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In a majority decision, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has held that there is no automatic requirement for a broadcaster to challenge the views of a contributor on a current affairs topic. The decision arose following a complaint to the BAI concerning a 30-minute interview with an elected public official on the issue of abortion (for previous decisions, see IRIS 2016-2/14 and IRIS 2014-2/23). The complaint concerned an August 2015 edition of The Ray D’Arcy Show, which is a lifestyle and entertainment programme, broadcast weekday afternoons on the public broadcaster channel RTÉ Radio...

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has rejected a complaint against the broadcaster Newstalk, over a programme interviewer’s “robust” questioning of an interviewee. The decision arose following a complaint in relation to a May 2015 edition of the Newstalk Breakfast show, a current affairs programme broadcast each morning from 07.00 - 10.00. The show featured an interview with David Quinn, head of the religious advocacy group “The Iona Institute”, which was arguing against the then forthcoming same-sex marriage referendum. The complainant argued that the presenter “went beyond his remit...

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has upheld a complaint against the public broadcaster RTÉ over a programme which featured an interviewee discussing abortion, finding that the programme breached the Broadcasting Act’s rules on fairness, objectivity and impartiality in coverage of current affairs (for previous decisions, see IRIS 2014-2/23). The decision arose following a complaint in relation to a June 2015 edition of The Ray D’Arcy Show, a lifestyle/entertainment show broadcast weekdays on RTÉ 1 Radio. The show featured an interview with the Irish director of the non-governmental organisation...

On 9 November 2015, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) published its new Guidelines on General Election Coverage (for previous guidelines, see IRIS 2014-5/23). The guidelines are designed to provide direction and advice to broadcasters as to how fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved in their coverage of the upcoming general election in Ireland. Rule 27 of the BAI Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs provides that broadcasters must comply with guidelines and codes of practice on election and referenda coverage. The new guidelines set...

The High Court has awarded EUR 140,000 damages against the broadcaster TV3, for broadcasting a news report which incorrectly identified a Dublin-based lawyer as a defendant on trial for a number of criminal offences. It was the first time the court has ruled on the “offer of amends” procedure under the Defamation Act 2009, where a broadcaster publishes a correction and apology, and the court is asked to determine the issue of damages only. On 11 November 2013, during TV3’s evening news programme, the newsreader was reporting on the ongoing trial of a former lawyer, Thomas Byrne, for a number of...