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RTÉ PRESENTER Eoghan McDermott has railed against the state broadcaster’s marriage referendum gag order, saying: “F**k you RTÉ.”
In the run up to the referendum, RTÉ asked staff not to air their views publicly to “ensure fairness in its coverage”.
The move was not without its controversy – comedian Oliver Callan was cautioned after calling for a Yes vote, and RTÉ Pulse presenter Scott De Buitléir quit earlier this month after the broadcaster asked for ‘balance’ on his LGBT radio show.
It seems that resentment may have been bubbling under the surface – last night, just after 10pm, The Voice presenter Eoghan McDermott sent out this angry tweet:
Reaction to the tweet was mixed, with some of his followers lauding his “passion” and others accusing him of “throwing the toys out of the pram”.
But now, in the cold light of day, McDermott has backtracked, saying his outburst was down to a “heightened emotional state”.
When asked by TheJournal.ie about the gagging order, RTÉ stated:
RTÉ has clear guidelines to ensure fairness in its coverage around referendums and elections. These guidelines have been issued to all staff and contractors, and RTÉ is engaging with staff and contractors as required to ensure the guidelines are understood.
Written by Valerie Loftus and originally published on DailyEdge.ie.
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Have we not also learned, that maybe we are our own worst enemy?
More power to anyone that uses Facebook, but any reason to stop picking up your phone for no reason has to be a good thing.
An infinite amount of negativity and consumerism on a 6 inch screen can only be good for so long.
Younger adults and kids are a problem. Peer pressure and immaturity takes away their objectively. Facebook has way too much con trol over people’s lives but adults have a right to choice.
@Great White Hope: adults do peer pressure quite a lot. They just don’t use the internet to do it. Never notice if somebody gets a new car in work but others do and say how they must get a new car soon. Keeping up with the Jones’ is a real thing.
I find it strange blaming a private company for the issues in society. They are not a government and have been asking to be regulated for years as they seem to know they shouldn’t be making certain decisions that impact on society.
So where are the regulators? Where are the policies for companies to follow? The Internet has been around for the past 20 years, this isn’t a problem that just creeped up on society. It kinda feels like shifting blame is easier than actually putting controls and protection standards in place
@Gingy Opinion: Facebook asking for regulation is a cop-out on their part, knowing full well that the wheels of regulation are far slower than the pace of change. They have known for some time about the negative impact of their platforms on society as a whole, but chose profits and growth instead. The criticism of Facebook rests in the fact that they offset to regulators what they themselves could, but choose not to do.
@OnlyHereForTheComments: But why is society asking a private company to make these decisions?
None of us would ask a brewery to regulate for who can drive after they consume their products. Sure each brewery would come up with their own rules to suit their business objectives and people would end up consuming the products from the brewery with the most lax rules. There would be carnage.
This is clearly a failure of elected officials to legislate. I take your point on the speed of change, but surely that is the exact same problem that a company like FB would face in terms of the policies they would need to constantly update. The difference being this is a regulators job.
I just think we need to stop trying to shift the failings of society and governments, and take some ownership.
“They values profits over safety” they do.
Say it in a devon accent, think lotr -
I find it strange blaming a private company for the issues in society. They are not a government and have been asking to be regulated for years as they seem to know they shouldn’t be making certain decisions that impact on society.
So where are the regulators? Where are the policies for companies to follow? The Internet has been around for the past 20 years, this isn’t a problem that just creeped up on society. It kinda feels like shifting blame is easier than actually putting controls and protection standards in place
have your say