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GAZETTE
JULY AUGUST 1980
President's strong criticism of RTE
programme structure
The strong reaction of solicitors to the unfair pattern of
the "Week I n" programme broadcast by RTE 2 on May
19 was expressed by the President who spoke to a special
Press conference at Blackhall Place on the following day
about what he characterised as "irresponsible TV".
The President asked:
"Wh at do you do with an anonymous letter? Most
responsible people treat an anonymous letter with
contempt and consign it to the wastepaper basket.
Responsible newspapers have always made it clear that
people who wish to shelter behind the veil of anonymity
must give their name and address to the Editor, and they
are therefore aware that they are identifiable. Yet
RTE 2, as a lead into their programme on the legal
profession on Monday night, started with three
anonymous interviewees. In the case of the last man who
was interviewed we were treated to the spectacle of a
Mafia type interview in a motor vehicle. Not alone do we
not know the names and addresses of those who were
interviewed, but in the case of the car interview we were
not even allowed to see his face. We only saw the back of
his head.
"I am concerned that RTE should be irresponsible in
this way, and should permit those interviewed in serious
matters, which slanted the whole programme, to be thus
sheltered. Surely, if they have valid criticisms to make,
they are not fearful to put their name where their mouth
is. Otherwise, what they say is suspect. It is easy to be
highly critical if you know in advance that viewers do not
know who you are, and, in the case of the last man,
cannot even know what you look like, because all that is
shown is the back of your head.
"Let us be quite clear that I make this statement more
in sorrow than in anger, and in no way as a reaction to
any criticism of our profession in the programme. We are
not above criticism. We welcome criticism where it is
well-founded. We deal with all criticism. Well-founded
criticism will help us to be better people and to continue to
serve the public in the high tradition which this profession
has maintained during the last 128 years."
TIME TO REPLY
The chairman of the Public Relations Committee, Mr.
Frank O'Donnell, who took part in the programme with
Mr. John Rochford, said that RTE had not given them
the time they had been promised to reply to the
allegations made on the programme. "The Irish
Independent" in its report of the Press conference, headed
" RTE accused of 'dirty tricks' ", said in part:
"They also attacked the recording of the comments of
Mr. Alan Ball, of the Clients of the Legal Profession
Association. They said these should have been made in
the live interview.
"The editor of "Week I n ", Mr. Alan Wright said the
station had picked the three unnamed people from a
panel of about 50.
"Ea ch member of the studio discussion panel, he said,
had been given an average of three minutes to speak, Mr.
O'Donnell had been given over eight minutes and Mr.
Rochford about five minutes.
"Mr. Wright told the news conference: 'I think the
legal profession was fairly defended. They were given
ample time to give their views'."
Mr. Frank O'Donnell sent a formal letter of complaint
to the Director-General of RTE, Mr. George Waters, and
received the following reply:
13th June, 1980
Dear Mr. O'Donnell,
Thank you for your letter of 28th May. I note your
reservations about the treatment of the subject matter
of our Programme "Week-In" presented on Monday
19th May and I am sorry that you feel aggrieved with
the Production team's treatment.
I understand that the editor of the Programme, Mr.
Alan Wright, attended the Press Conference called by
your President on 20th May, 1980, and during the
course of the Conference answered all of the questions
raised in your letter. I also understand that Mr.
Wright's answers to these questions were to a large
extent acceptable to your President. Indeed, some days
later Mr. Wright received a letter from Mr. Beatty
which confirmed that this in fact was the case.
I hope you will accept that RTE's objective in
presenting a programme such as this was merely to
high-light an issue of public concern and was in no
way intended to denegrate in any way the Legal
Profession as a whole.
Yours sincerely,
George T. Waters.
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1981 LAW DIRECTORY
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LAW DIRECTORY, 1981
is 30 September, 1980.
no corrections will be accepted after this date.
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