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A WHILE BACK I switched TV provider. It was only after the switch I realised that the provider did not carry any Irish channels, and therefore I had to get a separate aerial installed. As it is one of those jobs that usually gets put on the long finger, I missed out on watching Irish television for over six months.
When I finally returned to viewing Irish channels after watching UK television, I was absolutely appalled at the lack of diversity staring back at me. As a TV license holder I felt cheated! Not only did programming not take into account our new diverse Ireland but I also felt I couldn’t relate to any of the presenters or their perspectives. This realisation prompted me to pay attention to all forms of media – and I soon discovered that radio and print were equally homogeneous.
It was 2006, and by this stage it was well recognised that 10% of the Irish population consisted of migrants. But I didn’t see any being invited onto programmes as contributors, and I certainly wasn’t aware of any even working in mainstream media.
Then I realised that the lack of representation extended to other groups such as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; Travellers, religious minorities and people with disabilities.
Then the biggest shocker of all – Irish media is highly male-dominated! Why aren’t there more women on screen or on air? I was completely taken aback by this and thought: How are we ever going to create a more inclusive and equal Ireland if Irish media does not accurately reflect the Ireland we live in? Furthermore, if Irish media was not representative of women – who constitute over 50% of the Irish population – what hope did other minority groups have?
This was the single most deciding factor that made me volunteer in a community radio station called Phoenix FM in Blanchardstown. I had only arrived in Ireland six years earlier and even though I had just set up my own company I felt so strongly about the importance of diversity in the media that I decided to be part of the change I wanted to see.
The reason for my convictions is a deeply painful and personal one. I was born in Italy to Sri Lankan parents in the 70s and was the only non-white child in my school and my neighbourhood. I was badly bullied in school and for many years my only friend was our television set but I never saw anyone that remotely looked like me on Italian TV. My earliest childhood memory is sitting in the bath scrubbing my skin wishing I could get the “dirt” off so I could turn my skin white and be like the other kids. I was concerned that if Irish media didn’t change the same would happen here and migrant children would grow up feeling uncomfortable in their own skin like I did.
After producing and presenting a multicultural show for two years in community radio I joined the Newstalk team in June 2008 to present what was initially an intercultural programme called Global Village. This has evolved into a groundbreaking and award-winning social affairs programme which has at its core a vision for an equal and inclusive Ireland where all residents can aspire to reach their full potential.
So the question is, has Irish media changed much since 2006 and has it become more inclusive? The very fact that I am currently the only migrant of colour and one of the very few openly gay women working in mainstream Irish media as a broadcaster actually speaks volumes as the answer is still unfortunately a big fat NO!
So why should media be inclusive you might ask? Apart from social responsibility, the national broadcaster is under obligation to provide programming which caters to all residents – and sadly, like many TV licence holders, I still don’t feel I am getting good value for my money.
Now before you think that I’m just blaming the national broadcaster for this imbalance, have a quick look at any one of the many independents out there and sadly the same lack of diversity is replicated there too. Don’t they share the responsibility of inclusive programming? Shouldn’t all Irish media, state and private, have an obligation to the Irish equality legislation both as employers and service providers?
Many people reading this will immediately assume that I am trying to make a case based on political correctness which many think would not yield any benefits to the establishment or the audience. However, I am actually trying to make a business case for diversity in the media – much like the recognised business case for diversity in the workplace.
Without quoting studies and statistics we know that human beings are a diverse bunch. Our gender, sexuality, culture, nationality, religion, age, abilities, disabilities, education, socio-economic status, marital and family status, life experiences and even hobbies make us different and influence what we like or dislike.
It doesn’t take extensive studies to ascertain that currently Irish TV, radio and print are predominantly catering to white, male, heterosexual, settled, without disabilities, middle class, Catholic Irish audiences.
Diversity should not be viewed as a box ticking exercise but instead as an opportunity for growth and keeping up with the times. Ireland has changed and so must the face of Irish media or it will run the risk of losing audiences.
The bottom line is – broaden the talent pool and for a creative industry such as media – talent is money.
Dil Wickremasinghe is a broadcaster with Newstalk 106-108 FM, a social entrepreneur and a stand-up comedian.
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So basically Enda wants us to vote yes to a treaty that could have significant changes made to it AFTER we say yay or nay?
Ah yeah, sure be grand like.
Hon Enda.
It’s also likely that we will be bound to the other treaty so any new “deal” will not apply to the good boys in the class.
Hollande threatens to block treaty in a move that could rupture Franco-German relations.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hollande-threatens-to-block-treaty-over-merkels-cuts-stance-3104638.html
I have a nice bag here in my hand. Inside it there’s a pig.
Anyone want to buy?
If we dont vote..he will have to change it..people’s power..
All the more reason to vote NO NO NO !
What’s he like??? OK, he doesn’t have an agenda, I was wrong, he’s just and idiot.
I hope you all do send a very clear signal.
Who cares what this big sap of a man says anymore? His days are well and truly numbered! Ignore him!
The fact that Marian Harkin has suggested referendum should be postponed is to my mind very significant. She is in no way a euro sceptic. It certainly seems increasingly like we are being asked to vote for a “pig in a poke”.
Now that’s just mean calling enda a pig in a poke ;)
So what happens if the French kick the whole thing to touch? With the German’s themselves postponing ratification the whole treaty seems to be back up in the air again..
Well said! The whole thing is a mess :-(
Well at least this has cleared up any doubt that a NO vote is the only choice
The date will not be changed.
Jawohl Frau Kenny!
Are you implying that our Enda is transgender?
This is not just an austerity treaty its a good bye euro treaty. No sane person can vote yes even the guys putting up posters are saying yea are voting no!! Enda could be looking at 80-90% no and the end of his government but he still keeps diggin. Lucinda cretin made an awful fool of herself on VB no reason at all to vote yes but it’s end of world when u vote no.
He knows now its a loosing game! Lets just get it over with, at least we give him the back bone that’s needed. ” now merkel, the people said NO and I’m not asking again” easy! And I think your right abiuth the high %
This is turning into an episode of “Yes Minister.”
Let’s face it, there is no way the treaty will pass here now. It was a close call a few weeks ago, but with Hollande basically dismissing it, Germany delaying it and the Greeks… well the Greeks going their own, curious route the thing is dead.
Message to an Taoiseach- show some leadership and scrap the thing before it brings your government down.
I swear, in that photo, you can still see the strings attached to the puppets arms… You need to do a better job at photoshopping next time.
It is foolish to push ahead with this now. This thing in the water. Would have made more sense to have the referendum in sept…hate to say this enda but I TOLD YOU SO!!
I’m beginning to think the big reason that Enda and co want the treaty held now is that come the end of the summer we will be looking at an emergency budget. Kenny knows that what ever the chances of the treaty passing this month if there is an emergency budget before the treaty vote the treaty would have no chance of being passed.
Pushing through a treaty thats probably going to be modified, to appease merkel, that was her idea but can’t even get to fly in her own country. We’re already the laughing stock of the financial markets and now the rest of europe is going to join in on the joke.
Jesus, has this man any backbone whatsoever.
Vote No on the 31st. We can no longer be sure what we’re being asked to vote ‘yes’ to.
Why is Enda afraid to lose face. Being so stubborn is doing no one any favours. If he just says since the treaty has the possibility of being changed the vote shall be delayed. Unless he wants to make a u-turn and when it is voted no. He turns around and says its going to be changed so we have to vote again. Jaysus it is the Lisbon treaty history is repeating itself isn’t it? Any way if howlin doesn’t understand it and is asking the referendum commission about it and the government still hasn’t given any figures as to how we are expected to get to this magic 0.5% borrowing to debt ratio why should we vote yes. No answers to any question no resolution to the debt crisis no real leadership just cowardly men. Vote no on 31st of may.
Don’t we know that Dame Enda , in the best Irish Pantomime tradition , will -irrespective of the result , have to insist on ANOTHER REFERENDUM later this year , to ram the next great scam Euro Agreement , down the throats of his totally burned out electorate.
He and his incompetent Government FG/LAB. Ministers, have succeeded in one thing though , in the last few months – that is in turning a Nation of Pro-Europeans into Euro Sceptic’s !
Well done Dame Edna – you are a total Pantomime !
“very necessary that we waste no time in sending out a very clear signal of certainty,”
Sounds like he knows the result already
Dermot,
You sound very sure of the result…. truth is apart from the forums on journal.ie , I dont get the feeling this decsion will be a no… In fact the more it goes on the less credible SF and Joe Higgins sound. The people who create jobs in Ireland, who employ people who actually do something rather that whinging on journal.ie are saying vote yes. I will listen to them instead of you if thats ok..
Declan the problem is the treaty is begining to look like a farce in its present form.Wether you vote yes or no is irrelevent.We need to know what we are being asked to vote on is the final treaty not a work in progress.I was leaning towards a No but waiting to be swayed by the yes side.But with the uncertainty coming from France and now Germany there is no way i can do anything other vote No.We are being asked to vote Yes on a treaty when we don’t even know its final detail.
Booo, my comment seems to have disappeared into internet purgatory but i shall endeavour to rewrite it again..
Declan, I’m not one for conspiracy but i recall my late grandmother once saying to me – “never trust a blueshirt”.. and who’s this IDA you speak off?
Is it the same IDA who have consistently overlooked my home county and indeed my region?
Well sir, anything they say holds no sway here and i couldn’t be more cynical about their statements if they were a government body who are responsible to the minister for jobs who is pushing for a yes vote who himself is answerable to a government who are pushing…nay……bullying for a yes vote….no wait, they are aren’t they…they are indeed a government body answerable to a minister of the government who are trying to bully a yes vote….wow.
Anyway Declan, thanks for taking the time out to respond to my post, you go ahead and listen to whoever you want, vote yes if they tell you to..me on the other hand, well I’ll still be voting NO partly because I will not be party of this full secession of sovereignty to a German dominated Europe who according to the aforementioned minister of jobs on radio today that he hopes they will allow the rest of us indulge in some growth policies whilst in the financial straitjacket they have designed for us if that’s ok
Hopes?….allows?…..deary me, so much for being at the heart of Europe, a bigger voice, preventing a 2 tier EU..etc etc (I’m sure you know the rest of the Lisbon lies)
As citizen it is my right to have an opinion. I am not making personal remarks about private individuals only those who want to lead us. I would be happy to use my own facebook account rather than twitter but would rather like to avoid any unpleasant incidents as i have a family and Sinn Fein has only recently retired its violent wing.
sick shinner did you get that out of the same excuse book as Enda?
Enda, think “Titanic” your the sleevin putting the necklace (household tax) in your pocket, Ireland is the beautiful Kate W, Gerry A is the brave Jack who will stay with us while the ship is going down thanks to you. Remember how it all ends Enda so take a breath do a CJH or a Bertie and save yourself…
You are quite right he is a brave British Jack Tar!!!!
Leave it out Deirdre…Jesus, Is journal.ie just one big website for SF supporters…
Don’t pigeonhole me Declan Cotter….making assumptions must be your back up plan when you have no valid point to make?
Sick shinner is fairly brave too, it takes guts to make and hide behind troll accounts
The referendum should not be put off, I for one want exercise my right to vote on it. putting it off denies me that right.
Suzie, I doubt that I will be voting the way you want me to vote nor that you would be voting the way I would like you vote but its important that we are allowed to vote regardless because we don’t get too many opportunities to do so!
Sean Norris
This is a false twitter account using my name . I will be voting No . I have reported this fraudster to the journal several times and still the posts keep coming. Some are even vulgar .
Journal . Please do something about this .
Susie, I had a fair idea what way you were going to vote anyway and I think most regular users here know what my views are on it so I think whoever it was trying to start a row was n’t going to suceed this time anyway. Honestly I did n’t realise that they were an imposter althought I should have guessed from the picture they were using but it was early in the day and I thought the use of the picture was an Ironic one…..
Declan Cotters account is a fake too. It has been all along.
What? you mean he’s not really an egg?
Declan, I don’t support any 1 Political Party. However I do respect different qualities of different parties. I’m not a child I don’t need Enda telling me to hand over more tax cash while he’s passing it on to the banks and the people who have never worked a day in their lives to support this country. Meanwhile he uses the “We the Goverment will decide when the people need to know the details” No Enda we the people put you there and we the people demand to know what is happening in Our country. He is a coward, if he was truly committed to the people he would face VB, but Enda can’t answer a direct question. Whenever he responds to GA he never fails to mention the past troubles, get over it Enda, move over and let us have a brave leader not a corporate sponsored puppet.
@Susie THIS among other things is what im talkin about! I will absolutely be voting NO regardless of its ratification however i am still concerned about de “followers” who will vote yes because they’ve been told to! And much and all as the government have said they won’t re-run this referendum no matter de outcome that remains to be seen!
Oh hes an egg alright.
Anyone else had enough of Inda’s toadying to his EU/IMF/ECB masters?
Yes, sick of it, not surprised though, he is FG after all.
sure they’ll be able to justify re-running it because lets face it, nobody knows de details! i reckon this is an angle that means if they get a yes vote they’ll leave it alone and if its a no…
What will all you guys and girls do if the people of Ireland vote YES??? Not saying its a definate but it certainly the money is on this referendum being passed…. What will you all whinge about then???
By the way, I listened to the head of the IDA this morning on Newtalk and he said that a no vote will certainly effect foreign direct investment in Ireland…
I am beginning to think that a lot of you want more pain and hardship for Ireland so you can further your own political agenda’s..
Who pays him? Oh yeah wake up wake up it’s all spin
You’re easily conned Declan! Why wouldn’t the IDA say this? They’re looking for all the excuses they can! Isn’t it time this country started thinking for itself? We’ve been too dependent on foreign companies for years! Where’s it got us? 450,000 unemployed! What was the point of becoming an independent republic if we can only survive by bribing foreign companies to build factories here? How much real money goes towards creating those so-called new jobs? I guarantee if we knew what the real price was, our attitudes would change very quickly! Vote no for an Independent Ireland!
Declan 10days ago the polls put the yes side ahead,do you really think that is still the case after everything that has happened.Enda needs to swallow what little pride he has left and call off the vote till everything becomes clearer.
The IDA?…I’m sure the people in Cavan, Monagahan and Donegal will take heed of what they say seeing as they have been fervent supporters of securing investment in the border region…great record they have there the past 30 years…
I actually think the Yes side will be more ahead believe it or not. I cant see this treaty being rejected. Please dont question the head of the IDA. They have been a shining light in this country…I take this mans words very seriously…
I agree with Declan it suits certain parties to have more austerity and cuts, although I hope the Irish people will see through it and blame them for their lousy advice. Vote no for more austerity and cuts!
Rodrigo, Of the 450k unemployed, 230k come directly from construction. The IDA have done a fantastic job in bring huge employment to all parts of Ireland. There is no politics behind his comments.
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