RTE's bias towards FF

Jaysoose

RTE didnt see fit to carry much of a story around the reports published last week which showed brian cowen in a very negative light, the kenny possible vote of no confidence has been covered extensively and even got an entire joe duffy today.

Is there any doubt that rte are showing an intense bias towads FF?

Jesus christ joe duffy (staunch ff'er) had a text poll about wether kenny should be leader of fine gael!

hobochris

Nail,Hammer, Head.

Mr. Presentable

They're a state broadcaster, so no surprise they'll favour whoever is paying the bills

ANXIOUS

Joe duffy supports finna fail, are you serious? I'd say rte are just giving the fg leader debate such great publicity is because they are the biggest party in Ireland (lol).

Jaysoose

I understand but the easy ride cowen or any of his cronies get on rte is sickenening, should they not at least attempt to be impartial.

gandalf

I would say fear is a more apt word. They are scared about pushing the government too hard with any really tough questions as the Government control their budgets. Just take a look at MoC's interview of Brian Cowen last week on Primetime. It was so soft that getting Miriam to cover Brian Cowen in Marshmallows would have been more difficult for him.

Now imagine a real interviewer like Jeremy Paxman interviewing Cowen. He would have made mincemeat of our failed Taoiseach.

Laminations

Jaysoose wrote: »

Jesus christ joe duffy (staunch ff'er) had a text poll about wether kenny should be leader of fine gael!

Has he had a similar poll on whether Cowen should be Taoiseach or whether FF should be in government, two far more pressing issues I'd imagine.

http://www.rte.ie/player/#v=1074574

Miriam opens the programme describing Brian Cowen as follows

'The experts say this is the man who is largely responsible for our financial collapse'

She then has Shane Ross and Richard Bruton on to discuss the banking reports but only brings Richard Bruton in after 16minutes and only asks him about the poll result?? That couldnt have been what he was there to talk about.

RTE (and FG) should concentrate on the real story, the bit above in bold.

Jaysoose

gandalf wrote: »

I would say fear is a more apt word. They are scared about pushing the government too hard with any really tough questions as the Government control their budgets. Just take a look at MoC's interview of Brian Cowen last week on Primetime. It was so soft that getting Miriam to cover Brian Cowen in Marshmallows would have been more difficult for him.

Now imagine a real interviewer like Jeremy Paxman interviewing Cowen. He would have made mincemeat of our failed Taoiseach.

Saw that interview and she was so easy on cowen it was crazy, paxman would have him in tears.

I just think if they are going to choose to go easy on one party then they should follow the same tactics when it comes to the opposition, i know this is wishful thinking on my point but hey ho.

SarahBM

All broadcasters go easy on Cowen and FF!!!! god forbid someone would show up the government for their total incompetance and ineptitude!

Let me at them!

Hammered hippie

RTE and most other main stream media outlets in Ireland are no more that propaganda machines for the government!

The government can do anything they like..even stuff in violation with the constitution...but the media are not interested.

No..the media is interested in the moaning of lifeline where Joe Duffy is always out for a public lynching of a company or a person...whatever floats Joe Duffy's boat.

A dictatorship is what Ireland actually is with its current hilarious political circus and the complete lack of any form of opposition.
No wonder the national ombudsman has called Ireland a non-constitunional state. The government can do as they like and no citizen or organisation has any democratic rights to stand up to whatever decisions the government makes to cover up their faillures and to assure their continued reign. That's all the government is interested in at the moment.. Remain in power at all cost...all cost! And RTE is helping them do so.

Hammered hippie

As part of the old Ireland an old lady in say Ballydung who knows a TD has a few thousand times more democratic power and rights than a whole group of young people who want to get a good start in life and want to get their careers up and running.
This old lady can kill thousands of peoples dreams and future just because the TD is more interested in her idea of keeping the old Ireland and the old ways alive.
And Joe Duffy and the rest of the Rotten RTE team are oh so willing to help.

This country should really wonder why it calls itself a democratic state at all. Why not cut that crap and say what its at. It is an oligocracy that happens to have extremely imcompetent leaders and is screwed because of it. RTE should not be part of this tapping each others back and telling ourselves we are doing well and that all our property buddies and publican friendsies will be all ok if we just keep bleeding the masses a bit more. They should expose why this country is in the state it is in and who exactly are responsible. They should point out why drug gangs are ruling the streets they should find out how much back scratching is going on.

JonathanAnon

Have to say that I thought it was bizarre that Joe Duffy should have his own vote of confidence in the FG leader in the week that the opposition have brought a motion of 'no confidence' in the Taoiseach. If I didnt know better I would think it was a FF stunt to distract attention from their own troubles..

It's bad enough that RTE have a well known FFer in charge of it's flagship TV show and now in charge of it's flagship 2FM radio show. They could at least try to maintain the facade that they are objective and apolitical.

Having this text poll was mischievous in the extreme, the more cynical would say a deflecting tactic for their masters. Considering what has happened in the intervening time, I think the BCC should look into this.

DeepBlue

gandalf wrote: »

I would say fear is a more apt word. They are scared about pushing the government too hard with any really tough questions as the Government control their budgets. Just take a look at MoC's interview of Brian Cowen last week on Primetime. It was so soft that getting Miriam to cover Brian Cowen in Marshmallows would have been more difficult for him.

Now imagine a real interviewer like Jeremy Paxman interviewing Cowen. He would have made mincemeat of our failed Taoiseach.

Miriam would be the main reason I don't bother my arse watching Prime Time. Mind you Mark Little was little better.

Anyone who remembers Today Tonight (I'm showing my age here) can easily see how pathetically low our current affairs "analysis" has fallen with regards to quizzing the politicians of the day.

SarahBM

Its gas the way some presenters fall over them selves when it comes to interviewing the gov ministers etc. yet when FG had a bit on an internal struggle this wk the media went to town. complete blew the whole thing up and made it a way bigger issue than it was. why? to distract from the fact that there was a no confidence vote against cowen this week. I mean really!

what I hate most about the Live Line show is that people come on to complain about something that happened them. lets just say Mick said johnny crashed into his car. well joe would pipe up and say "Mick, you cant say johnny crashed into your car, its not confirmed, allegedly, allegedly, allegedly, its your word against his" bull crap etc.
he tries to be so bloody PC instead of just going for the truth. and those guys will never bring on a TD at the same time as a listener for fear that the listener will actually give them a piece of their mind.

and dont get me started on how easy RTE have been on the greens. bunch of cowards are too afraid to pull out of gov. yet whenever i have seen a green party minister on RTE they go easy on them.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Fuhrer

Jaysoose wrote: »

RTE didnt see fit to carry much of a story around the reports published last week which showed brian cowen in a very negative light, the kenny possible vote of no confidence has been covered extensively and even got an entire joe duffy today.

A car crash is far more interesting then watching a body decompose

Sulmac

gandalf wrote: »

Now imagine a real interviewer like Jeremy Paxman interviewing Cowen. He would have made mincemeat of our failed Taoiseach.

Not quite Paxman and not quite Cowen, but close enough:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCQ_x15g0hQ

Watch and learn, RTÉ.

soccfc

I've read some crap on internet fora over the years but this takes the biscuit. RTE of internal Labour Party Cumann fame are biased towards FF?! You could call FF corrupt, incompotent, useless, full of crap, liars, stupid, reckless but to even suggest that RTE of all people is biased towards FF shows how people have really lost the run of themselves. RTE is anti-FF to the core at editorial level. Look at the collective hard-on they get at any mention of Gilmore ffs.

You can nail this government on a million things, having the national media in their pocket is not one of them (which in itself is a factor of FF's own making going all the way back to the Irish Press days and makes their success all the more remarkable).

Come on people see the trees from the wood!

sceptre

As I've said before, people's views as to whom RTE is biased often tells more about the people with the views than the station with the bias.

Having said that, I could do without this Mr Fluffy attitude towards questioning elected representatives, especially government ministers, that appears endemic in RTE. Who mentioned Today Tonight as something we should aspire to again at the very least? DeepBlue. You're right. Wrapping TDs, Ministers and Taoisigh up in bubble wrap and being thankful they deign to give your show the time of day is a waste of prime time broadcasting. Irish current affairs shows should be more about verbal blows than the simulated oral that appears to be regarded as acceptable by our national broadcaster.

Fuhrer

sceptre wrote: »

Irish current affairs shows should be more about verbal blows than the simulated oral that appears to be regarded as acceptable by our national broadcaster.

Banning people from answering a direct question with "Can I just make this point" would be a nice start.

sceptre

Fuhrer wrote: »

Banning people from answering a direct question with "Can I just make this point" would be a nice start.

I'm just waiting for one of them to discover the "That's not the question. The real question is..." answer. If that happens, I'll be tempted to vote for whoever promises to bring the gun back into Irish politics (or at least a commitment to arm audience members of The Frontline - it would make the show a must-see as opposed to something I'm generally content to have you guys tell me about).

Off-topic side-note of course:)

FlutterinBantam

sceptre wrote: »

I'm just waiting for one of them to discover the "That's not the question. The real question is..." answer. If that happens, I'll be tempted to vote for whoever promises to bring the gun back into Irish politics (or at least a commitment to arm audience members of The Frontline - it would make the show a must-see as opposed to something I'm generally content to have you guys tell me about).

Off-topic side-note of course:)

:eek:

PeterIanStaker

I think the ultimate insult is having the FF mouthpiece Tubridy hosting the Late Late.

conorhal

I don't think there is a bias. Just a lazy media corp that follow the 'if it bleeds it leads' byline. Why follow a confidence vote with a foregone conclusion that ammouts to little more than political handbagging when there's blood on the walls down the corridor!

If the media were a little more interested in substance than soundbytes then we might get more than the lazy obvious questions asked and some sustained follow through, rather than an ADD press pack that chases the latest newsflash.

Laminations

conorhal wrote: »

I don't think there is a bias. Just a lazy media corp that follow the 'if it bleeds it leads' byline. Why follow a confidence vote with a foregone conclusion that ammouts to little more than political handbagging when there's blood on the walls down the corridor!
.

Like they did with FG members they could have dragged every FFer in front of a camera and pressed them on whether they'd vote confidence in incompetence. Where were the post-vote headline stories that 'FF condone Cowens carelessness' ? The media let them off big time, hopefully the opposition will get back to the business of quizzing the government on their failures and providing an alternative for the electorate to vote for.

BluntGuy

Primetime and Frontline are a waste of our money. Little is asked, little is investigated. Just look at yesterday where Mary Harney was allowed to give her prescripted waffle for as long as she pleased, with some mild prodding from Miriam to give the illusion of being "tough". I don't know whether it's just Miriam being a bad presenter or if she's simply told to present it awfully, but it isn't acceptable either way.

I don't know whether RTE are biased, it's possible. I do know though that the standard of debate and discussion is abysmal.

yoshytoshy

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

I think the ultimate insult is having the FF mouthpiece Tubridy hosting the Late Late.

Twice on the radio this week ,tubridy made snide remarks about fine gael. On wednesday his opening to the show was "hear that ?(5 second silence)......................." , "thats john bruton". :mad:

I'm not a fine gael voter ,but wheres the wise cracks at the cronies that pay his wages ?

Mrmoe

I don't think this is a good example of bias. The reason the FG vote of confidence got more attention was because it was not a forgone conclusion. The FG vote is realistically a run off for the next Taoiseach or Tanaiste and that is why it was more important to cover in more detail. Other examples would be examples of incompetence in questioning rather than bias towards a particular party or other.

sceptre

Mrmoe wrote: »

The reason the FG vote of confidence got more attention was because it was not a forgone conclusion..

That's an excellent point.

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

:eek:

Don't worry, I'm being facetious. It'd make for some great telly for the first show though.

Deep Easterly

Hammered hippie wrote: »

No..the media is interested in the moaning of lifeline where Joe Duffy is always out for a public lynching of a company or a person...whatever floats Joe Duffy's boat.

Not to mention how he reminds the nation, almost on a daily basis, about how he was educated in Trinity, and how he was involved in radical protests and other such cliches when he was there. This is the same guy that cuts off (and down) anyone who might express a radical opinion on his oh so radical show. The guy is just a sycophant imo.

jmayo

Mrmoe wrote: »

I don't think this is a good example of bias. The reason the FG vote of confidence got more attention was because it was not a forgone conclusion. The FG vote is realistically a run off for the next Taoiseach or Tanaiste and that is why it was more important to cover in more detail. Other examples would be examples of incompetence in questioning rather than bias towards a particular party or other.

The vote might have been a foregone conclusion, but they could have a lot more discussion about the fact that 3 imminent financial experts laid a lot fo the blame for the currnet mess at the government leaders door.

Also noticable how little attention the appearance of dukes and the Anglo gang at the Dáil committee on Finance received in the media.
They basically refsued to answer why or how a former risk manager from AIB was appointed to Anglo.
They also admitted that 22 odd billion was down the drain.
Their arrogance was astounding to watch and my estimation of dukes has gone down drastically as IMHO he is now a very well paid lackie of this government.

One of the few people to take this story up was Shane Ross who is on the committee.
Did anyone else ?

Deep Easterly wrote: »

Not to mention how he reminds the nation, almost on a daily basis, about how he was educated in Trinity, and how he was involved in radical protests and other such cliches when he was there. This is the same guy that cuts off (and down) anyone who might express a radical opinion on his oh so radical show. The guy is just a sycophant imo.

He is another RTE inbred at this stage.

He wasn't quick enough to cut off someone commenting on mr cullen's appointees/friends

ANarcho-Munk

Harney got a wee bit of a rattling on The Week in Politics tonight though!

jank

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

Harney got a wee bit of a rattling on The Week in Politics tonight though!

Yea on a Sunday night at about 11:00 pm when there are about 12 people watching. That show should be on instead of that prime time fluff.

questionmark?

Hammered hippie wrote: »

RTE and most other main stream media outlets in Ireland are no more that propaganda machines for the government!

The government can do anything they like..even stuff in violation with the constitution...but the media are not interested.

No..the media is interested in the moaning of lifeline where Joe Duffy is always out for a public lynching of a company or a person...whatever floats Joe Duffy's boat.

A dictatorship is what Ireland actually is with its current hilarious political circus and the complete lack of any form of opposition.
No wonder the national ombudsman has called Ireland a non-constitunional state. The government can do as they like and no citizen or organisation has any democratic rights to stand up to whatever decisions the government makes to cover up their faillures and to assure their continued reign. That's all the government is interested in at the moment.. Remain in power at all cost...all cost! And RTE is helping them do so.

Is that where Gilmore gets his ideas or cough.........policies???

Pride Fighter

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

Harney got a wee bit of a rattling on The Week in Politics tonight though!

She is not FF. I'd suspeted the FF biased RTE gave her a hard time to imply it was the PD's economic policies that caused the mess we are in not FF's.

In fact I'd say its true. Sean O'Rourke called McCreevy a FF PD and the brains behind that government.

JonathanAnon

yoshytoshy wrote: »

Twice on the radio this week ,tubridy made snide remarks about fine gael.

His interview with Enda Kenny earlier this year was really insulting. He basically listed a load of tabloid stories/headlines about Enda and asked him to comment on them. Enda was far too polite. I would have called him on his FF connections and the relationship between this and his line of questioning. He could have done this humourously, but effectively enough so that any objective viewer would be in no doubt as to his FF agenda.

Mrmoe wrote: »

I don't think this is a good example of bias. The reason the FG vote of confidence got more attention was because it was not a forgone conclusion.. The FG vote is realistically a run off for the next Taoiseach or Tanaiste and that is why it was more important to cover in more detail.

I disagree completely with this. At the rate that FG are messing things up for themselves (i.e. George Lee fiasco, leadership problems etc etc), it is certainly not a foregone conclusion that they will be the dominant party in the next government. Also, all it would take is one tweet from Buffoon Boyle to take the greens out of government. He completely dictated the whole Willie O'Dea "resignation", and I wouldnt back against something similar happening again..

The important issues last week were a) the two independent reports on the economy and b) The vote of confidence in the Government....... and both of these were considered by Joe Duffy to be less important than carrying out a text vote on the leadership of an opposition party..

JonathanAnon

ANarcho-Munk wrote: »

Harney got a wee bit of a rattling on The Week in Politics tonight though!

ehhh, can you clarify your definition of the term rattling.