RTÉ broadcaster Bryan Dobson said he hopes “nothing is done which diminishes accessibility to third level education to any young person in Ireland”.
In an interview with The College View following his talk as part of MPS Media Week, Dobson declined to comment on the upcoming budget and the third level fees pledges made by Labour TDs, but he agreed with students in saying that no one should be refused a right to education due to the burden of economic debt.
Dobson outlined the importance of the various media orientated programmes offered in DCU.
He told The College View: “In working with people who come from these journalism and communication programmes in DCU, they seem to have got the balance right. A formula of practical and academic elements means that when you arrive (in RTÉ) you have the basic skills needed to be successful.”
He feels the MPS Media Week is hugely beneficial, not only to media students but every aspect of Irish society.
“It’s great, there’s such an impressive line up for the week, hopefully it will be communicated to students and all other faculties that we should all understand the nature of the media and the impact it has on our lives.”
Dobson said he believes DCU students are the future of Irish media. “I am presuming that you [DCU students] are the future. It’s important media personnel are trained to a very high standard. You would be surprised so many of the people I work with in RTÉ come from a wide range of backgrounds – nurses, doctors – but they are always trained to the professional standard needed.”
Commenting on the growing trend of emigration in Ireland, Dobson said: “I grew up in an era of emigration and in a way I left myself in leaving Ireland to go and work for BBC Northern Ireland…it feels like we have fallen behind when we had made so many strives forward, the progress has been rolled back, but thankfully so many of these young people leaving are leaving with good qualifications.”
Dobson also commented on the work of the Union of Students of Ireland following a recent interview with USI President, John Logue in RTÉ. “I was very impressed by John. He has a great command of the facts and his arguments are reasonably timed. He effectively reaches beyond students to the wider constituencies which is vital in these types of efforts.”
Gill Fitzsimons
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