Propagender

by Colette Colfer

RTE has been running scared of trans activists ever since this event

The independence and impartiality of Ireland’s national public service broadcaster, RTÉ, is being compromised by its participation in a government strategy that involves the roll-out of gender identity theory through all sectors of Irish society.

The current Irish Government’s Programme for Government outlines plans to implement strategies that uncritically adopt gender identity theory, and to amend Irish equality legislation to include gender identity as a protected characteristic. These plans have implications for all sectors of Irish society. (I have written more about these strategies here.)

RTÉ has a duty in law ‘to remain independent from all state, political and commercial influences’ and yet RTÉ is listed as a contributor in the development of one of these strategies and as a ‘lead partner’ in its associated action plan. A representative from RTÉ is also on the committee responsible for implementing the strategy. A Freedom of Information response from RTÉ shows that at least two gender identity lobby groups have provided training or workshops for RTÉ staff.

Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) is designed to be accountable to the society in which it operates rather than to the state or to the market or to any pressure groups. PSB is understood as a social utility, much like water or electricity or roads. It is a public resource.

One of RTÉ’s guiding principles is to serve the public interest. This would involve exploring controversial topics impartially. Facts should be presented alongside arguments for and against. This approach would enable members of the public to develop informed opinions for themselves and would also contribute to the maintenance of a healthy democratic society.

The power of broadcasting to influence public opinion has been recognised since the early years of radio. Media centres are often the first targets during military coups or in wars. Control of communication systems is linked to control of the people. Broadcasting is a potentially powerful tool of propaganda.

Edward Bernays, the ‘father of public relations’, published his work Propaganda in 1928 in which he argued that whoever can manipulate the habits and opinions of the masses is the invisible government ‘who pulls the wires that control the public mind’. He referred to this manipulation of public opinion as the ‘engineering of consent’. He understood how to make the public desire goods that they didn’t need, and he understood that opinions and ideologies, as well as objects, could be sold to the public.

Newsrooms today are inundated with press releases issued by public relations teams. Some of the world’s greatest journalists do not read press releases. The great Robert Fisk comes to mind. However, on-scene reporting is rare in the world of journalism today when many ‘stories’ originate in the PR departments of powerful organisations.

The funding model of public service broadcasters can mean that their investigative teams and reporters are uniquely placed to explore controversial topics. This potential is illustrated by the Swedish public service broadcaster, SVT, whose four-part investigative series Transbarnen (Trans Kids) was awarded the highest journalist recognition in Sweden, and  was influential in changing how the Swedish parliament dealt with healthcare for trans-identified youth.

The BBC meanwhile, became the subject of one of its own investigative programmes last year when the Stephen Nolan podcast, Nolan Investigates Stonewall, examined the influence of a gender identity lobby group, Stonewall, on public institutions in the UK. The BBC pulled out of the Stonewall Diversity Champions scheme one month after the podcast was aired, after concerns were raised about the impact of the scheme on BBC impartiality.

In Ireland, in June of this year, the Liveline show on RTÉ Radio One featured members of the public phoning in to discuss the word ‘woman’. Corollary issues linked to gender identity were also discussed. The show generated a huge level of public interest and so the topic rolled over into three consecutive shows. Men, women, transmen, transwomen, and people who identified as non-binary contacted the show with a range of diverse opinions and spoke live on air to presenter Joe Duffy.

Coverage of the topic on Liveline resulted in an outcry by gender identity lobby groups, by politicians, and by journalists. Dublin Pride cancelled its media partnership with the national broadcaster and RTÉ was called to appear before an Oireachtas (parliamentary) committee to explain itself. Another RTÉ Radio One programme, Morning Ireland, ran a report which featured only the voices of people criticising the shows.

One report in the Irish Examiner on the 16th June ran with the headline ‘Uplift says 1,000 people have complained to RTÉ over Liveline trans broadcasts’. However, RTÉ have stated that they did not in fact receive one single complaint from Uplift. RTÉ also stated that they responded, in total, to just nine formal complaints about the Liveline broadcasts.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) is the regulator of public broadcasting in Ireland. The BAI confirmed that no complaints about the Liveline shows have been submitted to the BAI.

The last time RTÉ covered gender identity issues in any level of depth was over three years previously, back in January of 2019, when the TV current affairs show Prime Time ran a report about the huge increase in the number of young people identifying as trans. An online petition with over 5,000 signatures had urged RTÉ not to air the programme and around fifty activists staged a protest outside RTÉ on the night of its broadcast. Three official complaints about the programme were rejected by the BAI.

Gender identity lobby groups actively work to minimise press coverage of gender identity issues. Dentons, the largest legal firm in the world, produced a document designed as a toolkit for gender activists in which it is recommended to ‘avoid excessive press coverage and exposure’. Ireland is mentioned as an example where this practice has been used.

We now live in a world dominated by big tech and by social media empires. Online platforms operate by attracting large audiences and attempting to keep their attention. They often do this using memes, short videos, and short texts. They also use propaganda designed to elicit an emotional reaction. In return for ‘free’ content, valuable personal data is harvested for lucrative ends. This modus operandi is in direct contrast to public service broadcasting which was designed from the outset to improve the society in which it operates.

In a world dominated by multinational tech corporations, public service broadcasting is more important than ever before. Public funding is essential and needs to be secured. For PSB to continue to be relevant, it must engage impartially with issues of public concern and must remain independent of the government, of the market, of pressure groups and of big tech who operate as the new information gatekeepers. In Ireland, as long as RTÉ is involved in a national strategy that pushes gender identity theory, its public service mission is failing.

My thanks to Genspect and Colette for permision to republish!