RTÉ rejects claims it excluded Sinn Féin from general election coverage

RTÉ has strongly rejected claims it excluded Sinn Féin and its president Gerry Adams from general election coverage this week.

The party expressed “extreme disappointment” at what it called RTÉ’s unbalanced and unfair coverage of the election in its main news bulletins on Monday and Tuesday.

Sinn Féin was yesterday accused of trying to bully RTÉ into giving it more favourable coverage.

According to an academic study conducted by former RTÉ reporter Kevin Rafter, now of the DCU School of Communications, the national broadcaster was targeted by “a campaign orchestrated by Sinn Féin supporters” that claimed the party had been under-represented on the air- waves in the last general election.

It was also claimed that RTÉ current affairs broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan, had been the subject of online attacks by Sinn Féin supporters.

As national broadcaster, RTÉ has to give each party a fair amount of airtime based around levels of support.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner yesterday, RTÉ denied that Sinn Fein had been excluded from its programming.

“Sinn Féin have in fact featured in the following RTÉ programming: On Monday on Claire Byrne Live Leaders’ Debate, The Late Debate, Six-One, and Nuacht bulletins; on Sunday on This Week, Six-One News, Nine News, and Campaign Daily, on Saturday on One O’Clock, Six-One, and Nine News programmes, and Saturday with Claire Byrne,” it said.

“Gerry Adams took part in a leader interview... on Today with Sean O’Rourke and was interviewed by Bryan Dobson on the Six-One News. In addition he has been invited to take part in the Prime Time Leaders’ Debate on Tuesday night.”

RTÉ said it does not operate a quota system on airtime. “We do have airtime guides but they’re only a guide and we take everything into consideration in trying to be overall fair to all parties,” it said.

Sinn Féin said it was extremely disappointed with the coverage of its election campaign on RTÉ’s television news bulletins on Monday and Tuesday. “We do not accept that it was fair or balanced,” a spokesman said.

“We will continue to work with RTÉ and we hope to see fair and balanced coverage going forward.”

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