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Red Lines

Frontline reporting from the back garden

Red Lines

BBC

Government

4.674 Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2020

⏱️ 28 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mark Carruthers is joined by regulars Mark Devenport, John Campbell and Enda McClafferty, along with RTE's Legal Affairs turned Covid 19 correspondent, Orla O'Donnell.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The world is a changed place for a lot of people at the moment. I heard someone saying the other day

0:04.1

that the health service has changed more in the past two weeks than in the previous 20 years. The

0:10.0

business and political landscapes have altered beyond all recognition and journalism is having to adapt

0:15.0

fast to the new realities of life during a pandemic. So how have we been coping with those adjustments? Mark?

0:22.5

Well, I'm joining you from my holiday home. No, I'm not. That was a joke. I'm joining you

0:27.0

from my study at the main home. And these days, I suppose, I spend about 25% of my time on journalism

0:32.9

and 75% of my time on tidying up areas around my house so that the audience don't get to see the really untidy bits.

0:41.4

Enda?

0:42.2

Well, I'm staying with that theme in what was formerly the clutter room, which now has been decluttered to make room for all this equipment that I use now in a day-to-day basis.

0:51.3

Having lost all track of time, not sure what day it is right now,

0:55.0

it's going to be a case of one day at a time and just keeping the head down essentially

0:58.8

and self-isolating as best I can. Orla?

1:02.8

Well, it's blown my world apart, changed everything about the way I work, changed my job,

1:07.6

and I'm doing this interview while my two kids are in various rooms getting some

1:11.4

bonus extra screen time which would be unthinkable to even try to go and talk to somebody on an

1:16.0

interview with that happening so yes a big change John I'm just curled up in a chair in my living

1:23.5

room which is basically now my office it's a a pretty small office. All I need is my digital

1:28.5

radio, my iPad, and my phone, and that pretty much does me. I'd say one of the biggest changes

1:35.5

in my work at the moment is the amount of time I'm just spending, acting as a citizen's advice bureau

1:42.2

to people. So many people just getting in touch with me

1:44.9

asking, does this particular grant or loan or scheme apply to me? Where do I go? Who do I talk to? Is this

1:51.9

happening? Is this not? Can you ask this question for me? So it has become almost a different

...

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