Conor Fitzgerald, Greenhills College, Dublin
The introduction of an Irish-style Match of the Day on to Network 2 - The Premiership - is a major coup for RTE, especially in light of the opening of TV3, which has exclusive rights to all of Ireland's away games in the European Championship.
RTE proved it was equal to BBC and ITV in providing coverage and analysis of a major football tournament, the recent World Cup. John Giles, Jim Beglin, Liam Brady and Joe Kinnear, under the direction of Bill O'Herlihy, provided comprehensive, in-depth analysis and discussion of every match - far more interesting and informative than their English rivals.
The addition of Eamon Dunphy to the Premiership panel adds controversy and argument to the discussions. He has been sorely missed and his comeback was awaited with bated breath.
RTE now shows extended highlights of three English Premiership games and all the thrills and spills of the other games. The show starts at 10.15 p.m. on Saturdays - 30 minutes before the BBC usually begins. The question on all our lips: "Eamon Dunphy - a good commentator, but is he a great commentator?"
Dermot Looney, Greenhills College, Dublin
As the ever-expanding worldwide communications network is strengthened, and the village gets more global every day, the "Information Age" - so long the root of newspapers' success - could become a thorn in their sides.
The new medium of the Internet is powered by its worldwide nature, accessibility and speed. Developments in satellite communications and the beginning of the digital era have allowed for 24-hour news networks on radio and TV, such as BBC Radio 5 Live, CNN and Sky News.
This growth in other media has led many experts to question the role of newspapers in reporting news in the third millennium. Some say newspapers will be squeezed into a cul-de-sac, spelling the end of print journalism.
But surely no other medium can give in-depth analysis of serious events; and popular journalism must have a future given the growing fascination with celebrities and sensational stories. Newspapers will definitely have a role in the impending "news revolution".
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