Updated 12.12pm
IN MARCH, PAT Rabbitte launched a scathing attack on RTÉ accusing the national broadcaster of acting like a “recruiting sergeant” for the far left and Sinn Féin in its coverage of the water charges controversy.
The former communications minister said that if he didn’t know better the station’s “lopsided coverage of the water issue derives from a decision of the RTÉ Board to strangle Irish Water at birth”.
The attack prompted an examination of RTÉ’s coverage of the water issue as the broadcaster insisted its coverage had been fair and balanced.
In an interview with TheJournal.ie this week, Rabbitte stuck the boot into RTÉ again, insisting that as the public service broadcaster it had a responsibility to report on the “dysfunctional nature of the Irish water system”.
In a further attack, the Dublin South-West TD also took issue with the reporting by RTÉ Radio’s This Week programme on the ‘bonus culture’ at Irish Water which he said was “completely untrue and unfair”.
In the clip below Rabbitte explains how Irish Water operates a ”performance-related performance pay system”.
He accuses RTÉ of having “misrepresented the position of Irish Water because they had a crank inside inside giving them part information”.
RTÉ journalist John Burke, who has reported extensively on the Irish Water ‘bonus’ controversy, responded to Rabbitte’s remarks this morning:
Despite his grievances with RTÉ, Rabbitte said he had no complaints with how other media organisations have covered the water issue.
He insisted there is a distinction between the public service broadcaster and others.
I am not going to intrude to tell the journalists of Ireland how they should do their job.
Originally published at 7am
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