RTÉ wasting money with bad standards

THE continued viability of the national broadcaster RTÉ must now be surely in doubt following the Fr Kevin Reynolds defamation case and other cases of a similar nature, with substantial sums of taxpayers’ money being paid out because of a lack of proper oversight.

RTÉ must now ask themselves some far-reaching questions in relation to their journalistic standards which appear to be very unsatisfactory.

It is also time for the national broadcaster to make its annual libel bill known to the public who are footing the bill every time they get a story wrong. Why should the public suffer RTÉ’s disastrous reporting any longer?

Successive governments have bailed out RTÉ over a long period of time, but the difference now is that the budget is tight with myriad cuts being made, so the heat is on. The last thing the government need is a substantial award by the courts for the lack of verification over legally risky reporting.

The time has certainly come for heads to roll at RTÉ and for the government to say enough is enough — get it right or we will shut you down.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Co Cork