Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

He referred to defamation and European law. He avoided the content of the Bill, which is extremely surprising in view of the fact that it is so specific and contains so few words.

The Minister may believe the Bill to be beneath him as a result of the fact that it contains so few words. However, the broadcasters do not believe this to be the case. It is for them that the Bills seeks to cater. One such broadcaster is on record as stating - in the context of the inclusion of the word "offence" in the Broadcasting Act - that many of the interest and lobby groups on all sides in various debates now know it is worth complaining to RTE and threatening to go to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland about offence caused.

The intention is simply to influence future coverage. Complaints often relate to matters of public debate, including euthanasia, abortion, social welfare, Travellers, gay marriage and surrogacy. I worry that these complaints have a chilling effect.

Editors and producers sometimes avoid items precisely because they are afraid of potential complaints about offence caused. There is a great deal of work in answering these complaints and even a fear that a number of complaints implies to management that one has done something wrong. Producers and researchers who already work under tough and tight conditions will self-edit in the upcoming debates on same-sex marriage to choose items and guests who will not be risky, as it is not worth the fight or hassle. It is not just an issue in the culture wars; it is more widespread. Each extreme in a debate is trying to exclude the other side and control how RTE covers stories. The risk is that in giving in to this we will lose fresh, unheard and unique voices. Instead, we will hear again and again from the same tired, tried and tested contributors who have been briefed, rehearsed and sanitised.

The Minister may believe the few words in the Bill to be beneath parliamentary debate, but they are the words of broadcasters. The word "offence" is stifling freedom of speech and causing a chilling effect across the country.

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