RTÉ defends climate change coverage after claims some shows had tendency to ‘polarise’ issue

RTÉ has defended its coverage of climate change after the chair of the Oireachtas Climate Committee claimed certain programmes had a tendency to “polarise and divide” in their treatment of the issue.

Green TD Brian Leddin said these programmes included RTÉ Radio 1′s Liveline and Drivetime as well as RTÉ television′s Prime Time.

Representatives from RTÉ, The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI), Purpose Disruptors Ireland and Client Earth were addressing the committee on the role of media and communications in actioning climate change on Tuesday.

Mr Leddin said he thought Liveline, Drivetime and Prime Time, while “all feature climate to some degree or other, they have fallen for this tendency to polarise and divide”.

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Tara Peterman, RTÉ Executive Producer of climate change coverage, said the broadcaster adheres to the guidance of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s code of programmes standards as well as its own journalistic guidelines adding “we need to reflect views as they are present in Irish society”.

Peter Woods, Head of RTÉ Radio 1, said it was difficult to answer the question without “specifics” within the programmes that were mentioned and that “our starting point with climate is not to create false equivalents”.

Mr Leddin subsequently asked would RTÉ comment on the “tension” between “chasing ratings and listenership or viewership and ultimately a positive output in terms of informing the public”.

Mr Woods said there would not be any emphasis put on “chasing listenership by creating divisions” and that in terms of programmes he wasn’t sure that it worked.

He said the reaction to programmes and listenership figures were looked at on an ongoing basis but that chasing numbers “isn’t something we do”.

“We make the best programmes we can in all the circumstances we’re in,” Mr Woods added.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore noted there had been a “great uptick” in the amount of coverage of environmental programming over the last two years but that at the same time there was a “large amount” of advertising for fossil fuels and environmentally damaging products on the State broadcaster’s outlets.

The Wicklow TD asked if RTÉ had considered banning fossil fuel advertisements.

In response, Ms Peterson said she and her colleagues were involved in the content side of RTÉ and that the commercial side “is very much apart from us”.

“That’s something we’re not necessarily equipped to answer,” she said.

In her opening remarks to the committee, Ms Peterson said climate misinformation was a “lesser problem” in Ireland at this time than in some other countries which was likely due, in part, “to the fact that audiences in Ireland watch, listen, and read trusted news and current affairs coverage at a significant level”.

Jonathan White, from ClientEarth, an international environmental law NGO, said it supported a European campaign for a ban on advertising and sponsorship by fossil fuel and transport companies.

Mr White said the organisation believed that a fossil fuel advertising ban was necessary for “ensuring legal compliance and a necessary policy measure to achieve the net zero transition”.