Station faces payout to Harney over McCafferty gaffe
By Seán McCárthaigh
Monday, March 15, 2010
NEWSTALK radio station is facing a major payout to Health Minister Mary Harney over false allegations which were made live on-air about her health by the outspoken journalist, Nell McCafferty last week.
It is understood lawyers for Ms Harney will move to seek damages from the station over remarks by Ms McCafferty that Newstalk had admitted were "untruthful" and "deeply hurtful".
Newstalk were forced to issue an apology to the beleaguered minister in the middle of the Tallaght Hospital controversy last Thursday after the veteran journalist and feminist made her comments during an interview on the Tom Dunne Show.
The station admitted allowing remarks relating to Ms Harney’s consumption of alcohol to go on air was an "abject failure" by the broadcaster.
Other insensitive remarks were also made about the politician’s late mother by McCafferty as well as her role in the failure of Tallaght Hospital to properly examine thousands of patients’ X-rays as well as deal with correspondence from GPs.
Ms Harney, who is on a visit to New Zealand, has declined to comment but her spokesperson said the matter was now "in the hands of the minister’s lawyers".
The station, which was forced to cut the salaries of its staff by up to 10% last year amid falling advertising revenue, may have to depend on its wealthy owner, Denis O’Brien to fund any legal costs and damages arising out of any libel action.
It is believed senior Newstalk executives met with Ms McCafferty last evening to discuss the continuing fall-out of the controversial broadcast.
The well-known journalist and civil rights campaigner claims she was unaware that her comments were being made live on air.
"When the producer told me afterwards we were live, I said: ‘I think I’ve just sunk your station. You better get an apology out at once,’" recalled Ms McCafferty.
On the show to promote her new book about the Kerry Babies scandal, Ms McCafferty turned the interview into a rant against Ms Harney which went unchallenged for more than a minute before Dunne intervened.
Station sources have rejected another claim by Ms McCafferty that there was no warning red light in the Newstalk studio to alert speakers to the fact that they were on air.
One ministerial source said senior politicians would welcome any action which might curtail Newstalk’s criticism of the Government due to the hostile relationship between the parties.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, March 15, 2010
