TV3
10th June 2008
At 10pm on the 9th June 2008 TV3 Ireland aired a one hour documentary on prostitution in Ireland entitled "Undercover Ireland: The Sex Trade".
We learnt of this documentary less than 24 hours before it aired and we didn't get to see it until early this morning, but now we have and we have seen that it features Escort-Ireland.com quite prominently, we'd like to make a hastily prepared comment...
The use of terms like "racket" and "underworld" and statements like "criminals are making a fortune using the internet" in the opening minutes of this programme gave away the direction it was going early on.
In the first segment, TV3 Researcher, Rob, made an appointment with Spanish independent escort Isabel, who he found advertised on Escort-Ireland.com, and proceeded to go to her apartment armed with a hidden camera.
Isabel came across as a very nice lady. She was friendly and chatty and tried to relax Rob, who was playing the part of a nervous client, by making light-hearted jokes. When Rob stated he didn't want to go through with the appointment, she didn't berate him for wasting her time; she simply said "no problem" and politely showed him out.
For his part as a sleazy sleuth, Rob managed to get Isabel to talk to him about her private life a little. She told him she became an escort after losing her previous job and that she was hoping to marry her boyfriend, who didn't know she was working as an escort.
When Rob spoke of the encounter after leaving Isabel's apartment, the only negative aspect he could bring up was that he thought Isabel, though attractive, was older than she had advertised herself as being.
Exposés of independent escorts like this are highly cruel, but unfortunately all too common, though usually only the lowest tabloid rags will lower themselves to these tactics.
Working as an independent escort in Ireland is not illegal. Isabel has committed no crime. She didn't ask to be on television, but TV3 wanted to show an escort, and she was unfortunate enough to be stung. Secret camera journalism has its place, but this is not it.
It appears Isabel has now left Ireland, we can only imagine devastated by what has happened. TV3 used Isabel the way they did because they figured she wouldn't take legal action against them for it, and they are probably correct, but this doesn't make what they did right.
It is ironic that a programme that claims to highlight exploitation of women and later introduces speakers calling for prostitutes to be recognised as human beings with mothers and fathers and kids and siblings, is comfortable 'outing' escorts like Isabel on national television with no regard for the negative effects this will undoubtedly have on their lives.
The second time Rob met an independent escort with his hidden camera, journalist Karen Coleman was waiting outside when he got out, to ask him how attractive she was. Rob responded that he only found Neela, who he met at the Mespil Hotel in Dublin 4, "moderately attractive physically". However he was more impressed with her personality, saying "On other circumstances she's the type of girl you'd like to have a chat with you know, she seems quite a strong personality, she doesn't seem to be vulnerable in any way, situation, she said she's coming over here just to make a good bit of money for a week, then go back to her respectable job." Why the question of how attractive TV3 pleb, Rob, is finding these ladies is the big issue here at this point is unclear to us?
The only working girl who agreed to talk to the programme, spoke very positively of prostitution, saying it is "easy work" for good money and reporting no problems.
In the second segment, Karen Coleman, speaking in front of a backdrop of screenshots of Escort-Ireland.com, informed viewers that "The virtual nature of the web also makes it extremely difficult to link the owner with the site".
Given that Escort-Ireland.com is owned by a Limited Company this statement is a little bizarre to us?
Dave Coleman, a partner in Lavelle Coleman Solicitors (and possibly a relation of Karen's?) also came on and made the point that one of several legal issues preventing the authorities taking action was "identifying who is the principal behind the actual website itself".
It seemed to us that TV3 wanted to ignore the fact that Escort-Ireland.com is a legitimate business, preferring to suggest it is some sort of underground criminal operation run by persons unknown.
Despite the fact Escort-Ireland.com is a 100% female owned website established by a woman who is a former prostitute/escort, Karen Coleman went on to allege that Escort Ireland is owned by a man and a former pimp at that.
Was the real story in some way inconvenient to the impression they wanted to convey, or did they just want to 'sex it up' a bit?
Despite the fact that much of the programme was spent talking about Escort-Ireland.com, TV3 never contacted Escort-Ireland.com for a comment.
Google, which was only mentioned briefly, had been contacted and were able to make a statement, but the same courtesy was not extended to Escort-Ireland.com.
Escort-Ireland.com has on many occasions given interviews to members of the press but TV3 clearly didn't want Escort-Ireland.com to be able to say anything here.
The documentary was therefore, presumably as desired, highly unbalanced.
Part three opened with Karen Coleman saying "One of the reasons why prostitution is thriving here is because the laws governing it are out of date. The 1993 Sexual Offenses Act doesn't cater for modern day prostitution. Although it is illegal for a man to solicit a prostitute on the street when it comes to what happens behind closed doors in an apartment or a hotel the laws are much more vague, then it becomes an issue of two consenting adults, engaging in sex and unless the authorities can prove the man paid for it there is not much they can do"
This statement is profoundly wrong. Whilst Irish law criminalises some activities associated with prostitution, prostitution itself is not illegal in Ireland. It is not a crime for a man to pay a woman for sex in Ireland. At this point in the show Karen Coleman seems to be confusing Irish law with the law in some states in the US where paying for sex is illegal and thus the authorities try to 'catch' men paying for sex.
It is flabbergasting to us that the makers of a TV programme on prostitution in Ireland don't seem to know the first, most basic thing about Irish prostitution law and subsequently grossly misinform all their viewers.
The next profound idea Karen Coleman brought up was an old chestnut concerning mobile phones that has been doing the rounds for years. She said "There is no legislation in place to ban the use of mobile phone numbers for prostitution and that say campaigners is one of the biggest loopholes of all. If laws were in place to shut down mobile phone numbers associated with prostitution it would seriously damage the business."
Sorry, but will this daft idea ever die? If some law was created to make it illegal for Irish escorts to use Irish mobile phones, escorts would just use UK mobile phones instead. And nowadays with many phone companies offering free UK/Ireland roaming and free UK/Ireland calls, it probably wouldn't even cost escorts or their clients anything more to do that, not that any measly difference in call cost would deter escorts or their clients.
The programme briefly featured two trafficking stories, one second hand from Rosanna Flynn of Residents against Racism and one interview with a girl now living in Ireland who had previously experienced trafficking in Italy. The relevance of the last one is questionable given the experience did not take place in Ireland.
Several women who clearly feel prostitution can only be a bad thing were interviewed throughout the programme including media regular, Geraldine Rowley from Ruhama.
Superintendant Kevin Donohue from the Garda Press Office who also appeared throughout the programme reported that trafficking was not a big problem in Ireland, saying "We haven't found evidence of significant levels of trafficking for sexual exploitation into this country. We've found snippets if you like, pockets every now and then, but certainly no evidence to suggest that it is any way, you know, of numbers that are particularly of concern."
This statement was not then intelligently challenged by any of the interviewees. Karen Coleman did ask Mary Crilly, Director of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, "And what do you say when the Guards say well, it's not as big as some organisations make out?", but Mary Crilly simply responded to this by saying "I say gimme a break!"
We wholeheartedly welcome frank discussion of all issues relating to the escort industry in Ireland today, but one-sided, unbalanced reporting and proliferating inaccurate information is not helpful, and exposés of independent escorts are just plain nasty.
TV3, next time you are making a documentary about prostitution in Ireland that heavily features Escort-Ireland.com, why don't you be fair and drop us a line?
Karen Coleman, we read on your website that you are an award winning documentary maker. After watching 'Undercover Ireland: The Sex Trade' we wanted to award you our prestigious '$unday W0rld School of Journalism Gold Star' that we only give to a certain calibre of journalist. Please contact us to arrange delivery of your rosette.
Patricia Albright
Escort-Ireland.com
