In the New Ireland

BROADCASTING— IN THE NEW IRELAND Mapping & Envisioning >XmXeK`kc\p Cultural Diversity 8g_iXB\ii I\Y\ZZXBè^FËI`Xè BROADCASTING— IN THE NEW IRELAND BROADCASTING— IN THE NEW IRELAND Mapping & Envisioning >XmXeK`kc\pÆ Cultural Diversity C\X[I\j\XiZ_\i 8g_iXB\ii I\Y\ZZXBè^FËI`Xè EXk`feXcLe`m\ij`kp f]@i\cXe[#DXpeffk_ GlYc`j_\[è8gi`c)'('Ypk_\ EXk`feXcLe`m\ij`kpf]@i\cXe[#DXpeffk_% >XmXeK`kc\p#8g_iXB\iiI\Y\ZZXBè^FËI`Xè EXk`feXcLe`m\ij`kpf]@i\cXe[#DXpeffk_% ;\j`ê\[YpLek_èb% @J9E0./$'$0,-*)-.$($* K_`ji\j\XiZ_nXjdX[\gfjj`Yc\Ypk_\]le[è^ jlggfikf]k_\9ifX[ZXjkè^8lk_fi`kpf]@i\cXe[% Kpg\j\kè8bbliXkN_`kdXe% Gièk\[èXe\[`k`fef],''Zfg`\jYpE`Z_fcjfe9Xjj% Gièk\[feDleb\eGli\0'^jd% CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11 INTRODUCTION 14 PART 1 Why Cultural Diversity? What Cultural Diversity? Debating Migration, Difference & the Media 17 @ekif[lZk`feÆN\Xi\Xccdlck`ZlckliXcefn6 19 Dlck`ZlckliXci\Xc`k`\ji\jgfej\j 21 K_\gfc`k`Zjf]i\gi\j\ekXk`fe1 `dX^\jè]fidXk`feXjjpdYfc`Zi\jfliZ\j 23 Dlck`ZlckliXc`jd#èk\iZlckliXc`jd#[`m\ij`kp#èk\îXk`fe6 37 I\gi\j\ekè^k_\c`m\jf]g\fgc\n_fd`îXk\1 `jjl\jèd\[`XgiXZk`Z\ 45 PART 2 Media Worlds & Media Practices: Research with Migrant Audiences 53 K_\Zfek\okf]d`îXk`feè@i\cXe[ 55 I\j\XiZ_è^n`k_d`îXekXl[`\eZ\j 58 D\[`Xlj\YpGfc`j_gXik`Z`gXekj 63 D\[`Xlj\YpE`^\i`XegXik`Z`gXekj 76 D\[`Xlj\Yp:_è\j\gXik`Z`gXekj 94 PART 3 Broadcasting Responses 111 GlYc`Zj\im`Z\YifX[ZXjkè^ 113 :fddle`kpd\[`X 140 :fdd\iZ`XcYifX[ZXjkè^j\im`Z\j 158 CONCLUSION 171 9ifX[ZXjkè^ZlckliXc[`m\ij`kpèXg\i`f[f]Zi`j`j 173 Hl\jk`fej#jl^^\jk`fejgfjj`Y`c`k`\j 177 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The qualitative audience research in Part 2 was designed and organized by the project research team and an extended group of researchers, and the focus groups were conducted by these researchers: Dr Abel Ugba (University of East London), Dr Krzyszt of Nawratek (University of Plymouth), Asia Rutkowska(NUI Maynooth) and Weiming Lu (TCD). Their ideas and expertise have been central to this research, and in particular Dr Abel Ugba has been a knowledgeable and supportive ally of this project. Further research support and input in NUI Maynooth was provided by Aine McDonough, Dr Katie Moylan, Christopher Lowe and Edo Osa. Professor Ray O’Neill, Dean of Research and Dr Caroline Ang, Research Support Officer provided important institutional support. We would like to thank the Centre for Media Studies and the Department of Sociology for their logistical, material and collegial support. In particular we wish to thank Anne O’Brien and Maura Hennelly in the Centre for Media Studies. The National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), and its Director, Prof Rob Kitchin, have also provided us with support in this project. In the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, the support of Caro- line Smyth, Patricia Kelly, Ita Kennelly and Ciarán Kissane is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank the very many research participants who provided their time and input to this work. We would also like to thank Robert Farrelly, Colin Farmer from Unthink for their input and design. 8 9 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The inward migration of the late 1990s and 2000s has changed the fabric of society in Ireland. It altered the composition of media audiences for Irish broadcasters, and raised questions as to how broadcasters discuss migration and related issues; incorporate new audiences into their programming; and deal with questions of media representation and production. Investigating the significance of media in a changing society demands a multi-layered approach to research. This two-year research project involved research interviews and surveys with media producers in public, commercial and community radio and television; in-depth qualitative research with Nigerian, Chinese and Polish research participants nationwide; and an analysis of media policy nationally and comparatively in Europe. Irish media channels – in all sectors – have responded to this changed social context through programming and a range of initiatives concerning multiculturalism, interculturalism, and diversity. Part 1 of this report discusses the background to these ideas in media policy, media theory and wider public debate, and provides a basis for interpreting and evaluating their use and significance in Ireland. It illustrates how these ideas must be understood as relatively open discourses shaped by their use in different contexts, rather than as set ideas or policy frameworks. The regular media use of Nigerian, Chinese and Polish participants discussed in Part 2 integrates local, Irish national, home-country national, diasporic and transnational channels. This daily integration is facilitated and limited by a range of material factors, notably newspaper circulation, access to terrestrial Irish media, and Internet access. This integration is an ongoing process influenced by language proficiency, length of time living in Ireland, orientations towards past experiences and future horizons, and cultural capital. Integrated media use involves relational viewing and engagement, in which Irish media and other sources are compared and contrasted, and organized in relation to each other according to different needs, political readings, and pleasures. A feature of daily, integrated media use is a fluid understanding of local/national/international media. International news featuring issues/ contexts of interest is often intimately evaluated, and frequently seen as being as consequential as representations of migrants in Ireland. The presence of UK-based media in the public sphere in Ireland relativizes what is understood as Irish media. For participants from countries as relatively large and regionally complex as Nigeria, China and Poland, the national horizons of Irish news were often understood as local or parochial, and the scope of international news as being similarly limited; 10 11 Media monitoring and evaluation is more pronounced among TV3 and TG4 regard specific policies in this area as overly rigid and Nigerian participants, however all focus groups discussed the assumed potentially counter-productive, and instead argue for an idea of diversity consequentiality of representations of migrants for their acceptance in emerging organically from the scope and focus of their programmes on Ireland. As well as having a responsibility to provide fair and accurate rep- society in Ireland. The commercial radio sector is open to ideas and ini- resentation, many participants commented on the need for an increased tiatives, however pragmatic concerns regarding economies of scale and plurality of sources, perspectives and foci in Irish media. the relationship between investment and return has meant that few such This increased plurality was discussed in relation to news, and initiatives – or radio programmes – have been developed. Exceptions to also the spectrum of general programming available on television. This this general trend are discussed in Part 3. understanding of diversity contrasted with the institutional idea of diversity International, comparative research would suggest that broad- underpinning some public service broadcasting. Programming dealing casting in Ireland, particularly public service broadcasting, has reached with multiculturalism – though frequently not primarily aimed at migrant a point where first-wave programming primarily aimed at mainstream audiences – was often not received and interpreted as such. This under- audience understanding is no longer relevant, but where the challenge standing of diversity does not preclude the importance attached by many of developing more integrated approaches to programme development discussants to seeing increased diversity of people on Irish television. and media production – under the rubric of diversity – is only beginning Both mainstream Irish media and media aimed at national migrant to take shape. The overarching conclusion of this report suggests that populations in Ireland were felt not to represent the internal diversity this challenge involves a fundamental shift in considering how audiences, and differences of migrant populations. Diasporic and transnational and the public, are composed. media are centrally important for many participants across the focus The recommendations of this report discuss different aspects group streams, but not in obvious or predictable ways. News, lifestyle of this challenge by building on issues raised in the audience research. and fictional programming on these services are watched relationally In particular, the research emphasizes the need to focus as much on the and critically, and discussed according to a range of aesthetic, affective diversity of genres, programmes, and perspectives broadcast as the more and political criteria. conventional idea of diversity as involving the representation of diverse Much television use has migrated to Internet platforms, almost identities. This important difference in emphasis raises critical questions to the same extent as newspaper use. This shift is a part of the pervasive concerning the current shift to frameworks of diversity as they are currently importance of Internet use for many participants. This viewing and listen- understood and practiced in the different broadcast institutions. ing was integrated into a range of other multimedia and communicative The conclusions draw attention to the current and future impor- practices online. However Internet use is restricted for many by cost and tance of training and the active inclusion of minorities in programme opportunity, and for those with the means, by widely criticized connection development and production. While cognizant of the difficulties, pitfalls speeds and coverage. and political controversies surrounding such issues, research suggests a RTÉ has engaged consistently with the need to develop relevant basic, if complex, relationship between the plurality of media workers and programming and institutional policies. Part 3 documents the devel- a plurality of perspectives. The recommendations aimed at broadcasters opment of policy; the shift in radio programming away from first-wave draw attention to a variety of ways that this could be done.

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