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The seven candidates in last year's Presidential election, preparing for the RTÉ Prime Time debate with Miriam O'Callaghan. Photocall Ireland

RTÉ to stay 50-50 for referendum debates - but news coverage 'cannot be prejudged'

The national broadcaster is dropping a ‘stopwatch’ system for news broadcasts, but will keep it for formal debates.

RTÉ HAS INSISTED it will retain its 50-50 balance for the Yes and No sides in formal debates on the forthcoming Children’s Rights referendum – but says it cannot prejudge the content of its broader news ocverage.

In a statement this lunchtime the broadcaster said it remained the position that RTÉ would “balance the yes and no sides 50-50″ when participating in formal debates on programmes like Prime Time or The Frontline.

It added, however, that RTÉ’s broader news coverage would be “driven by the news agenda on a day to day basis”.

“Coverage will be impartial and objective,” it said. “While news coverage cannot be prejudged, as always RTÉ will monitor and review its coverage throughout the campaign.”

The statement follows a report in today’s Sunday Business Post suggesting that the national broadcaster would revise the ‘stopwatch’ system used in its other news broadcasts, under which campaigners for the Yes and No sides are given precisely equal amounts of airtime.

The revisions have come about because of the unusually one-sized nature of the current campaign, with all the major political parties seeking a Yes vote and only a handful of smaller groups advocating a No vote.

RTÉ’s current stance on 50-50 coverage stems from the Supreme Court ruling in the McKenna case in 1995, when it was found that state funds could not be spent on a campaign favouring one side of a referendum over another.

That complaint dealt with actions of the government of the day, however, and not RTÉ itself – which was not ordered by the court to impose the strict 50-50 model it has used ever since.

Other than its obligation to offer time to the Referendum Commission for the broadcast of informational videos, RTÉ has no formal obligations with respect to referendum coverage beyond its usual obligation to offer balanced and impartial coverage in all current affairs broadcasting.

Read: Noonan asks RTÉ to reconsider 50-50 rule for children’s rights referendum

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11 Comments
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    Mute Sarah
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    Nov 4th 2018, 5:53 PM

    Reminds me of that Olay ad “is it DNA or Olay”. It’s DNA, it will always be DNA some people are just genetically gifted to look younger and prettier for longer and can get the same results with water as someone else would with all the expensive beauty products in the world….

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    Mute Veronica
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    Nov 4th 2018, 7:42 PM

    @Sarah: yep. The only thing that works to prevent you looking older before your time is suncream.

    43
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    Mute James O'Brien
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    Nov 4th 2018, 5:58 PM

    Just stay natural and forget the BS shoved down our throat by these companies and this advertisement piece.

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    Mute David McShite
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    Nov 4th 2018, 5:52 PM

    Beauty consumers are more educated now than ever according to the Dublin-based aesthetician….
    Please, they are amongst the most vacuous and shallow people on the planet.
    As for an aesthetian, a fancy sounding made up word that Google spellchecker doesn’t recognise to give the impression of professionalism.

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    Mute Maggie O'Sullivan
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    Nov 4th 2018, 11:34 PM

    My friend text me the other day to say her 13 year old daughter was going to her first disco. The daughter had to get new outfit, new make-up, fake tan, eyebrows done and a new half bra (whatever that is). She ended the text with FFS!!!!!! I replied with the text, we used to go out with a jumper and jeans and we were happy out!!!!! If your beautiful inside, your beautiful outside.

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    Mute Diarmuid Hunt
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    Nov 4th 2018, 6:10 PM

    Correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t breathing pure oxygen kill you whether it’s in a pressurised chamber or not?

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    Mute Mrsuperiority
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    Nov 4th 2018, 9:14 PM

    @Diarmuid Hunt: you’re wrong.

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    Mute Carla Brennan
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    Nov 5th 2018, 1:21 AM

    @Diarmuid Hunt: Not at all, I go for 1 hour a week as a treatment for MS, also beneficial for cancer, sports injuries etc. due to its healing properties. Too expensive in South so I go to the North where an actual charity runs it. Long term users of HBO actually do have fabulous skin!

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Nov 5th 2018, 5:56 PM

    @Carla Brennan: But it doesn’t ‘heal cancer’. I’ve read studies of studies, and they all conclude that while it doesn’t do harm, only some people with breast cancer had a slight improvement in their health. Whether that was due to the hyperbaric sessions or not is debatable. It doesn’t even affect most types of cancer either way. I would like to hear what charity is paying a sports clinic to treat cancer patients, as that sort of wishful fundraising seems a bit of a con.

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Nov 4th 2018, 8:48 PM

    Jaz, that thumbnail looked like someone dangling off a bridge for a sec.

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