A chara, - Vincent Browne makes a valid point about the "not encouraging" omens for media coverage of the upcoming general election (Opinion, May 17th) .
An examination of the news archive on RTÉ's website for the past four weeks shows that during that time RTÉ devoted 43 headlines to utterances and comments by members of the Government. It devoted seven headlines to the Opposition and two of those were connected with the Fine Gael Ardfheis. There were eight photographs of members of the Government (including three of Michael McDowell - on May 5th, 8th and 9th) and only one of an Opposition member (Enda Kenny).
Various Government members are named in the 43 headlines. In the Opposition headlines only the party leaders are mentioned (Enda Kenny four times, Pat Rabbitte once). No Opposition spokesman, other than the leaders, were deemed worthy of a headline in that period.
This is an era of visual imagery in which the Internet is fast becoming the primary source of news and information. RTÉ's website news headlines leave any visitor with a clear vision of a dominant Government and a minuscule Opposition.
I was in Ethiopia recently along with other members of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee. There we heard loud - and it appears, justified - complaints from the opposition about their virtual exclusion from public broadcasting media. We raised these questions with the government in Addis Ababa and were given the usual bland answers. Perhaps some Ethiopians could come here and ask RTÉ a few questions! - Yours, etc,
Senator BRENDAN RYAN, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.
Madam, - Vincent Browne rightly highlights the gross social class health inequalities which exist in Irish society.
A year ago the Adelaide Hospital Society published "Just Caring: Equity and Access in Healthcare - A Prescription for Change", setting out how these inequalities ought to be addressed. We sent a copy to every member of the Oireachtas. Among our recommendations was the appointment of an independent expert inquiry to report to the Oireachtas on health inequalities in order to create the political will for action, based on the evidence.
The media have an important responsibility to expose the fact that our political system tolerates a grossly and increasingly unequal society whereby those who are poor are sicker and die younger than those who are better off. Surely in a republic all citizens must receive equal care and treatment on the basis of their healthcare needs rather that their financial means? - Yours, etc,
Dr FERGUS O'FERRALL, Director, Adelaide Hospital Society, Tallaght, Dublin 24.
Madam, - I agree with many of the points raised by Vincent Browne on agenda-setting by the media and the prevalence of soft-focus interviews with Government representatives.
It is frustrating to highlight areas of particular concern only to see them disappear in the daily news without debate. For example, the Labour Party's policy paper on Mental Health, "Changing Our Mindset", published in January 2005, suffered the typical exclusion dealt to mental health issues.
However, I must correct Mr Browne's suggestion that Labour remains silent on the massive inequalities in our society manifested in our health services. In fact I spoke in a debate in UCC a fortnight ago and highlighted this very issue. The chairperson was Vincent Browne. He was there but his mind was obviously elsewhere, as it is clear he wasn't listening.
The Labour Party's most recent policy paper on health sought to redirect the debate on the health services towards primary care and the problems in accessing the local family doctor. "Healthcare - A New Direction, Towards Primary Care" points out that under this Government the percentage of the population covered by medical cards has fallen to 28 per cent. The costs of going to the local GP and buying medications prevents thousands of people getting the care they need. We are calling for an initial increase of medical cards to include 40 per cent of the population.
The Labour Party has consistently stated that a fair society leads to a healthier society. For anyone wishing to bypass the media and read our most recent policy documents in full, they are all available at www.labour.ie/policy. - Yours, etc,
LIZ McMANUS TD, Deputy Leader, Labour Party Spokesperson on Health, Dublin 2.