Coverage of the debate on the Lisbon Treaty referendum, where broadcasters were required by law to give equal airtime to the Yes and No sides, showed up both the strengths and the weaknesses of Irish broadcasting, a conference heard today.
Chairman of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) Willie O’Reilly said that while there was a great deal of excellent programming, broadcasters were “strait-jacketed” into dividing time equally in a way that did not actually deliver balanced content.
He said that achieving “real balance” as distinct from a division of airtime required that broadcasters and government “reflect deeply” on the issues.
“The mere fact of a question being put to the people in a referendum does not mean that genuine balance and effective scrutiny requires both sides be given strictly equal time on air,” Mr O’Reilly said.
“In the Lisbon debate I believe that this artificial requirement was a self-fulfilling prophesy. By giving equal time to both sides we gave the No case more credibility and less scrutiny than it deserved,” he said.
Mr O’Reilly told the Does the Medium Matter conference hosted by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) that the rules for 50:50 balance in a referendum “make a megaphone for any argument regardless of its own merit and or the credibility of its proponents”.
“The reasons there are laws on broadcasting is because we as a society rightly believe that there is a vital public interest at stake.
“It is surely not in the public interest to hand over half the air time as of automatic to one side in the crucial issue of a referendum simply because they show up on the day".
He added: "Achieving real balance as distinct from a division of air time requires that broadcasters and government reflect deeply on these issues."
The Lisbon Treaty referendum in June was defeated after 53.4 per cent of people voted No.