Radio series to discuss discrimination issue

A NORTHSIDE
community radio station has launched a nine-part series, which looks at
discrimination and the issues of representation in the movies.

‘Equal
Billing’, a series of nine half-hour round table discussion programmes, will be
broadcast on Nearfm (90.3fm), every Wednesday at 4pm.

Each of the
nine programmes features one of the nine grounds for discrimination as defined
by the Equal Status Act.

Each programme
has been produced in collaboration with a community group active in combating
discrimination with each of the presenters and their guests having a particular
knowledge in the area. The series uses well-known movies as its starting point
to draw in listeners and help them to engage with the discussion.

The movies are
just a platform for discussion and this is not a movie review programme. Each
of the panels discusses discrimination in the movies, but more importantly, how
discrimination touches them everyday.

The aim of the
series is to promote media literacy of discrimination and knowledge of the
Equal Status Act in a way that is upbeat and in terms easy to grasp by the
broadest possible audience.

The nine
grounds as per the Equality Authority of Ireland are: age, disability, family
status, gender, marital status, membership of the Traveller community, race,
religion and sexual orientation.

The production
received great support from the Northside Citizens’ Information Centre and the
Northside Community Law Centre.

Other groups
who were represented in the programmes included: Central Remedial Clinic (CRC),
Spina Bifida Ireland, Older Women’s Network, LGBT Community, St Margaret’s
Traveller Training Centre, North Dublin, Finglas South Partnership, Female
Genital Mutilation Ireland, the Polish Community, Islamic Muslim Centre, Doras
Buí, Nearfm and Near TV Productions.

Dublin North
Central TD Áodhán � Riordáin (Lab) said it was an

“absolute pleasure

? to be
able to launch the Equal Billing series.

“Using
innovative ways to engage with the audience, this new series will attract
listeners to confront major topics such as homophobia, disability and ageism by
using popular films as the basis for discussion,

? said Deputy O’Riordain.

“I know the
terrible effects discrimination can have in a society and I believe challenging
it through debates such as Equal Billing should be greatly welcomed.

?

The programmes
can also be heard online at www.near.ie and will be made available as a podcast
on www.nearpodcast.org

They are
supported by the Sound and Vision Scheme, a Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
initiative.