RTE deny allegations as Gallagher demands inquiry

RTE has denied allegations that they gave a 'Frontline' audience member a prepared question to put to the former presidential candidate.

In a statement published by RTÉ on its website, the State Broadcaster said it is "concerned and disappointed" that the audience member, Pat McGuirk, has made these claims.

The station said he had expressed no issue about the question or its preparation to the programme team members.

They also said Mr McGuirk emailed the programme researcher two days after the broadcast expressing his happiness with the programme experience.

Defeated presidential candidate Sean Gallagher has demanded a public inquiry into the production and airing of RTE’s The Frontline live presidential debate.

The entrepreneur is taking legal advice over allegations by a member of the studio audience that his question for the candidate was changed by the production team, who also helped him rehearse it.

Mr Gallagher said the revelations in a Sunday newspaper were deeply disturbing and gravely alarming and queried if the state broadcaster had compromised the democratic process.

RTE has denied the allegations, maintaining the question about Mr Gallagher’s job creation record by businessman Pat McGuirk on 'The Frontline' was based on conversations he had with researchers.

Mr Gallagher said the broadcaster cannot disregard the calls for a full public inquiry relating to the production and airing of the programme.

“All records relating to the programme must be disclosed in a public arena, and every member of the production team must make him or herself available for questioning in the appropriate, independent, forum,” he said in a statement through his solicitor, Pamela Cassidy.

“RTE have a case to answer.”

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) last week upheld a complaint by the former Dragon’s Den star that The Frontline acted unfairly during the October 24 show when host Pat Kenny read a tweet from an unofficial account without checking its source.

It decided against an investigation or public hearing as it found no evidence that RTE, Mr Kenny, or the production team had deliberately constructed the programme in a manner that lacked objectivity or impartiality.

However Mr McGuirk, from Co Monaghan, told the Sunday Independent he first emailed the show to ask a question relating to the salary of the president, but alleged that was changed moments before the live debate by The Frontline team to focus instead on the job creation record of Mr Gallagher – who he supported.

“This information, which has come to light since the BAI ruling last week relating to the Frontline programme and its production staff, raises the most fundamental questions about the trustworthiness and impartiality of our national broadcaster. Trust in RTE is at the core of our democracy,” Mr Gallagher said.

“That trust has again been brought into serious question.”

Steve Carson, RTE’s acting director current affairs, said there were several phone calls between Mr McGuirk and researchers following his first email, which had been about presidential pay.

“Mr McGuirk starts off saying ’I’m interested in presidential pay’, he then becomes, as I think the story unfolded that week, concerned about Mr Gallagher’s links with Fianna Fail and at one point I think he was interested in a question about that,” he said.

“And at the weekend he becomes interested in the subject that he was asked and what was done here, and I think in good faith, was as an aide memoire the question which had been thoroughly discussed and originated by the person was provided to him on a piece of paper.”

RTE said Mr McGuirk emailed the programme researcher two days later thanking her for letting him on the show and commending her work.

Mr Gallagher had been frontrunner in the election race until a story about links to a 5,000 euro political donation for Fianna Fail were revealed on air by Sinn Fein candidate Martin McGuinness – less than five days from polling.

Mr Kenny then read the tweet: “The man that Gallagher took the cheque from will be at a press conference tomorrow”, and incorrectly attributed it to the official Martin McGuinness for President campaign.

BAI found information became available during the programme that clarified the Twitter account was not the official Sinn Fein account, but broadcaster Mr Kenny has said he was unaware of it that night or before his radio show the following morning.

Mr Gallagher – who plans to contact Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte directly tomorrow – said serious questions need to be addressed by RTE, including who made the decision to keep the presenter unaware of the corrective tweet and if RTE set the agenda in a presidential debate.

“Ultimately the issue is whether RTE compromised the democratic process,” he added.