RTÉ payout over homophobia row tops €10k

The amount of license fee money RTÉ paid out following a row over homophobia topped €10,000, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

As Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte warned the national broadcaster that legal claims cannot be allowed to affect its public service obligations, sources said RTÉ paid out “somewhere north of €10,000”.

The settlement was made following legal correspondence from the right-wing Catholic think-tank Iona Institute over an alleged defamation during an appearance on the Saturday Night Show by Rory O’Neill, who performs as drag queen Panti Bliss. It is understood that RTÉ bosses felt the broadcast would have been almost impossible to defend in any potential defamation action and moved quickly to settle the complaint.