Religion reason for bulk of RTÉ complaints

If there’s one issue that fires Irish passions, it’s how the media treats religion.

Freedom of Information documents from the Department of Communications, show RTÉ’s treatment of Fr Kevin Reynolds, its decision to scale back on the broadcasting of Mass on Radió na Gaeltachta and its continued broadcast of the Angelus, dominated the bulk of complaints against the state broadcaster over the past two years.

Six of the 25 complaints related to RTÉ’s decision to broadcast the Prime Time documentary Mission to Prey, despite offers by a priest, accused of fathering a child after raping a young woman, to undertake a paternity test. Fr Reynolds later won a defamation case against RTÉ.