Skip to main content

@rtesecretpro - An account that should never have gotten legs



Recently a controversial Twitter account by the name of 'RTE Secret Producer' has emerged. Its premise: a brave RTE staff member stands up against their employer and sets out to expose the hidden culture which prevails within the organisation. It sounds like a plot to a low-budget thriller.

The account has spurred much debate and has riled up many of the anti-RTE cynics who inhabit our country. Moreover, some of the Irish media - in competition with RTE and unlike RTE, not subsidised by the license fee - are probably happy to have a go at their media nemesis.

I have a few thoughts about this Twitter account...

First of all 

I have read Facebook comment after Facebook comment praising this mystery staffer for their bravery and for being the good Samaritan to expose the 'flawed' organisation. Although when one examines the level of 'exposure' through the Twitter account, one notices that this secret producer's ramblings amount to little more than office politics, a dislike for a certain Genre Head (the role that involves selecting programs to commission for TV) and the apparently worrying fondness among colleagues for egg and chips. Is this staff member really blowing the whistle on anything of substance?! No, not really.


Secondly 

I found one tweet to be particularly salient. The secret producer was apparently asked by numerous people if he/she could suggest a way to change RTE, a 'grand vision' to reform the organisation they seem to believe is in great disrepair. The vision was so meagre it only extended to a particular job title in a particular department. Perhaps a decent suggestion, but hardly achieving the aim of 'saving the organisation'. Have a read of the thread by clicking into the tweet.





Lastly

Do I believe that this person should be disciplined for their actions? Perhaps. If they are in violation of the organisation's social media policy or the conditions of their contract they should be sanctioned. And before a cynic tries to suggest that RTE are exercising their power to 'silence' a 'whistleblower', I believe that sanctions would face employees involved in similar scenarios in private organisations.

In my opinion the secret producer account is not to be taken seriously. 

RTE like many large organisations comes up against criticism from staff, the media and other stakeholders. This is particularly common for RTE seeing as it is publicly-funded. RTE, like many media organisations, is facing challenges of its own as it moves into the digital age. Radio listenership is falling and live TV viewership is slowing as the structure of the media industry changes beyond recognition. RTE needs to find practical solutions to these changes. This Twitter account is providing no solutions to these. This secret producer is no visionary in my opinion, more a disgruntled staff member whose horizons do not extend past their own personal grievances with their job and colleagues.

 Do I wish for this staff member to be exposed? No.

 Do I wish for an end to this hysteria and approval of this account? Most certainly.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 'A Word'

"YOU support murdering children?"   It was a simple exchange. We were talking about faith in the modern world, and I foolishly dropped the 'A Word'. Hinting my feelings in relation to this controversial topic, I was immediately stopped in my tracks. My words had led to a judgement being made about my character and my personality. This headline from Waterford Whispers News summarises what has happened to the debate in Ireland: It's ironic, because since the debate has come into general public consideration in Ireland, it has almost become more of a taboo. A highly emotionally-charged debate, both sides will shoot the other down with provocative statements. People are afraid to open their mouths about it in case they are ridiculed for their views. This is exacerbated by the far-left and far-right musings on social media, suggesting that there is little or no middle-ground in this debate. Whatever side of the tracks you are on, or whether you have made ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Legal Process and Values

I was struck by a remark made by Jolyon Maugham QC in an interview with LBC's James O'Brien . Maugham is a high-flying tax lawyer turned Brexit crusader, leading a number of constitutional challenges to the English government's handling of matters since Art 50 was triggered. The conversation turned to how great lawyers are not innately good politicians (Keir Starmer's name was dropped with uncomfortable regularity). In fact, the two skillsets might be somewhat mutually incompatible. Maugham noted that lawyers are obsessed with process. By that he means not just the granular detail that the law requires, but a slavish focus on the rules as prescribed by the law and their application, as opposed to the substance or merit of those rules. Though this might seem a somewhat trite observation, it reminded me of a remark made by Michael Kirby, a former Australian High Court judge. Kirby J as he was identified in cases, was a senior judge for many years and was known colloquiall...
Post a Comment
Read more

Daylight Atheism

In a book I'm currently reading called 'Flight Behaviour' by American novelist Barbara Kingsolver, the narrator describes one of the characters as being a "911 Christian: In the event of an emergency call the lord." This quote, to me, represents the context of organised religion in modern society. Religious practice in Ireland has decreased in recent times, with vast swathes of people abandoning the Catholic Church following scandals, becoming disenfranchised with certain rules, or others simply finding purpose and meaning in material goods as opposed to spiritual ideals. Juxtaposing this decline in religious action is the ever prominent level of religious belief in our societies. In my humble opinion, religion has, for many people, developed into a coping mechanism. For non-practising Catholics who don't step foot in a church at all, it still seems to be the 'go to' utility in times of need and suffering. When times are tough, religion provides a ...
Post a Comment
Read more