BAI rejects complaints over Peter Casey interview on Late Late Show

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland has rejected three complaints from viewers who took issue with Ryan Tubridy’s handling of an interview with unsuccessful Presidential candidate Peter Casey.

All three complainants alleged Mr Tubridy showed bias against the businessman during a Late Late Show interview last November, in which Mr Casey’s views on the Travelling community were discussed.

One complaint claimed the host’s treatment “bordered on abusive”, while another said Mr Casey was not given the opportunity to defend himself. A third alleged Mr Tubridy “gave his own views and allowed audience members to heckle the interviewee”.

Two of the complaints centred on an exchange in which Mr Casey asked Mr Tubridy if he has lost control of the interview, to which the host replied: “I have absolutely not Peter and I’ll tell you something, if I do, you’ll know all about it”.

One complainant found Mr Tubridy’s response “threatening”, while another said the remark was “unacceptable and undermined the fairness of the interview”.

Responding to the complaints, RTÉ said Mr Casey was fully briefed on the format of the programme and that Mr Tubridy “played devil’s advocate in order to elicit views from the interviewee”. The BAI’s Compliance Committee rejected the complaints by a majority decision and ruled the interview did not contravene the requirements for fairness, objectivity or impartiality.

It said while Mr Tubridy was ‘robust’ in his interviewing, “a robust or rigorous interview does not necessarily constitute unfairness”, that Mr Casey was briefed as to the format of the interview, and that he was given ample time to offer his opinions and respond to challenges during the programme.

“While various audience members did challenge the interviewee regarding comments and views put forward by him, it was noted that the subject matter was such that it was likely to elicit strong views from some members of the public,” the BAI said.

The Compliance Committee also unanimously rejected a complaint from a Daniel O’Connell who claimed that footage of him taking part in a protest was broadcast on Prime Time last November without his knowledge or consent.

Mr O’Connell had argued that the programme’s report on bullying and harassment in the Irish film industry identified him among the protesters while many other protesters had their faces pixilated.

He also claimed the presentation of the footage taken at the protest was unfair and misleading.

RTÉ said Mr O’Connell was involved in a protest in a public place, and alerted him to the existence of the footage and the intention to broadcast it.

It said that the complainant’s face was not pixelated due to his involvement in an incident with the car, after which he “became more pertinent to the storyline than other protestors”.

The BAI’s Executive Complaints Forum rejected 12 complaints; two each against the Ray D’Arcy Show on RTÉ Radio 1 and Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, and individual complaints against Dublin’s Sunshine Radio, the Neil Prendeville Show on Red FM, Celebrity Juice on Virgin Media, RTÉ’s Nine O’Clock and Six One news programmes, the Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio 1, Radio Nova, and an ad for a Nerf toy gun on RTE Jr.