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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

RTÉ removal of Senator's comments was an "editorial decision"

John Whelan said Bord Gáis had “sold the government a pup” on Irish Water.

RTÉ SAYS THAT it removed part of its Late Debate programme from a podcast as a “editorial decision”.

Labour Senator John Whelan appeared on the programme on 5 November, when he made comments about Bord Gáis and its ability to deliver Irish Water.

Whelan claimed that the gas company had “sold the government a pup” over the water company.

He went on to make other remarks doubting the ability of Bord Gáis to deliver the company, arguing instead for Bord na Móna to be awarded the contract.

He later had another exchange with host Cormac Ó hEadhra over the issue.

An RTÉ spokesperson said that the decision to remove some remarks from the podcast had been taken on editorial grounds “as can happen with a live show”.

Senator Whelan told TheJournal.ie that the episode is a “storm in a teacup”.

“I cannot understand why RTÉ has taken the bizarre decision to censor that part of the programme. I think the presenter hit the panic button far too early once he heard the words legal and libel in the same sentence.

Unfortunately, that may be the default position in RTÉ these days – that they’re ultra cautious and overly sensitive.

Whelan said that he was worried that it may have a “chilling effect” on debate and fair comment.

Read: Waterford Whispers News: ‘I turned down RTÉ, we would be too much for them’

Read: Irish viewers tuning in for Die Hard 4.0 got a nasty surprise last night

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19 Comments
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    Mute Ciaran Whyte
    Favourite Ciaran Whyte
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    Aug 1st 2011, 8:38 AM

    Driving in bus lanes? WTF??? Shouldn’t they be concerned with other things, like ummm… Mass unemployment, economic ruin, a generation destroyed by negative equity? Another case of politicians looking after themselves first

    63
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    Mute Fred Schelbaum
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    Aug 1st 2011, 8:33 AM

    I liked number 9… What a gombeen :-)

    61
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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:08 AM

    If the Gardai do their job well, it will be a slower journey in a bus lane for a minister because he will be stopped at every junction to explain why he is in the lane.

    33
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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:45 AM

    I meant to say … he or she

    10
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    Mute Luke Sweeney
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:06 AM

    I’m a little confused about the fact that the Norris Letter writing is being reported as new allegations. I’m 99%sure that this was reported at the time with the Herald even printing a copy of the letter on it’s front page.
    Can you good people at the Journal use your investigative powers to confirm??

    31
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    Mute chrissy
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:30 AM

    Shouldn’t that headline read: Cabinet approves ABUSE of bus lanes for ‘ official business ‘

    30
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    Mute Anthony Bartley
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    Aug 1st 2011, 8:47 AM

    Who ever has deluged the blogger who broke the story about senator Norris’s for partner up on rape charges should cop on. Who in their right mind would support anyone for that matter who would send a letter to ask for leniency from a government on headed paper is beyond me. This is life , the past will catch up on dirty politician who does anything wrong…. So those people who dat , think before you speak. If it turned out to be a smear campaign fair enough, but it isn’t !!!

    29
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    Mute David Wilkins
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:23 AM

    Re The Irish Mail throwing petrol on the Norris story…The Irish Mail would. Slightly to the right of Ghengis Khan. This from a publication that in the days after the tragic death of Stephen Gately, not implied, but right out said he deserved it due to his sleazy homosexual hedonistic lifestyle (Jan Moir). The Mail has about as much credibility in matters like this as does the old testament book of Leviticus.

    18
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    Mute Alan Farrell
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:29 AM

    So basically the newspapers are at fault for revealing the truth about Norris, maybe there should be an inquiry ?

    2
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    Mute David Wilkins
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    Aug 1st 2011, 11:55 AM

    That’s not what I said. My comment was expressly about The Irish Mail, who has a reputation for selectively sensationalising stories as it suits their conservative agenda. I think Norris was wrong for his letter, but it was 20 years ago, and he’s done amazing positive constructive work since. Move bleedin on…

    6
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    Mute Owen Stafford
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    Aug 1st 2011, 11:53 AM

    How can people refuse social housing??? Recently it was announced Cluid (I think that is how it is spelt) purchased appartments in the Beacon Court development which will include rental to tennants and social housing.It has a concierge service, so maybe if I default I will get a house for nothing! What about people who purchased at a high price for their appartment only to look accross the courtyard at a family who have received a house for nothing? Dont get me wrong I’m not discriminating but fair is fair. I’m struggling like many thousands to pay my mortgage but there are people in my area with houses larger than mine and with huge gardens all being payed for by the tax payer! It’s not very encouraging for future generations

    .”Here son work hard and live in a dog box or feck it all and put your name on the housing list and you could have this spacious 4 bed semi-detached for free, thats right free and don’t worry because the couple accross the road up at 7a.m. to go to work will pay for it!”

    15
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    Mute Niamh Ui Cheallaigh
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:19 AM

    Social housing I’m not surprised people are refusing them, in Carlow it’s a well know fact the social houses are in an awful state and the council had no funds for repairs or updates loads of them had frozen pipes which burst over the winter then a lot of them are in bad areas were crime and drugs are rampant when you have small children you don’t want to live in an area like that I know I wouldn’t for a lot of people now it will be renting or SH most won’t ever be able to afford to buy their own homes ever because of the recession

    12
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    Mute Séamus Johnston
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    Aug 1st 2011, 11:40 AM

    Full stops please

    10
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    Mute Alco Holic
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    Aug 1st 2011, 7:09 PM

    @ Seamus ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    1
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    Mute Damien Gallagher
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:28 AM

    #9 really cheered me up … Am I firssssst?

    12
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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:32 AM

    It’s quite sad that the Norris campaign has hit this juncture, however asking for leniency for a statutory rapist, from a foreign Gov’t on parliamentary paper is shocking in the extreme… That blogger should not be shot down for bringing this up!

    11
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    Mute Dave O'Shea
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:31 AM

    More sensationalised reporting from that rag (mail) hence the reason I am a journal fan… Good reporting and honest assessments…..

    9
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    Mute Alan Farrell
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    Aug 1st 2011, 2:33 PM

    David which piece of amazing positive work are you referring to? The 3 million he cost the taxpayer in legal fee’s when he jumped on the Pamela Izebhekhai bandwagon ? there are a lot of people who’d like to “move bleedin on” from their past. But fortunately we have a sex offenders list and he’s very close to being on it.

    2
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    Mute Garreth OMahony
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    Aug 1st 2011, 8:16 PM

    D

    1
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    Mute Garreth OMahony
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    Aug 1st 2011, 8:18 PM

    Didn’t our minister for justice do the same thing re Pamela

    And didn’t gay Mitchell write to a state in the us asking for clemency for 2 anti abortionist murderers

    Why no reporting on this

    1
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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:42 AM

    It’s ironic how the self appointed global keepers of the peace can’t agree a solution amongst themselves on a debt default avoidance solution.

    9
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    Mute Keith Mills
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:47 AM

    Shameful that the blogger who brought the truth about Norris into the public domain is being treated like this. He should be considered as a hero as he has done us all some service in revealing what Norris got up to. Can kind of fascists were supporting Norris?

    7
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    Mute Dave O'Shea
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    Aug 1st 2011, 10:08 AM

    It was not a dig at the reporter , the stories are boring in my view….. Nothing more , nothing less

    6
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    Mute Maurice Kiely
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    Aug 1st 2011, 11:42 AM

    They don’t call themselves fascists, they call themselves enlightened freethinking liberals! Semantics?

    4
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    Mute Dave O'Shea
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:53 AM

    9 at 9 …….. Boring this morning

    2
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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Aug 1st 2011, 9:56 AM

    Sorry you think that Dave. Any suggestions to liven it up for you?

    21
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    Mute Ciaran Treacy
    Favourite Ciaran Treacy
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    Aug 1st 2011, 1:04 PM

    Interesting how the Norris story is gaining so much ground – while I do find it bad, was this not all reported way back at the time? I’m pretty sure that the case received attention both in Israel and here… so there’s nothing really that’s new… Personally i think that while it’s disgraceful that he wrote the letter on Seanad paper, little else about the story really affects his standing in my mind. If you were dating someone for almost 20 years, wouldn’t you do what you could to help them?

    Also, what is surely WORSE than Norris writing for leniancy for his partner who had sex with a minor (I’ve heard some reports that he wasn’t 15, but 17 and 6 months, just 6 months under the legal age in Israel!) is a then foreign affairs minister, writing on OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT PAPER, a plea to excuse a man from execution who murdered two people (doctors I think) outside of an abortion clinic in Florida. No matter what your view of the death penalty, to write on official paper to excuse a murderer is surely worse… and it’s more recent, story is here;

    http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0903/deathrow.html?view=print%3Fview%3Dprint

    Funny how there’s not even a mention of this!

    1
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