Complaint to TV3 Re: 'Ireland's Bogus Beggars'

The following is the text of my complaint to TV3, following the broadcast of 'Fiddling The System: Ireland's Bogus Beggars'. I'll post up their reply if/when it is received.

To whom it may concern,

I wish to register a complaint about the irresponsible decision to broadcast 'Fiddling The System: Ireland's Bogus Beggars', on a number of grounds:

1. The dehumanising, animalistic, racist language used to refer to Roma beggars throughout. Roma women were described as travelling in "packs" or "swarms", terms which usually refer to dogs and insects respectively, rather than in "groups", and the city was described as "teeming" with Roma beggars, a term normally reserved for vermin and microbes. Precisely this kind of language is used by racists to dehumanise and otherise members of ethnic and racial minorities, and should not be used by journalists/presenters.

2. The uncontested platform given to members of far-right hate groups. The programme devoted substantial airtime to White Nationalist (i.e. Neo-fascist) Michael Quinn, of the Democratic Right Movement and Ted Neville of the Irish Solidarity Party, in which to promote a racist anti-Roma agenda. Michael Quinn was allowed to call for all Roma immigrants to be denied entry to the country and all Roma currently living in the country to be deported, purely on the basis of race. The "robust" challenge to these views by the programme's presenter, of which other complainants were assured, failed to materialise. Simply asking whether a member of a White Nationalist hate group is racist is wholly insufficient. Their comments amounted to incitement to racial hatred, and should not have been broadcast.

Predictably, the DRM have been encouraged and emboldened by the free publicity given to them by your station. A post on the DRM's forum today read:

"Michael did well, I can see people who are sick of Roma typing "democratic right movement" into their web browsers and see what we're about. If they are truly sick of what going on in Ireland we have won a number of extra supports.

We've already received a few positive emails, and it nice that it's another kick in the backside for those who try to silence us just because we want to keep Ireland for the Irish."

3. The exclusivity of the focus on the Roma. While the closing frames of the show may have said that there are no longer any links between Roma "begging gangs" and other forms of organised crime, the racist stereotype associating Roma with agressive begging, with choosing begging as a lifestyle, and with criminality was throughly reinforced by the programme based on flimsy evidence.

From the outset, a distinction was drawn between Roma beggars - who were cast in a sinister light - and white Irish beggars - who were presumed to be in legitimate need, and who were never associated with aggressive or organised begging. No investigation was attempted into whether white Irish beggars were involved in this kind of begging, rather, it was assumed to be exclusively a Roma phenomenon.

Moreover, the evidence used to prove that this specific form of begging is endemic to the Roma community did not support that conclusion, and it was only through careful rhetorical and cinematographical framing that the programme was able to give that impression. The sequence where the presenter was seen to be harassed by a group of Roma women took place after the presenter deliberately sought to engineer a situation of conflict in order to support his predetermined conclusion. Similarly, the use of hidden cameras to provide evidence of organisation did no such thing; the fact that a group of Roma women leave and return to their home at the same time proves nothing other than that they know each other, and that they leave the same place at the same time to carry out the same activity. To draw any deeper conclusion is merely supposition, based on a thoroughly unscientific methodology, which should not have been presented as fact.

I look forward to your reply,

Sincerely,

Aidan Rowe

TV3's reply

Dear Mr Rowe,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding Fiddling the System: Ireland's Bogus Beggars. We have investigated your complaint regarding the content of the promotion in question and the programme to which it refers.

We believe that the programme itself was fair and balanced. We are aware of the reputation of the individuals about whom you are complaining and would like to state that they were not afforded a platform to promote their agenda in an unchallenged manner. We feel their views were adequately challenged by our journalist. In order to create a balanced programme we must allow all sides of a debate to air their views, however disagreeable they may be.

Furthermore, the programme's focus was on organised begging, not the Roma community in general. However, the programme contained frank interviews with members of the Roma community to allow them an opportunity to dispel the myths that surround their culture and way of life. A full investigation into the background of the Roma community and historical prejudice towards them would have been inappropriate in the context of the focus of the programme and to cover that issue would have taken up time enough for a programme on its own.

You will note that the conclusion was not "predetermined" as you assert, in fact that the conclusion of the programme was that there was no criminal activity involved.

We note your comments in relation to the DRM, however considering the conclusion drawn in the programme we cannot see how the DRM can feel that they have achieved anything from their appearance on the programme.

TV3's coverage of this issue was in compliance with law and internationally accepted standards.

Regards,

TV3 Complaints