There was an odd moment on Wednesday night's Newsnight, during its report on the ongoing scandal over honesty at the BBC, when the current affairs programme took a moment to mention that Newsnight itself was being investigated. It represented perfectly the ever-increasing complexity of the problem the BBC faces, writes Shane Hegarty.
Its series of scandals began in March, with the revelation that a "live" Saturday morning show wasn't live at all, despite its having encouraged viewers to phone in. Since then, there have been further problems with quizzes, involving its most cherished shows. Blue Peter was fined £50,000 (€74,000) after it asked a visiting schoolgirl to pretend to be a prizewinner.
When the corporation subsequently asked staff members to come forward with further examples - or confessions - it opened the window on a culture of deceit within the broadcaster. On Wednesday, it admitted that charity shows Children In Need and Comic Relief had both duped the public, despite a report in May which included them on a list of 200 programmes that were given a clean bill of health.
Meanwhile, the BBC has been investigating the use of footage in a publicity trailer which purported to show Queen Elizabeth storming out of a photoshoot. It had even been introduced to a press gathering by the controller of BBC One, Peter Fincham, who promised that "the queen had walked out in a huff". In fact, she was walking into the room, despite the editing suggesting otherwise.
For an organisation on whose staff cards contain a reminder that licence payers must have "trust" and "honesty" in what they see and hear on the BBC, this has caused shockwaves. And its director general, Mark Thompson, admits that it might not be the end of the revelations.
However, while much of the focus has been on the BBC this week, the original scandal emerged out of deception by Channel 4 and ITV programmes. ITV has commissioned an independent report to look into how its late-night quiz shows deliberately misled viewers and profited from those actions.
It has meant that empathy this week came from the unlikely source of Michael Grade, the former BBC chairman who jumped to ITV last year. On that same Newsnight, he admitted that he was unlikely to be happy with the results of the report.
He also said he struggled to understand why the problem has become so widespread, although he echoed the belief among many in the industry that it is likely to be a result of severe competitive pressures and the increasing use of casual workers in the British broadcasting industry. It has also put a spotlight on the nature of modern television, in which it is commonplace for "reality TV" and documentaries to reorder scenes for dramatic effect. In such an industry, commentators have observed, it is only a short step to outright deceit.
Whatever the reasons for these problems, Grade said he was sure of one thing: "It's an epidemic."
IF THAT IS the case, Irish broadcasters so far claim to have remained largely clear of their symptoms. Following the initial scandal involving the British shows, it was reported that Eircom was examining its systems after people entering a Late Late Show quiz were charged despite their entries not getting through. However, RTÉ said at the time that "key programmes and high-profile events" were audited by an independent company. RegTel, which regulates the content and promotion of premium rate telecommunications services, backed the national broadcaster on this. However, given the widespread use of phone and text lines on radio and television, can it still be certain that Ireland doesn't suffer from this "epidemic"?
TV3 reviewed its quizzes in light of the British problems, but found no issues. RTÉ also carried out an audit of its programmes, which reported a "clean bill of health", according to a spokesperson for the broadcaster. However, on Thursday morning its director general, Cathal Goan, reminded staff of the need for vigilance and that they should adhere to "the highest standard".
The Irish television industry has also seen increased casualisation of workers, and because RTÉ regularly relies on independent production companies which often use young, unpaid and inexperienced staff, there is an awareness within the national broadcaster that problems similar to those arising in Britain could emerge here.
Many of its phone-ins are run by service providers, for shows made by independent companies, adding to the possible sources problems. It's also felt that, in a small country, the invention of a competition winner would quickly be spotted. "We're absolutely confident that we haven't had a problem as yet, but it's necessary to have an ongoing review to make sure that all is above board and fair, and that there have been no shortcuts," says the spokesperson.
It must also send shivers through the public broadcaster to see how easy it has been for the BBC to lose the trust of the licence payers. "If we're not the most trustworthy," admits the spokesperson, "then there would be a big question as to what we're doing there in the first place."