LAST UPDATE | 34 mins ago
TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has said Sinn Féin’s manifesto pledge to independently review RTÉ’s coverage of the war in Gaza is a “dog whistle to conspiracy theorists”.
Sinn Féin yesterday launched its general election manifesto, and pledged to “commission an independent human rights and journalist expert review into the objectivity of coverage by RTÉ of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and other international conflicts”.
And while the manifesto said “RTÉ must be held accountable for the delivery of its responsibilities”, it added that the broadcaster “must also be sufficiently funded to deliver on those responsibilities”.
On his way into Cabinet this morning, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said: “I just can’t imagine this scenario in any functioning democracy that a political party that wants to lead a government would put in its manifesto, in its list of political promises to the Irish people, that it will establish an independent review of RTE’s objectivity and news coverage.”
Harris also questioned where the Sinn Féin policy on RTÉ would stop and called on Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to withdraw the “chilling, despicable” proposal.
“To actually even suggest that RTÉ needs to be independently reviewed, is a dog whistle to conspiracy theorists, is an effort to undermine media freedom in this country,” said Harris.
“I, quite frankly, believe it’s an effort to intimidate journalists from the work that they do. What was she thinking?”
Speaking at the manifesto launch yesterday, McDonald said she did not see where the line could get murky between editorial independence and oversight.
“It’s about peer review. It’s not about anybody in the world of politics coming in and interfering with editorial decisions,” she said.
“That would be completely and utterly inappropriate,” she added.
She explained that the conflict in Gaza is cited as an example because it is “horrific what we are viewing, and we are viewing it through the prism of the television screen”.
“We think it’s a healthy thing and a necessary thing for conflicts and events like that, that have such immense significance and consequences, that there is an exercise like that in oversight. Far from being an interference, it is a trust and confidence-building matter,” she said.
McDonald did not respond when asked why the conflict in Ukraine was not referenced in that particular section of the party’s manifesto.
Speaking to reporters today, McDonald said she “absolutely accepts and respects the necessity for editorial independence” and remarked that the “objective is not for political interference, but to grow and develop confidence and trust”.
“What we are proposing is a peer review, nothing got to do with politicians, a peer review informed by human rights expertise, but also journalistic expertise.”
She noted that such a review can’t be “directly triggered by government” and suggested that RTÉ or Coimisiún na Meán might commission it.
McDonald added that RTÉ is in “receipt of very substantial taxpayers funds” and that it has to be “the gold standard of trusted information”.
She pointed to the BBC and said that its board commissioned a similar type of peer-led review and “found it very beneficial” and that it “confirmed editorial standards, objectivity, and balance”.
“People would take confidence from a confirmation that the national broadcaster is peer reviewed in this way,” said McDonald.
“If I were in RTÉ, I would welcome something like that.”
Meanwhile, the Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists, Séamus Dooley, told The Journal that he will be writing to both McDonald and Sinn Féin’s director of elections Matt Carthy to express his “grave concern at the principle of such a review”.
“There is already an independent, regulatory framework – Coimisiún na Meán – and we believe that any complaints about coverage of regulated broadcasting should be directed to the commission,” said Dooley.
Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s commission for regulating broadcasters and online media.
Dooley added: “The idea of a State-appointed parallel review would be in breach of the European Media Freedom Act.
“I am seeking clarification of the term ‘peer led review’, but in my view it is not compatible with the concept of independent regulation.”
Dooley also questioned the “need for such a wide ranging review” and added: “If there is evidence of bias or breach of codes, that should be reported to the commission.”
When asked today about remarks from the NUJ, McDonald said it “will have their position on it”.
‘Sinister development’
Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin was also asked about the Sinn Féin pledge today and described it as a “shocking and very sinister development”.
He added that the pledge is “almost threatening behaviour to RTÉ, that we’re watching you”.
Martin said “politics should endeavour to stay separate from the editorial position of stations”.
He added that RTÉ is not “biased” regarding coverage of the Middle East.
“In the middle of an election to say, ‘we’re going to set up a group to examine whether you’re objective or not’, that is chilling and it really sends worrying signals to journalists and to RTÉ itself and I’m genuinely shocked that Sinn Féin put that into a manifesto.”
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