Irish culture needs public service broadcasting to survive

A functioning public media institution is not a luxury is part of the basic infrastructure that supports a democratic society, writes Eileen Culloty

Late Late Toy Show host, Patrick Kielty with (from right to left) Paddy Geraghty (9) from Navan; Douglas Reid (11) from Carlow; Louis Hanna (7) from Dublin; Joanna Ujadughele (11) from Carlow and Bonnie Fagan (4) from Navan. Weakening RTÉ by reducing its capacity, outsourcing its core functions, or forcing it to survive as a mostly commercial operator does not modernise public service media. It dismantles it. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins, Dublin

RTÉ’s appearance before the Oireachtas today will raise familiar questions about governance and funding. But the most important question continues to be pushed aside: what is the vision for a public media institution that can meet the real and pressing needs facing our country?

In many ways, the fundamental things we need from a public media institution remain straightforward: a trusted source of national information, a space for Irish culture to thrive, and an institution capable of supporting democratic norms and the diverse needs of different groups in our society.