# RTE Documentary seeks Views



## dosullivan (3 Sep 2012)

Hello
My name is David O’Sullivan and I’m a researcher in the Documentary Unit in RTE. I’m currently researching a documentary about tax and the way it is spent in the system.
We are looking for a number of different examples of people who pay tax across the system.


We are hoping to talk to somebody who has worked for a number of years ( ie last 10-15) but is now on on Jobseekers Allowance and is worried about possible cuts to Social Welfare in December's upcoming budget. 

If you feel the above situation is similar to your own, then I'd be very interested in talking to you. 
I can be contacted on osullid@rte.ie or 01 208 2723
Thank you 
David


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## Purple (3 Sep 2012)

Wow, that sounds like a very biased agenda!
I thought researchers or producers looked for people's views and made programmes based on their findings rather than looking for people who share their own views in order to give veracity to their own biases.


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## Nikephorus (3 Sep 2012)

I have to agree with Purple. Sounds like you already know exactly how you want the respondent to feel and what you want them to say before "researching" the area for your "documentary" to provide a balanced viewpoint.


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## itsallwrong (4 Sep 2012)

Sounds like you want to rubber stamp your opinion.
What about the opinion of people who never paid a cent in tax and get every benefit going?
They are probably even more worried


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## Bronte (4 Sep 2012)

Purple said:


> Wow, that sounds like a very biased agenda!
> .


 
Did the OP change the wording after the comments of you and others?  If yes could you elaborate on what actually was asked.


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## sam h (4 Sep 2012)

Yes, the OP significantly changed his post and put in - "edited for incorrect wording"

I actually still have the wording as I was rushing when I read it off but was rather horrified (as the others above) as it was more like a casting for a role, than seeking the views & opinions of someone findin themselves in a certain posittion.  

So I actually copied it to mail as I intended to make a complaint to RTE.

I also think it was rather disingenuous to edit & not clearly state why, as it makes the other posters look like they are complaining about the current post, not the original one.

I'm not sure if it is appropriate to post back his actual words, but it gives an example of someone who has worked but is now out of work & feels hard done by; not getting what they think they deserve; wonders how the VAT he pays is being spent. All in all, feels like they are not getting back what they put in.

Surely a balance, non biased documentary should look for people who find themseelves in this prediciament and seek to find out how they feel & what their views.


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## Brendan Burgess (4 Sep 2012)

> I also think it was rather disingenuous to edit & not clearly state  why, as it makes the other posters look like they are complaining about  the current post, not the original one.



He posted three "case studies" in three separate threads.
I deleted two of them
I suggested he edit the first one to make it more general. 

Sam, if you want to post the original wording, that is fine. 

Brendan


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## sam h (4 Sep 2012)

OK - this is the one I saw:



> We are looking for a number of different examples of people who pay tax across the system.
> 
> We are hoping to talk to somebody who has worked for a number of years but is now on on Jobseekers Allowance.
> I have outlined this in the hypothetical example below –
> ...


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## Brendan Burgess (4 Sep 2012)

Purple said:


> Wow, that sounds like a very biased agenda!
> I thought researchers or producers looked for people's views and made programmes based on their findings rather than looking for people who share their own views in order to give veracity to their own biases.



It depends on whom they already have for the programme. 

For example, on the Household Charge, they contacted me to know if I would speak in favour of the Household Charge and if I knew anyone else who would be prepared to speak publicly in its favour. They had no problem at all getting the opponents to fill the studio.

In this case, they want to speak to people who are worried about the cuts in public expenditure. 

What do they do for balance? Look for people who are not worried?  That wouldn't be much of a programme. 

I would expect that the programme itself will have economists and politicians who will explain the economic necessity for such cuts. 

And I am sure that David would be happy to interview any of you who would like to explain why the cuts should be far deeper than the government is planning.

When they do programmes on mortgage arrears, they often ask me if I know of anyone who will talk about their arrears on camera.  They don't interview people who are not in arrears. 

Likewise, when they were doing a documentary on the various options under the Personal Insolvency Bill, they looked for people who could avail of it. They weren't really interested in speaking to someone wealthy who did not need it.  Of course, the programme explained both sides of the debate. 

Brendan


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## T McGibney (4 Sep 2012)

Hard to believe there is anyone in the country on "€188 per week on the Jobseekers Allowance" who "wants to know how much of the VAT he pays goes towards job creation."


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## Purple (4 Sep 2012)

Fair enough Brendan but the OP didn't put his request in that context and so left people to draw their own conclusions.


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## Bronte (5 Sep 2012)

I'm still lost as to what happened but will watch out for the programme with interest.


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## miriammary (6 Sep 2012)

seems to me that it will make a great programme---as far as I can see if Joe Blogs contributes to the system through taxes and working all his life it is very often difficult to get something back from the system when you need it--for example unemployed or ill. Yet people who've never contributed a cent to the system are just 'entitled' to this that and the other automatically. You seem to have to jump through hoops to get back what you put in!!!!!!!!!!


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## Purple (10 Sep 2012)

miriammary said:


> seems to me that it will make a great programme---as far as I can see if Joe Blogs contributes to the system through taxes and working all his life it is very often difficult to get something back from the system when you need it--for example unemployed or ill. Yet people who've never contributed a cent to the system are just 'entitled' to this that and the other automatically. You seem to have to jump through hoops to get back what you put in!!!!!!!!!!



I can't see the Comrades in RTE putting that slant on things. They tend towards simplistic populism but rarely look for a root cause beyond senior politicians and “Fat Cats”. This ignores the systemic and structural flaws in how we organise our country and our democracy. 
I’d love to see a series of programmes examining the protagonists who were at the helm or acting as one of the _eminence grise_ who whispered in their ear.
That would require a critical look at;
Politicians (on both sides of the house)
Bankers
Property developers
Senior Civil and Public Servants and state appointees
Union Leaders

The first three above have been looked at in detail, and rightly so, but the role of state employees has hardly been touched on and the role of the Unions and their influence through Benchmarking etc has not been looked at in any detail. 

We now find ourselves in a situation where we have welfare levels, state pay levels and pensions that the state cannot afford. RTE have never looked at this from an economic perspective but rather concentrated on what the individual thinks they should be paid and what their outgoings are. If an employee asks for a pay rise in a corner shop the owner asks themselves two questions; Do they deserve it and can the shop afford to pay them. If the answer to either question is no then the employee doesn’t get their increase. What their outgoing are is irrelevant. Such basic logic escapes RTE and it’s another example of their This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language-about-face perspective.
I have never heard an RTE interviewer press a member of the Left Alliance/people against profit/ the Socialist Party etc  where they would find the money for the services that they don’t want cut. I have never heard them ask a hospital consultant if they think there is a link between lack of funds for services and the fact that we have the best paid Consultants in the world. RTE never cast a critical eye on events and never ask the hard questions (questions that it is hard for their viewers to hear) so I don’t expect anything other than more of the same from this outing.


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