Engagement with Press
In July, at the outset of the campaign, the Commission decided to seek a short, intense period of engagement with the media to establish itself in the eyes of the media and the broader public as the credible and reliable source of information. Shortly after it was set up, the Chairman Mr Justice Frank Clarke did an interview with RTE explaining his and the Commission’s role. He wrote an opinion piece for The Irish Times and a similar one on the same day for the Irish Daily Star asserting that it would not be difficult for voters to understand the Treaty. He also did an interview with Independent News Network which was syndicated to around 20 regional radio stations around the State. This public engagement was very positively reviewed by the media and it laid the ground for substantial engagement with the media as the campaign progressed.
The Commission held a press conference in Dublin in early September to launch the details of its campaign.
The Commission and RTE agreed that for each of the final four Fridays of the campaign, the Chairman would appear on Morning Ireland in a substantial question and answer session on the Treaty. This was designed to give information on the Treaty and to address issues as they came up during the campaign. Each of the Morning Ireland sessions was preceded by a Commission meeting on the previous day.
The Commission also agreed with the Irish Daily Star that the Chairman would write a daily question and answer column in that newspaper, explaining key aspects of the Treaty, for the final four weeks of the campaign. The Chairman also did an interview with The Irish Times, two interviews on NewsTalk, a lengthy interview on RTE’s Saturday View programme and an appearance on an RTE “Campaign Diary” television programme near the end of the campaign.
The variety of media outlets through which the Commission sought to convey its information allowed a broad audience across all demographic groups to be reached.
In a lively campaign, with articulate and vociferous protagonists on each side of the argument, the Chairman’s accessibility and the active public role he played reinforced the role of the Commission as the credible impartial source of information.
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