Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Michaella McCollum's interview on RTÉ divided opinions last night

Everyone was talking about the interview last night, here’s what they were saying.

MICHAELLA MCCOLLUM’S INTERVIEW was heavily criticised by many viewers last night with some angered that the drugs mule was getting air time on RTÉ.

During the interview, the 23-year-old said she is a good person who made a decision in a “moment of madness”.

I’m not a bad person..I want to demonstrate that I’m a good person.

McCollum was jailed along with Scottish woman Melissa Reid after being arrested at Lima Airport in August 2013, having been found with a large quantity of cocaine in food packets inside their luggage.

The drugs smuggler from Dungannon was freed from a Peru jail on Thursday but she may have to stay in the country for the remaining six years of her parole.

In the interview last night McCollum said she understood the potential consequences of what could have happened if the drugs had reached Europe.

“I probably would have had a lot of blood on my hands … I potentially could have filled Europe full of a lot of drugs.

I could have potentially killed a lot of people, not directly but I could have caused a lot of harm to people.

Many viewers of the show criticised the interview for being rehearsed and also took issue with RTÉ giving airtime to a drugs smuggler.

However, some viewers took to Twitter to express their support for the 23-year-old:

You can watch the interview in full here.

Read: “I’m not a bad person” – Michaella McCollum’s first interview to air tonight>

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Author
Cliodhna Russell
View 212 comments
Close
212 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds