RTÉ SAYS it has received more than 100 complaints about Wednesday's Prime Timedebate between the presidential candidates.
Many of the phone calls and e-mails alleged that Martin McGuinness was unfairly treated by presenter Miriam O’Callaghan, who asked the Sinn Féin candidate a series of questions about his IRA membership and his knowledge of the killers of Private Patrick Kelly.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland said it had received a number of complaints about the programme, which it would investigate.
Mr McGuinness claimed yesterday the debate was unfair and amounted to “trial by television”.
“I was accused of being a murderer. That was wrong,” he said, speaking in Cavan.
During the debate, O’Callaghan asked Mr McGuinness how he squared his belief in God with the fact that he was “involved in the murder of so many people”.
Mr McGuinness described this as a “disgraceful comment” and remarked that another of O’Callaghan’s questions was “stupid”.
“Miriam went round all the other candidates and asked each and every one of them if I was suitable to be president,” he said yesterday.
“She didn’t ask me if I thought any of them were suitable.”
He denied reports that he had had a row after the programme with O’Callaghan.
He said that he had asked for a one-to-one meeting with her, at which he expressed his disappointment at the way the debate was handled.
Sinn Féin denied orchestrating complaints against the programme.
A spokeswoman for Mr McGuinness acknowledged that one member of the party had set out the procedures for making broadcasting complaints in an e-mail to family and friends. “I wish I’d thought of it myself,” she commented. “It was a perfectly reasonable response to an appalling example of journalism.”
Fine Gael candidate Gay Mitchell said the questions put to Mr McGuinness were “valid” and that all the candidates had received “a grilling”.
“Some terrible things were said and asked about me and nobody seems to have paid much notice to that,” he said.
The latest television debate attracted an average viewership of 654,000, with a peak of more than 700,000.
Independent candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon did not campaign yesterday amid speculation that she could pull out of the race.
Towards the end of Wednesday’s debate, she read from a statement criticising “vile and false” allegations she says are being made against a member of her family.
A Department of the Environment spokeswoman said it was too late for any candidate to remove his or her name from the ballot paper.
