RTÉ to conduct review after Gallagher tweet controversy

RTÉ director general Noel Curran has initiated an editorial review to identify programme practices and risks at the broadcaster…

RTÉ director general Noel Curran has initiated an editorial review to identify programme practices and risks at the broadcaster.

The former head of news and content at UTV Rob Morrison has been asked to assist in the review, which will focus on live audience-based shows.

An internal review of HR matters connected with The Frontline tweet complaint has also begun, including a staff investigation, the broadcaster said.

Earlier today, Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte indicated he had seen no new or additional evidence to persuade him a public inquiry was necessary into the final televised presidential debate on RTÉ’s Frontline programme last October.

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Mr Rabbitte said that new allegations had been made about audience manipulation by researchers of the programme. But he added that no evidence had been submitted to him and he knew nothing about the “reliability or credibility of the person making the charges”.

Pat McGuirk from Co Monaghan was quoted in the Sunday Independent as saying that programme researchers had persuaded him to replace his original question on presidential pay with a hostile question directed at candidate Sean Gallagher's record as an employer.

On foot of the article, Mr Gallagher issued a statement calling for a public inquiry into the programme over what he described as “disturbing revelations”.

Asked if he believed there should be an inquiry, Mr Rabbitte pointed out that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland had recently completed its statutory inquiry into the bogus tweet.

“To be honest I have not any evidence submitted to me yet. I do not know anything about the reliability or credibility of the person making the charges,” he said.

“That situation stands until evidence to the contrary is furnished to me,” he said.

Asked to respond to comments by his Cabinet colleague, Fine Gael Minister Leo Varadkar that RTÉ had a liberal and left-wing bias, Mr Rabbitte responded: “I am not quite sure what might sound liberal and left-wing to Leo.”

Asked would he meet Mr Gallagher on the issue, Mr Rabbitte said: “I don’t want to be disrespectful in any way. I would have to see what the basis of any meeting would be in the first instance.

"I think a wrong was done to Mr Gallagher. I think the handling of tweet was unfair to him. Most reasonable people would acknowledge that," he said.

In a letter to Mr Rabbitte, Mr Gallagher called for the “full discovery” of communication within RTÉ from the Frontline programme during which the tweet was broadcast.

Mr Gallagher’s letter said the investigation, in his view, was needed to provide “full discovery of all communication within the production team”.

This would include communication with the presenter, Pat Kenny and communication regarding the Frontline programme between RTÉ and members of the public, with particular reference to the methodology and process of selecting audience members.

He also said it should include all communication between RTÉ and members of the audience in the period leading up to and after the programme and all communication between RTÉ and the campaign teams, candidates and parties regarding the programme.

Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming earlier said an independent inquiry should be held into the controversy.

"We're now moving into the territory of the cover-up, and the cover-up is getting more serious than the original mistake," Mr Fleming told Morning Ireland. "At this stage we are more confused about what happened than we were last Wednesday when [the BAI] report was issued."

RTÉ yesterday strongly disputed Mr McGuirk’s versions of events. Its acting head of current affairs, Steve Carson, maintained the question was solely based on issues Mr McGuirk himself had raised and on the language he had used.

He also said the text of the question had been agreed with Mr McGuirk before the show was aired. This was borne out, he said, by an effusive “thank you” email from Mr McGuirk two days later.