Sir, The Family and Media Association supports the views expressed by Mr Anthony Coughlan (Secretary of The National Platform (letters, October 22nd), concerning the achievement of fairness in referendum procedures. In particular, it supports his call on RTE to discontinue the practice of providing air time for party-political broadcasts during the period immediately preceding the holding of referenda. Such broadcasts, it considers, while acceptable in general elections, are entirely inappropriate to, and indeed militate against, the achievement of balance and fairness in the referendum procedure.
In its monitoring of RTE's handling of the Divorce Referendum campaign, this association found that there had been a considerable imbalance in favour of those arguing for the amendment. It believes, and has so informed the Authority, that in this instance RTE failed to fulfil its obligation to be objective, impartial and fair to all interests concerned in relation to matters "which are either of public controversy or the subject of current public debate" (Broadcasting Authority Acts).
If RTE feels entitled to continue facilitating these broadcasts, it must at the very least observe its statutory obligations in their regard. This simply means ensuring that advocates of both the "Yes" and "No" sides are afforded equal access to facilities and air time throughout the entire period immediately preceding the forthcoming and all subsequent referenda. - Yours, etc.,
Chairman, Family and Media Association, 38 Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1.