Twitter can be an unforgiving place at the best of times but for someone in the public eye like RTE presenter and Laois native Claire Byrne then it can be particularly hazardous.
Speaking on the recent LaoisToday Podcast with presenter Brian Moss she says she regularly “has a snoop” on Twitter but doesn’t engage.
And she was also critical of the social media giants like Twitter and Facebook who aren’t liable for what is posted on their platforms.
“If you consider how the internet has to have grown. There’s a very serious point,” she said.
“The fact that the owners of those sites are not liable. They don’t see themselves as publishers. There’s a huge body of work to be done.
“When you consider the rules that RTE, Newstalk, LaoisToday we all have to abide by. Very strict, appropriate rules are there for a good reason.”
She says she goes on Twitter for news gathering purpose but isn’t going to put herself up as a target.
“I like to have a snoop on Twitter. I’m not interested in what people have to say about me but I like to have a look for news purposes at what’s going on.”
She says she has an Instagram account but doesn’t use it while she got rid of her Facebook profile.
“I always feel when you do job I do, not everybody is going to like you but you don’t have to have it slammed in your face (on social media).
“You have to protect yourself. You don’t want people with vandettas to influence how you do your jobs.”
She says that while she has her own style of broadcasting, she does enjoy listening to the the provocative style of the likes of Vincent Browne and Ivan Yates. And she says having a strong level of competition from the likes of Newstalk is good for RTE.
“People think in RTE that we’d love not to have Newstalk or any competitors out there. That’s not the case. Certainly from my point of view, it keeps you on your toes. You’re always listening to see what they’re doing. It means the whole sector is vibrant and viable if they are competitors there.
“I think that is great that there are opinionated broadcasters out there. I just hope we find a model to support commercial radio and public sector broadcasting so that they can continue. They are just so important when it comes to public debate.”
And while she says personally it can be difficult for her to switch off from her job which sees her present RTE’s main morning current affairs show as well as a live TV programme every Monday, she says she absolutely loves what she does.
“ou’re never really switching off. My weekends are just work. It is pretty full on. You can’t miss anything on it.
“I can’t (switch off). Sunday for me means preparing for the Monday radio and the Monday TV show.
“I only really have four or five hours to get a sleep on Monday night so I have to prepare as much as I can for the Tuesday show. Sunday I have to read the papers and listen to the current affairs radio shows. That’s fine. I don’t really mind that. I knew it was part of the job when I was signing up.”
You can listen to the interview in full below, or on Apple Podcasts or Spotify where you can subscribe so you never miss an episode.
The LaoisToday Podcast is brought to you in association with iCashco, market leaders in automated cash handling.
