RTÉ journalist gets email threatening her 'not to solicit negative comments about men' on radio show
RTÉ journalist, Katie Hannon. File Picture
RTÉ journalist Katie Hannon received a threatening email in the lead-up to her weekly radio show, telling her not to "solicit negative comments about men" during the programme, and stating that she would have to "personally answer for it" if she did so.
The anonymous email was sent to Ms Hannon personally shortly before her show aired earlier this afternoon.
"We just got an email before we came on air addressed to me saying: 'I’m just letting you know that your show will be recorded and should you interview or solicit negative comments about men, you will have to personally answer for it,” Ms Hannon said as she read the email.
The email went on to state that there would be "close to 200 men" listening in to the show, and that they were recording the proceedings.
On the show, Ms Hannon, Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy, Sinn Féin spokesperson on workers' rights, enterprise, trade, and employment, Louise O’Reilly, and co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall, discussed male violence against women and the tragic killing of 23-year-old schoolteacher Ashling Murphy this past Wednesday.
"To the 200 — and I’d be shocked if there were two people listening — but to them, it’s not all men, but it is a problem and an issue that men need to tackle,” said Ms O’Reilly.
The TD for Dublin Fingal said the conversations currently being had around sexism and male violence towards women were welcome, but that both issues had been "around for decades".
"When I talk to my daughter, her experience is the same and when I talk to my mother, hers was the same.”
Ms O'Reilly said women would "continue to fight" but that it was now time "for men of good faith to fight alongside us".
Co-leader of the Social Democrats, Róisín Shortall also called on men and women to work together to change the culture around sexism.
“There is that laddish kind of culture that’s there," she said. "Very often, people don’t have the courage to stand up and say: ‘That’s not on, that’s no way to speak about a woman'.
"They have to come forward, they have to take some ownership of this as well."
