RTÉ now an arm of Government

I WISH to express alarm at RTÉ’s increasing propensity to dumb down real political debate and allow public service broadcasting become an arm of Government.

In recent months we have witnessed the RTÉ Authority, producers and broadcasters capitulate to Beverley Flynn, pull oncologist Dr John Crown from a Late Late show debate on the crisis in our health service, axe the controversial Vincent Browne radio show and, on Questions and Answers, a private company praises John Gormley for changes made in planning. John Bowman, in a somewhat subdued manner, did at least remind the audience that the company had a vested interest in building insulation. However, on the weekend of November 24/25, Marian Finucane’s radio programmes surpassed all that had gone before.

On the Saturday, she opened with a monologue in which she exonerated Mary Harney and Brendan Drumm from any blame in the current crisis — the public service was to blame for bad management, faulty equipment, etc. There was no opposing voice present. She later went on to interview John Horgan, initially expressing a desire to hear his views on this issue, but suddenly stopped.