Vol. 174 No. 13
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that a programme broadcast from Radio Éireann on the 23rd April, 1959, by a sponsor (whose name has been supplied to his Department) has been interpreted as being a political broadcast; and whether he has already indicated to the sponsor that political broadcasts are not permissible and, if not, whether he will now do so.
24.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he will state what steps are taken to ensure that sponsored programmes do not enter into political controversy.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to answer Questions 23 and 24 together.
The Director of Broadcasting has adequate power to exclude from sponsored programmes any material that is not approved. In the particular case referred to in the former Question I agree that the speech material in the programme could be regarded as having a political import but because of its light, breezy nature that was possibly not realised.
Political matters are of course dealt with in the ordinary speech programmes of Radio Éireann and controlled for objectivity and balance. I feel that such matters should be excluded from sponsored programmes. As it was not thought to be likely that political material would be introduced into sponsored programmes, no hard-and-fast rule has hitherto been laid down to deal with the matter, but in view of this instance the Director of Broadcasting is taking measures to ensure that no political topics are included in such programmes in future.
I caught him out, in other words.
25.
asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs if he is aware that in its news bulletins on the night of 1st May and the morning of 2nd May Radio Éireann broadcast a statement by the Taoiseach regarding a question asked by a Member on 29th April; if he will state by whose direction this statement was broadcast; and whether it is intended to continue using Radio Éireann to broadcast Government statements, not given in the Dáil, in relation to questions asked in the Dáil.
I have ascertained that the statement referred to in the Question was broadcast by Radio Éireann. No direction was given to do so. The News Editor considered that the statement by the Head of the Government was of such general news value that it should be included in the news bulletin. A report of the Question and answer had already been broadcast.
Does the Minister say that it is completely within the province of the news editor to determine what is regarded as having news value and what is not? Further, in view of that, would he advert to the reply given by his colleague, the Minister for Defence, when he was representing the Minister last week, to a similar question, in which he asserted that it was a duty of Radio Éireann to correct certain viewpoints expressed in this House?
That is not correct. I said that any decent person would consider it desirable that correction should be made rather than that a lie should be told.
The Minister for Defence would not be much of a judge himself.
