TG4 has offered to help publicise the issue of missing persons, following criticism of an advertising campaign by the relatives of missing people.
It had placed a mock "missing persons" poster in newspapers with a photograph of a woman and details about her kidnapping.
The advertisement was to publicise TG4's soap Ros Na Rún, in which a character had been kidnapped.
Some relatives of missing people said yesterday that the campaign was in poor taste as it was using the tragedy of missing people to publicise a soap opera.
Mary Phelan, sister of Jo Jo Dullard, who has been missing almost 10 years, told The Irish Times that she was distraught at the advertisement which was "in very bad taste".
Ms Phelan said TG4 might not have set out to hurt relatives of missing people but now that the station had done so, it should do something to help them. She also called on the Government to set up a missing person's unit with FBI-trained officers to help find missing people.
TG4 yesterday said it never intended to offend anyone with its campaign. Its head of marketing Pádraic Ó Ráighne said it was clear from the advertisements that the campaign centred around a television programme.
TG4 had not received any complaints about the advertising campaign, he said and it had contacted the Garda Press Office in advance, to ensure that there was no problem with the concept. However, a Garda Press Office spokesman said the office has no role in approving advertising campaigns.
Fr Aquinas Duffy, who runs the www.missing.ws website said he could understand why the advertisements could upset some people. However, he said the advertisements and the programme were also raising the issue of missing people.
