Norris climbs a steep learning curve

RADIO REVIEW:A TYPICALLY CAGEY slice of northern folk wisdom, "Whatever you say, say nothing", leaped to mind this week. For starters, it was counsel that Sen David Norris could have done with heeding nine years ago. Otherwise he might not have made his all-too-candid comments about sexual matters in a 2002 magazine interview, which resurfaced on Monday's Liveline(RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) to put a dent in his presidential ambitions.

Having caused a brouhaha when first published in

Magill

, the remarks were thrust back in the public realm courtesy of Helen Lucy Burke, who conducted the original interview. A woman who seems unlikely to be swayed by recommendations of reticence, Burke phoned Joe Duffy’s show to say that she did not think Norris was a suitable candidate for president. By way of backing, she drew listeners to the views expressed in her article, which she described as “startling”, “astounding” and, eventually, “evil”.

According to Burke, the senator was in favour of “free-range sexuality”; reading from her piece, she claimed that “he did not appear to endorse any minimum age”. While Norris had made it clear in the interview that he had no interest whatsoever in sex with minors, Burke highlighted his remarks, as quoted in the piece, that “in terms of classic paedophilia, as practised by the Greeks, for example, where it is an older man introducing a younger man to adult life, there can be something said for it”.

In the absence of Norris, the journalist Joe Jackson phoned in to defend him, to mixed effect. He made the good point that Burke had frequently cited her own prose rather than use direct quotes, and also asked whether the original interview tape could be found, offering himself as a potential judge of its veracity. “I’ll review the tape; I’d like that,” he said. “I’m sure you would, Joe,” sighed Duffy.

Aware of the legal, ethical and moral minefield he was entering, Duffy repeatedly pressed Burke on her accuracy. At the same time, mindful of the radio gold unfolding before him, he ensured the item did not end. But Duffy sounded uneasy at times, suggesting Norris should be judged on his actions rather than his words, and wondering why Burke was resurrecting the issue years later. One of the more telling moments came when one caller, criticising Burke’s decision to revive such “garbage”, added that he had never heard of her. “I’m fairly well known, in fact,” she said, audibly stung.

For all the on-air intrigue, it was ultimately a squalid item, which, while harmful to Norris's campaign – as he admitted in a damage-limitation interview on Tuesday's Today with Pat Kenny(RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) – did Burke few favours either. On Kenny, Norris said his observations on paedophilia, which he abhorred, were taken out of context. "This was an academic discussion over dinner; we were tossing around ideas." He was also hurt by Burke's reference to him going on holiday to Thailand – "that was just left hanging" – when he was visiting the country to investigate sexual exploitation for the UN.

Norris sought to rise above the whole controversy, but couldn’t resist a dig at the journalist’s pedigree. “The thing I regret most was allowing myself to be interviewed by a restaurant critic.” Above all, however, he now appreciated the need to watch his words, conceding he had been “foolish” to make some of his more contentious remarks. “This has been a steep learning curve,” he said. Indeed.

The need for verbal prudence was also underlined on Wednesday's Moncrieff(Newstalk, weekdays). Sean Moncrieff spoke with the women's activist Heather Jarvis, co-founder of Slutwalk, an ad hoc women's movement that has been sweeping Canada and the US since April. After a Toronto police officer advised female students that they could avoid sexual assault by not "dressing like sluts", Jarvis helped organise the original march in protest at the remarks. "We wanted to do something constructive with our anger." Though coverage since had often focused on the provocative attire of some marchers, the point of the movement was to change a culture in which victims of sexual crime were often perceived as also being partially responsible. In response, Jarvis said she was trying to reclaim the term "slut". "The point is, what is a slut? It's an arbitrary term. It's just a way of tearing us down." Moncrieff approached the interview with his usual blend of intelligence and conspicuous learning, but he also displayed a lesser-seen aspect of his character.

When he read out a listener’s opinion that if “a girl wants self-respect she should stay covered”, Moncrieff went on a rant; well-reasoned and utterly justified, but a rant nonetheless. Suggestions that anyone thus dressed drew misfortune upon themselves were, Moncrieff said, like saying Limerick residents accidentally shot by hoodlums deserved it for living there. He may not be a natural shock jock, but hearing Moncrieff vent his outrage was entertaining. He should do it more often.

Or maybe not. Later, Moncrieff got a text from a Limerick listener who got the wrong end of the stick and felt the presenter was insulting the city. No matter what the situation, opening your mouth in public can be a risky business. What’s that saying again?

radioreview@irishtimes.com

Radio moment of the week

Monday's The Last Word(Today FM, weekdays) reported on the plan to replace schoolbooks with iPads at St Colman's College in Claremorris. The item heralded Ireland's putative transformation into a smart economy, but also inadvertently highlighted the education system's shortcomings in science and mathematics. When Matt Cooper asked the college's principal, Jimmy Finn, about costs, he was told an iPad cost about €479 and e-books were an extra €270. When totting up the final figure, however, the headmaster sounded hesitant.

“I’m not great at maths,” Finn said, “but that comes to something around €700.” Cooper was incredulous.

“I’m an English teacher,” came the sheepish explanation.