Sir, - I refer to a letter from Rory O'Hanlon, chairman of the No Divorce Campaign, on the coverage by independent radio stations of the divorce referendum. There are a number of inaccuracies in Mr O'Hanlon's letter which I would now like to correct.
Firstly, he refers to an "IRTC directive" to all independent radio stations instructing them not to accept or broadcast any "notices" about meetings to be held in connection with the divorce referendum, on the basis that it was a "political" issue. This is a complete misrepresentation of what actually took place. On November 6th, 1995, the IRTC issued guidelines in respect of coverage of the referendum. This is standard procedure before all elections and/or referenda and is intended to remind stations of the general approach to be adopted in their coverage.
The guidelines urge stations to ensure balance, and also outline the statutory requirements in respect of news and current affairs coverage and prohibitions on advertising. A copy of the guidelines was made available to all interested parties during the referendum campaign, and I can clearly recall copies being sent to representatives of both the "pro" and "anti" divorce groups. While all IRTC board members were provided with copies in advance of their circulation, the issue is one which is dealt with, as a matter of course, at executive level.
The only "prohibition" in place related to advertising, and this applied equally to the "pro" and "anti" divorce groups. It is true that during the campaign the IRTC received a number of complaints about the fact that advertising was not permissible on stations. Indeed, I took part in a discussion on Donegal's Highland Radio, during which I clarified that the prohibition on advertising was a statutory provision under Section 10.3 of the 1988 Act.
I am sure that Mr O'Hanlon as a former judge, would be aware that Section 10.3 states that no advertisement shall be broadcast which is directed towards any political end. On this basis, it would have been a dereliction of our duty as the regulatory authority if the IRTC had neglected to advise stations that any advertisement for events being organised by "pro" or "anti" divorce groups, would not be acceptable under this section of the Act.
With regard to his second allegation about the coverage on independent stations being biased, I believe this is totally without foundation. From talking to station personnel throughout the country, I am satisfied that they honoured their commitment to provide balanced coverage of the campaign.
I am aware that Paul Sheehan, assistant controller of Programmes of Radio Kerry, has written a letter to the Irish Independent outlining the coverage provided by his station. In this letter Mr Sheehan makes it clear that Mr Ciaran O'Connell, of the Kerry No Divorce campaign, was given time, unopposed, to respond to points raised by the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Mervyn Taylor, on the previous day. Again, contrary to Mr O'Hanlon's assertion, Mr Alan Shatter TD debated the issue on air with Ronan Mullan of the anti divorce campaign.
I am satisfied that the coverage on Radio Kerry was mirrored throughout the country, and I would also add that no complaint of bias on the part of any station was received by the commission before, during or after the referendum. It seems extraordinary, therefore, that Mr O'Hanlon would choose to raise these alleged problems now - over four months later.
I would conclude by saying that journalists and presenters on independent radio worked extremely bard to provide fair and balanced coverage throughout the referendum. Any suggestion to the contrary is mischievous and blatantly unfair. - Yours, etc.,
The Independent Radio and Television Commission,
Marine House,
Clanwilliam Place,
Dublin 2.