Senior RTÉ editor: 'Tweetgate' changed Presidential outcome

A senior RTE editor, David Nally, has said he accepts the 'Frontline' presidential debate last year changed the outcome of the election.

The show saw a so-called 'rogue tweet' put to then frontrunner Sean Gallagher days before the country voted in Michael D. Higgins as president.

It follows the publication of an internal report on the programme that heavily criticised RTE for its handling of certain areas relating to the broadcast.

However it found the mistakes made were not the result of bias.

Mr Nally, RTE News and Current Affairs editor, said: "Yes I do accept that it changed the outcome of the Presidential debate, of the Presidential election.

"People who watched the programme made their decision, and a certain chunk of the audience decided, I think, that making Sean Gallagher the President, straight into that office from nowhere it seems that a chunk of the electorate decided in the final few days that it was too big a leap.

"(They decided that) it was a leap in the dark" he added.