22 May 2012, 17:59
The Joint Committee on Communications, Natural Resources and Agriculture today resumed discussion with senior figures in RTE on issues arising from the Fr Kevin Reynolds defamation case.
Following on from last Wednesday’s meeting, Tom Savage, Chairman of the RTÉ Board and Director General Noel Curran addressed the Committee, along with Clare Duignan, Managing Director Radio, Conor Hayes, Chief Financial Officer and Cillian DePaor, Acting Managing Director of News.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s independent report into the matter provided the basis for the discussions.
Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee Andrew Doyle TD says: “As I’ve previously stated, our overriding concern in considering this issue has been to ensure a pathway is found to restore public confidence in the national broadcaster, whose reputation was seriously damaged by the serious editorial and managerial failures in this case. The Committee and RTE representatives agree that the issues contained in the independent report were a watershed moment for the public service broadcaster.
“In an extensive questions and answers session, the Committee Members expressed serious concerns on the flow of information within the organisation. A number of Committee Members pointed to the systems failure once legal correspondence was received offering a paternity test. The kernel of issue, it was argued, was why this information was not referred outside the small cohort within the team producing the programme.”
“There were strong views expressed within the Committee as to whether the confidence displayed in refusing to defer the broadcast at that stage was as a result of a misplaced complacency. Some Committee Members advanced the view of a groupthink mentality within certain areas of the organisation, which was strongly contested by RTE representatives.
“In commending much of RTE’s output, Committee Members advocated that an appropriate balance be struck between copper-fastening the rights of the individual from irresponsible journalism on the one hand, and RTE’s role as a vigorous independent public service broadcaster on the other.”
Ends
For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 6949926
F: +3531 618 4551
paul.hand@oireachtas.ie
Committee Membership
Deputies
Tom Barry, Fine Gael
Michael Colreavy, Sinn Fein
Pat Deering, Fine Gael
Andrew Doyle, Fine Gael
Martin Ferris, Sinn Fein
Noel Harrington, Fine Gael
Martin Heydon, Fine Gael
Colm Keaveney, Labour Party
Mattie McGrath, Independent
Michael McNamara, Labour Party
Michael Moynihan, Fianna Fail
Éamon Ó Cuív, Fianna Fail
John O’Mahony, Fine Gael
Ann Phelan, Labour Party
Thomas Pringle, Independent
Senators
Michael Comiskey
Paschal Mooney
Pat O’Neill
Mary Ann O’Brien
Brian Ó Domhnaill
John Whelan