Future of Media Commission backs Alan Rusbridger to stay on

Former 'Guardian' editor Alan Rusbridger received unanimous support from members of the Future of the Media Commission. File picture

Members of the Future of the Media Commission have "unanimously" backed former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger to stay on.

Former Labour senator Máiría Cahill had asked Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the weekend to consider Mr Rusbridger's position on the commission after the  Guardian's former media editor, Roy Greenslade, revealed that he had secretly made contributions to the republican newspaper  An Phoblacht, under the pseudonym George King, and that he supported the IRA.

Mr Greenslade wrote a 2014 column in the  Guardian which said that the BBC, which investigated Ms Cahill’s claims that she was raped by an IRA member, “were too willing to accept Cahill’s story and did not point to countervailing evidence".

The paper's current editor, Katherine Viner, has apologised to Ms Cahill, with a note added to the 2014 piece which reads: “The lack of disclosure was especially unfair to a vulnerable individual, and the  Guardian has now apologised to Ms Cahill.”

A Guardian review of the articles written by Mr Greenslade while Mr Rusbridger was editor has not yet concluded.

A statement from the commission today said, however, that the members felt Mr Rusbridger should remain in place.

"The members of the Future of the Media Commission unanimously support the continued membership of Alan Rusbridger on the Commission.

We believe that it was important for Alan and the Guardian to apologise to Máiría Cahill, who has exposed important issues of media standards and transparency. 

"These issues will continue to form part of the commission’s ongoing work."

Statement from media minister

In a statement, Media Minister Catherine Martin said: "As I have already stated publicly, I am appalled at the abuse suffered by Máiría Cahill and the subsequent horrendous ordeal that she had to endure. The actions of Roy Greenslade in seeking to undermine Ms Cahill by questioning her motives, while failing to reveal his own allegiances, were abhorrent.

"I have reflected on the serious issues raised by Máiría Cahill in her engagement with both myself and An Taoiseach. I have also noted the apology issued by Alan Rusbridger, today’s statement by the Future of Media Commission and correspondence which I received this morning from Mr Rusbridger in which he states that he was not aware of Roy Greenslade’s blog post when it was published nor of subsequent legal correspondence with The Guardian on behalf of Ms Cahill.

"In discussions with An Taoiseach, who in turn has discussed the matter with the other coalition party leaders, we have, on balance, come to a view that Alan Rusbridger should remain on the Future of Media Commission.

"We accept that this will come as a disappointment for Máiría Cahill and we have not arrived at this conclusion lightly," Ms Martin said.

The commission’s remit is to "examine how public service aims can be delivered and sustainably funded through the broadcasting, print and online media in Ireland over the next 10 years, while ensuring that independent editorial oversight is maintained and Ireland’s creative and cultural sectors are supported".