RTE has received 203 complaints in relation to a map of Ireland used on last Friday’s Late Late Show programme, which left out Northern Ireland’s six counties.
The map was used on the show’s segment on Ireland’s Health Divide, where Dr Eva Orsmond spoke about cancer risks for people living in the country’s deprived areas.
The map illustrates data collected from the 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland, which outlines that less educated people tend to be slower in attending their GPs and, in turn, have poorer health.
In a statement today, RTE said:
RTE will respond to these complaints within 20 days, in keeping with RTE Complaints procedure established under the Broadcasting Act 2009.
In addition to the 203 complaints, RTE has said 33 viewers contacted RTE Information offering negative feedback.
The map was met with a large amount of backlash from social media users and some politicians over the weekend.
Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald took to Twitter and wrote: “What is this? What is this all about? Who took it upon themselves to mutilate the map of Ireland? And why?
That depiction is a geographic aberration – not a map of our island.
One commentator pointed out that discussion in question did not use data from Northern Ireland’s six counties, only that of the Republic.
“Stop trying to manufacture outrage. This extent of this map is determined by the areas where @CSOIreland gather statistics. Nothing more,” they wrote.
Despite some understanding commentators, many expressed dissatisfaction.
“What was RTE thinking when they omitted the six counties from this map of Ireland on The Late Late Show last night? Disgraceful,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Deeply offended at the insensitivity of that map of Ireland minus the six counties,” wrote another.
https://twitter.com/cathalogd/status/903943753098039296
In November 2016, RTE received 1,302 complaint emails following Katie Hopkin’s appearance on The Late Late Show’s US election discussion.
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