RTÉ elite kowtowing to the great and the good

LETTERS by Brendan Cafferty and Thomas Studley (August 28) gave us a different perspective on the attitude of RTÉ to recently-retired Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Mr Cafferty thought “the coat-tailing of Bertie Ahern by RTÉ” and “the promised three-part hagiography” was enough to make his stomach churn. At the same time Thomas Studley thought that “Bertie played a blinder” and “a star has been reborn”.

RTÉ’s obsession with the former Taoiseach certainly seems to have survived the shock of his losing the most powerful political office in the land. My own view is that RTÉ staff are members of a privileged metropolitan journalistic elite. They continuously betray a mindset of having spent too many years kowtowing to the great and the good and the powerful within a short radius of Merrion Street.

As a result they seem to perceive the sole reason for their existence to be to help the same great, good and powerful to cultivate their collective public image. They also yearn to cover every available TV screen with flattering images and accounts of these self-styled celebrities.

Being media cheerleaders for a celebrity former Taoiseach fits in well with this worldview. It does, however, conflict with what is supposed to be the role of a public service broadcaster funded to a large extent by a licence fee paid by the rest of us ordinary yobs.

That is to hold to account powerful politicians who control vast amounts of taxpayers’ money and exercise great power on behalf of all of us.

But I am not holding my breath in the expectation they will exercise that role any time soon.

Anthony Leavy

1 Shielmartin Drive

Sutton

Dublin 13