Login (DCU Staff Only)
Login (DCU Staff Only)

DORAS | DCU Research Repository

Explore open access research and scholarly works from DCU

Advanced Search

The significance of small differences: Cultural diversity and broadcasting in Ireland

Rogers, Jim orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-9327-1245, O'Boyle, Neil orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-3865-2579, Preston, Paschal and Fehr, Franziska (2014) The significance of small differences: Cultural diversity and broadcasting in Ireland. European Journal of Communication, 29 (4). pp. 399-415. ISSN 02673231

Abstract
This article is concerned with a comparative assessment of public service and commercial broadcast media in Ireland, specifically in relation to their respective capacities to reflect and promote migration-related diversity and migrant integration. The core material drawn upon in the article derives from the findings of a recent exploratory, pilot-level European research project (‘Media for Diversity and Migrant Integration’, MEDIVA) involving Ireland and five other partnerEuropean Union member states which sought to identify and assess the form and extent of diversity management practices in the media at the different levels of journalistic production with special reference to Third Country Nationals or persons without European Union citizenship. In this article, we first consider how processes of cultural diversification in European countries are reflected in broadcasting policies, before fixing our focus on public service broadcasting in the ‘local’ context and the changing broadcasting landscape in Ireland. We then move to our empiricallevel study which examines the MEDIVA findings regarding the roles and representations of Third Country Nationals in the context of RTE and TV3, comparatively. The performance of these broadcasters in this respect is assessed and examined in terms of programme production processes, recruitment practices, media training and content output. The transformations that Irish society have experienced in terms of the demographics of its population over the past two decades make Ireland a very interesting if not unique case study here. We then consider the extent to which the Irish setting resonates with the broader European context, and seek to identify specific points of correspondence and difference between the Irish broadcasting experience and that of the other countries participating in the MEDIVA project. While the nature of the differences in the approach of public service and commercial broadcasters to migrant diversity may prove to be relatively minor, they nevertheless demonstrate an interesting and significant divergence when considered from a range of perspectives.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Europe-related issues, journalism, news/information, public service broadcasting, public sphere
Subjects:Humanities > Culture
Social Sciences > Multiculturalism
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Communications
Publisher:Sage Publications Ltd.
Official URL:https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0267...
Copyright Information:Authors
ID Code:31100
Deposited On:03 Jun 2025 13:44 by Vidatum Academic . Last Modified 03 Jun 2025 13:44
Documents

Full text available as:

[thumbnail of Rogers,O'Boyle,Preston&Fehr(2014)the-significance-of-small-differences-cultural-diversity-and-broadcasting-in-ireland(1inEuropeanJournalofCommunication).pdf]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
95kB
Metrics

Altmetric Badge

Dimensions Badge

Downloads

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Archive Staff Only: edit this record