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RTE
Aug 26, 2018 11:59:56 GMT
Post by maolsheachlann on Aug 26, 2018 11:59:56 GMT
A lot of Irish Catholics and conservatives seem very eager to see RTE abolished or defunded.
I'm much more ambivalent about this. The principle of public service broadcasting seems very important to me. RTE is also an Irish institution with quite a distinguished history.
We all know it is outrageously secular-liberal (and, I would add, globalist). But isn't the commercial media just the same?
I feel the same way about the Irish Times. Some Catholics seem eager to see it go out of business. I would be very sad to see that, and not just because of the job losses. I'd love to see Mulally etc. kicked out, but I wouldn't like to see it go out of business.
Any thoughts?
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RTE
Aug 27, 2018 20:06:58 GMT
annie likes this
Post by hibernicus on Aug 27, 2018 20:06:58 GMT
RTE reminds me of an established church, both in its good and bad aspects, with the bad increasingly dominant. I agree the commercial media are sleazier, if possible. The IRISH TIMES is a shadow of its former self, but still has something of the "paper of record" about it. In one sense it is less obnoxious than RTE because I'm not taxed to support it (though it would like to get government subsidies if it can) and it is therefore not constrained by any hypocritical pretence to be impartial.
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RTE
Aug 27, 2018 21:07:36 GMT
annie likes this
Post by Young Ireland on Aug 27, 2018 21:07:36 GMT
Both Hibernicus and Maolsheachlann make very good points. I would argue that one contributing factor to RTE's liberalism is the need to attract advertisers, who are interested in the wealthier, more secular sections of society. Admittedly, advertising is not the sole contributing factor, as the BBC has similar issues, albeit to a lesser extent. Ironically, if the Governments of the 1950s had not been so dismissive of television and had been prepared to fund RTE properly, I don't think that RTE would be as problematic as it currently is.
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