point out that both the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BAI, and RTE are independent bodies, each with clear roles and functions established under the Broadcasting Act 2009. The compliance committee of the BAI is charged, under section 48 of that Act, with investigating and deciding upon different categories of complaints. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the manner in which the BAI conducts its work, just as it would be inappropriate for me, as Minister, to interfere in the editorial affairs of RTE. I am sure the House will understand that I must be circumspect in what I say for a number of other reasons, not least because of the fact that the RTE board has not yet considered the BAI's findings or issued a formal statement on the matter. I fully accept, however, that, as Deputy Sean Fleming stated, this is a serious matter. I am sure most people will agree with the adjudication of the BAI to the effect that the use of the relevant tweet in this fashion was ill-considered. There are lessons to be learned from this matter by everyone involved in the media in this country.

I agree with the Deputy's comments to the effect that the presenter concerned is an eminent broadcaster who has an unparalleled record and reputation in the area of public affairs programmes. However, this matter is serious from a number of perspectives. News and current affairs in RTE, which is a public service broadcaster, are generally regarded as the gold standard for broadcast journalism in this State. People have the right to expect the very highest of standards from a public service broadcaster, even more so in cases as important as this which relates to one of the final debates of a presidential election campaign. It is also serious because it calls into question the manner in which traditional broadcast media deal with and report on new media. In that context, I welcome the fact that RTE, through its director general, Mr. Noel Curran, has already acknowledged that mistakes were made in the course of the programme in question and that the relevant tweet should have been handled quite differently. Mr. Curran has apologised to Mr. Gallagher.

There are a number of larger points in question here. First, it is clear that the extremely competitive environment in which the media operate should not be allowed to impugn journalistic standards. Second, it is also clear that substantial lessons need to be learned from this experience in respect of the manner in which journalists deal with material garnered from social media. The arrival of widespread Internet access and social media have come to pose huge challenges for traditional broadcasters, not just in the context of a major increase in the number of sources but also in terms of the massive increase in competition for audiences. Broadcast media clearly feel they have to be seen to engage with this new media in case they might be seen to be slow and cumbersome or as being somehow unreflective of the zeitgeist. This does not mean that basic journalistic standards can be allowed to lapse. I am, however, encouraged by the fact that the director general of RTE has confirmed that a new set of guidelines for programme makers at the station will reinforce protocols around the authentication of social media and other inputs to programmes.

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