“The most important thing government have to do” in early 2024 is address the future of media funding in Ireland, according to Climate Minister Eamon Ryan.
“I think it is critical, if I look forward into next year, what is the most important thing government have to do?” the Green Party leader said.
“I think probably one of the very top of that list is addressing future funding of broadcast and media in Ireland.”
He added: “It isn’t just RTÉ, it is requirement for funding which will go into other broadcasters and other media.”
He went on to say that a new system around media funding was “probably the most critical decision we need to make” in an “environment” of “disinformation.”
“The first most important thing is can we get an agreed approach to fund our broadcasters, given what I was saying earlier, that one of the biggest challenges to stage is disinformation,” Ryan said.
“AI creates all sorts of weird material that who knows what’s true, what’s not true. That’s a real risk to democratic system and strength of the country, decency.
“So I think the funding of broadcasting media in that environment is probably the most critical decision we need to make in the first quarter of the year.”
Last year, the government approved €56 million in additional funding to assist RTÉ make up for lost revenue due to mass non-licence fee payment, based on certain reform conditions.
Last year RTÉ was at the forefront of a financial scandal which was sparked after the state broadcaster under-declared fees to its highest paid presenter at the time, Ryan Tubridy. This subsequently led to a number of additional financial scandals, culminating in the resignation of a number of senior executives at the organisation.
RTÉ’s Chief Financial Officer at the time, Richard Collins, told the Public Accounts Committee that it was his opinion that taxpayers may have been “defrauded” by RTÉ’s conduct.
Following this series of revelations, there was a significant surge in TV licence fee non-payment from the general public as backlash, leading to a loss of millions of euros in revenue for the broadcaster.
Gript previously asked RTÉ’s new Director-General Kevin Bakhurst if he would apologise to the thousands of Irish people who had received criminal convictions for refusing to subsidise the broadcaster, in a video which can be viewed below.
"I would urge people to carry on paying their license fee": RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst responds to whether he will apologise to those convicted of refusing to "subsidise flip flops."#gript #RTEgate pic.twitter.com/XbGrmsPM0R
— gript (@griptmedia) July 10, 2023
Gript also asked Green Party Media Minister Catherine Martin how RTÉ “strengthens democracy,” as she had previously asserted. She said that during Covid they provided “excellent factual information,” and that the value of the organisation “should not be questioned.”
Minister Catherine Martin defends State broadcasters like RTÉ, claiming that they "strengthen democracy," and that during Covid they provided "excellent factual information."#gript #RTEgate pic.twitter.com/Si1pI0PmHO
— gript (@griptmedia) July 6, 2023