RTE won't be punished for referring to Cowen as 'Biffo'
Taoiseach Brian Cowen was referred to as 'Biffo' on the show Photo: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images
RTE has avoided sanction for using the term "Biffo" to refer to Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
A presenter's use of the term was neither unfair nor distasteful, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) ruled.
'News at One' host Sean O'Rourke asked his listeners "So did Biffo blink?" on June 3, in reference to an upcoming report on the Government's apparent U-turn on its stance to use a veto at the World Trade Organisation talks.
RTE said that the phrase was used to tempt its audience to listen in after the break, but the complainant, a Mr McGrory, said he felt that the term was offensive.
Politics
Mr McGrory stressed that he was not a Fianna Fail member or activist. "He wonders how we can encourage our young people to become active in politics when the national broadcaster refers to the Taoiseach as 'Biffo'," the BCC report stated.
Mr McGrory alleged that the report had been in breach of "fairness, objectivity and impartiality in current affairs" as well as "taste and decency".
RTE said the word "Biffo" had been used as a term of endearment "whatever its origins" and did not, in any way, mean to cause offence. They said the term had even been used by Mr Cowen himself in a humourous context.
Mr O'Rourke had wanted a short, catchy headline and the alliteration "Biffo Blink" fitted the bill perfectly, the broadcaster said. They also stressed that it was not a term used by RTE on a regular basis and had no "editorial significance".
The BCC accepted that Mr McGrory did not like the term; but said that the "tone and context were such that its usage could not determine unfairness and partiality". They said the term was not in breach of the Code of Programme Standards either because it did not "cause undue offence".
They accepted that it had been used "to create a grabbing headline" and had not been used "gratuitously". "The presentation was factual and professional, with no evidence of intent to cause offence and/or to be disrespectful," the report said.
In a separate case, the BCC partly upheld a complaint made by a director and shareholder of an equipment provider, Mobility Ireland, against Cork's 96FM show, 'The Opinion Line'.
The commission said that the company had not been treated fairly during a discussion among callers about their alleged failure to finish work they had been paid for.
- Stephen O'Farrell
