Madam, - The Prime Time programme of last Tuesday (December 2nd) featured a very brief clip of an interview with Mr Ken Reilly, a victim of the paedophile priest Father Tony Walsh, which had originally appeared in last year's Prime Time - Cardinal Secrets programme.
The rebroadcasting of this clip caused distress to Mr Reilly and his family as Breda O'Brien pointed out in her Irish Times column on Saturday. Prime Time deeply regrets this and we have apologised to Mr Reilly and his family.
Prior to broadcast Prime Time informed Mr Reilly of our intention to use a clip of his Cardinal Secrets interview as part of an introductory report to a live interview with the new coadjutor Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin.
Our mistake was in not specifying to Mr Reilly the clip we intended to use, given that it was an especially sensitive one. Had we done so, and realised that Mr Reilly was not happy about it, the clip would not have been used.
It was immediately preceded by a voiceover from the reporter which was intended to make it clear that the clip was taken from the Cardinal Secrets programme and was not a new interview by Mr Reilly on the subject of Dr Martin.
The implication by Breda O'Brien that the clip was deliberately edited so as to give a false impression about the context of the interview is absolutely incorrect and does not reflect the high standards that Prime Time applies to its journalism. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID NALLY, Editor, RTÉ current affairs, RTÉ, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.