Campaign Against EU Constitution -  Say No to Lisbon
Press Statement – Embargo - 26th February, 2008 - UNITE Offices on 55-56 Middle Abbey St

RTE Coverage of 2008 Lisbon Debate Unbalanced and grossly in favour of Yes Side

In a 71 -  page report entitled “Falling at the Feet of Power” launched on Thursday 26th February, the Campaign Against the EU Constitution (CAEUC) – NO to Lisbon argued strongly that RTE’s coverage of the Lisbon debate in 2008 had been unbalanced in favour of the Yes side.

The report analysed RTE’s six top News and Current affairs programmes and found problems in relation to fairness and balance.. The CAEUC research revealed, for example, that 63% of the speakers who spoke on the top six RTE news and current affairs programmes were supporters of the Yes side. The report also documented  115 incidents where RTE did not comply with its own Charter to “strive to reflect fairly and equally the … political diversity of Ireland and its peoples”.