The Irish Council Against Blood Sports has complained to the Head of RTE News over a hare coursing report broadcast yesterday evening on its Six One News (5th February 2019).

The report - shamefully included in the "SPORTS" section of the programme - was totally unbalanced in that it did not include any response from those of us who campaign against this barbaric bloodsport. Absolutely no one involved in animal welfare/rights was contacted by RTE to give a perspective on the issue of cruelty to animals, i.e. the use of timid wild hares as live bait for greyhounds to chase.

RTE News afforded a spokesperson for the Irish Coursing Club the opportunity to spout propaganda about coursers supposedly benefitting hare conservation.

He went unchallenged when he quoted a report from Queens University, which suggested that there may be 18 times more hares in areas where coursing takes place - a claim ICABS could, if given the opportunity, completely rebut. The study in question was carried out in conjunction and cooperation with the hare coursers, and only one club was surveyed - East Donegal - with the hares being counted by the coursers themselves!

What makes this even worse is that on Sunday, February 3rd, there was a protest outside the coursing venue in Clonmel at which individuals and groups from around Ireland demonstrated. The protest was filmed by an RTE News crew who also conducted an interview with John Fitzgerald of the Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (ICABS spokesperson Aideen Yourell was separately interviewed by the same crew for Sunday evening's An Nuacht). Therefore, RTE had film footage they could have added to its Six One News report to present some semblance of balance but they chose not to do this. Not only did they not acknowledge the Sunday protest, they insinuated there was no opposition to the Clonmel crueltyfest - the report was preceded by an RTE sports presenter noting that "there were no protesters visible this afternoon [Tuesday]".

This disgraceful report effectively endorsed and eulogised animal cruelty, with the reporter delivering it in an upbeat manner, as if he was at a football or rugby match.

Shame on RTE Six One News for presenting one of Ireland's worst forms of cruelty to animals in its "sports" coverage and denying those who represent the majority of Irish citizens an opportunity to highlight the ugly reality of coursing and the ongoing calls for a ban.

ACTION ALERT

RTÉ is obliged under Section 39 (1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009 to ensure that (a) all news broadcast is reported and presented in an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of the broadcaster's own views and (b) the broadcast treatment of current affairs, including matters which are either of public controversy or the subject of current public debate, is fair to all interests concerned and that the broadcast matter is presented in an objective and impartial manner.

Please register a complaint about the RTE Six One News coursing report. Send a copy to Donagh McGrath (Deputy Head of Sport in RTE).

RTÉ Complaints office
3rd Floor Admin Building
RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4
Email: complaints@rte.ie; Donagh.McGrath@rte.ie