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RTÉ TODAY PUBLISHED two documents which they have created in the wake of the PrimeTime Investigates and Frontline controversies. One is a new set of journalistic guidelines for its staff and the other outlines a restructuring of its current affairs department.
In the latter document, Director General Noel Curran says that “the very serious editorial failures” made in two of its flagship current affairs shows has caused RTÉ to review its “editorial policy, practices and values”. Here’s his full statement:
OVER MANY YEARS RTÉ has earned and retained the trust of its audiences through great programming and an adherence to very high editorial standards. Nowhere has this been more so than in Television Current Affairs, where time and again current affairs programming has made sense of the events shaping our daily lives and shone a light on some of the darkest aspects of Irish life.The very serious editorial failures made in two important current affairs programmes in the past number of months, and their consequences, have rightly caused RTÉ to review and reflect on all of its editorial policy, practices and values. That process will continue for some time. These errors and failures of action have presented many challenges to many people in recent months, not least to those who were directly affected by them. But they have also caused concern and anger both within RTÉ and among our audience, the general public, whose trust in our organisation has been damaged.
I indicated a number of months ago that RTÉ must always be open and honest when we get things wrong. We will make mistakes. Programme-makers must be and will be supported in making challenging programming but the standards we set for ourselves as the national broadcaster must be very high as I know they are in so much of what we currently do.
We must learn what we can from mistakes we make and make changes if necessary. This is part of being accountable and is essential to public trust and public support.
The publication of these new structures and guidelines is, we hope, a step in the right direction in this regard. The range of measures in this document represents RTÉ’s determination to make our journalism stronger, fairer and more transparent. Far from backing away from difficult investigative journalism, we are committing to enhance it, modernise it and make it more accessible across all our services.
These new measures will mean little unless they are embraced by all editorial staff, and acted upon in all the thousands of editorial decisions we make every day. They will only work if programme makers from the most junior to the highest level clearly understand and accept their responsibility and their role in rebuilding RTÉ’s reputation for very high quality journalism.
Most of all though, it is through great programming that we will rebuild trust with our audiences. Because not alone do are audiences expect us to be accurate and fair, they also expect that we do not lose our nerve – that we continue to challenge, to probe and to ask the tough questions in the public interest. I trust everyone will play their part.
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Since their biased coverage of the Household Charge I’ll never trust them.
The only high standards RTE have relate to their pay………
Well said Kieran. Not that we needed evidence that RTE is a mouthpiece for government propaganda but we saw it on film last Saturday last! Talk about staged.
Several Fine Gaelers decide to walk through us the protesters? Followed by a TV crew? Do they think we’re stupid? They obviously do!
Their coverage throughout the campaign shows them to be a mouthpiece for government propaganda.
Prime Time Investigates had some very good programmes over the years, both informative and shocking at the same time. It will be sad to see it go after a dodgy run. I can’t watch any of those investigative journalism programmes on TV3.
Lots of face saving shuffling about – one retired early, one moved sideways – and what happened to the lousy reporter? Sounds like someone needs to do some investigative reporting on RTE with the culture of ‘we’re always right’ and the sense of entitlement to huge salaries. Time to privatise RTE – let the station sink or swim and do away with the licence fees – let commercial pressures rule!
Totally agree Niall! We can’t afford this hierarchy anymore! Let them live in the real world! I’d give them about six months!!
Was it hubris or ineptitude that allowed “Mission to Prey” and the fake tweet to be broadcast? It’s terrible that RTE’s reputation for excellent current affairs and documentaries could be left in tatters over 2 events that should never have made it to air.
So sorry to see Mr ‘fairness’ Ken O Shea leave his position in RTĖ. Isn’t it amazing how the wheel turns? Only gripe I have is that he and his cronies got away lightly. He still has a job although it is clear to all of us that he and the so called journalists were not up to standard. Face saving exercise……..
You can say that again :)
Anyone I have spoken to is of the opinion that RTE is a dinosaur of a broadcaster.
Especially with the mega choice of channels on satellite tv.
And what really bugs me is the fact that we still have to pay a tv licence.
I am additionally paying SKY TV approx. 45 Euro per month for their services.(which is fine).
Surely the buck stops with Noel Curren?
Unfortunately, it’s not just a question of two rogue broadcasts, as Mr Curran would have us believe. Remember, the only reasons that the Mission to Prey scandal was uncovered, were a combination of a courageous decision by Fr Reynolds to fight the allegation when he was being advised to lie down and die, a generous legal team, unexpected financial support, the incontavertible evidence of a negative paternity test and a good legal judgement. How many have been misrepresented in the past with no recourse?
t is blatantly obvious that RTE are consistently biased and prejudiced against the Catholic Church, and have been for many years. If they were concerned for the safety and welfare of our children in the area of child sexual abuse why do they persist in representing only those ( a very small minority) that have occurred in the Catholic Church rather than the real picture of child abuse in Ireland. I have yet to hear RTE report of the dangers of sexual abuse to children in their own home which stands over a staggering 90% of cases.Obviously RTE have an agenda against the Catholic Church and that is blatantly displayed in the derogatory and despicable way they treat the religion of the majority of the people in this country. While I deplore child sexual abuse in any sector of our community , however RTE staff wages are paid mainly by Catholic license holders, and we deserve to be treated with a less biased and prejudiced view on our Church.. Just because this man wore a Roman collar you decided to put the boot in as usual, just reflect on the fact if for whatever reason he had been unable to clear his name would you be apologizing now. How about doing a programme about all the good work he has done in Africa, (and other good priests here in Ireland also, like Fr. Brian McVerry and hundreds of other priests) sacrificing their lives for others, that might sound too charitable for RTE to do. You should be ashamed of your deplorable treatment of the Catholic Church, even if only in the interest of justice and decency.
It is blatantly obvious that RTE are consistently biased and prejudiced against the Catholic Church, and have been for many years. If they were concerned for the safety and welfare of our children in the area of child sexual abuse why do they persist in representing only those ( a very small minority) that have occurred in the Catholic Church rather than the real picture of child abuse in Ireland. I have yet to hear RTE report of the dangers of sexual abuse to children in their own home which stands over a staggering 90% of cases.Obviously RTE have an agenda against the Catholic Church and that is blatantly displayed in the derogatory and despicable way they treat the religion of the majority of the people in this country. While I deplore child sexual abuse in any sector of our community , however RTE staff wages are paid mainly by Catholic license holders, and we deserve to be treated with a less biased and prejudiced view on our Church.. Just because this man wore a Roman collar you decided to put the boot in as usual, just reflect on the fact if for whatever reason he had been unable to clear his name would you be apologizing now. How about doing a programme about all the good work he has done in Africa, (or even all our other good priests here in Ireland do, like Fr. Brian McVerry and hundreds of other priests) sacrificing their lives for others, that might sound too charitable for RTE to do. You should be ashamed of your deplorable treatment of the Catholic Church, even if only in the interest of justice and decency.
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