Irish Examiner View: Broadcasters on both sides of Irish Sea in eye of the storm

Police found no evidence of a criminal offence but the BBC says it is to investigate separate allegations relating to Huw Edwards. Picture: PA

Oireachtas committee meetings continue to offer engrossing spectacle on an almost daily basis, as bit by bit, and email by email, we see the jigsaw of RTÉ invoices and payments come together.

Ours is not the only national broadcaster going through a crisis. The BBC is also grappling with scandal, though speculation about the identity of a BBC personality suspended after allegations of paying a young individual for explicit pictures ended on Wednesday. 

The wife of newsreader Huw Edwards said her husband was the presenter involved and was in hospital with mental health issues.

This is an evolving story — the Metropolitan Police Service says it has found no evidence of any criminal offence, but the BBC itself has stated it is to investigate separate allegations relating to Edwards messaging younger colleagues.

However, there is also likely to be close scrutiny of the original allegation and how it emerged.

The Sun  reported that Edwards had bought explicit images from a teenager, but the story soon collapsed when the person in question, now aged 20, issued a statement through a lawyer, describing the allegations as “rubbish”.

That person went on to add that prior to publication, they had told The Sun  that the story was wrong and that no illegal behaviour occurred, but the newspaper had not mentioned this denial in its reporting.

These details are likely to be of considerable interest to Edwards and his lawyers if they are considering legal action.

There is a wider political context to consider also. The BBC has been under considerable pressure from a hostile Tory administration for several years, with threats to its licence fee aired regularly by hardliners within the Conservative Party.

Calling the corporation’s standards into question, even via a discredited tabloid story, would certainly be grist to the Tory mill, but sabotaging the BBC would be bad news for both independent journalism and a fully-functioning democracy across the water.

Ireland cannot ignore weather extremes

Mid-July is leaving it late to book one’s summer holidays, but any readers with a mind to take in some Mediterranean sun in the near future have received an unpleasant warning.

Meteorologists in Spain, Italy, and Greece have warned this week of dangerous weather conditions in those traditional holiday locations. 

More than 100 weather stations in Spain reached 35C before 6am on Wednesday, and the country’s national weather agency warned that hot winds will drive temperatures even higher.

Greece is enduring 40C heat and has banned access to nature reserves and forests in an effort to prevent forest fires, while the head of the Italian Meteorological Society, Luca Mercalli, has said: “The Earth has a high fever and Italy is feeling it first hand.”

In the latter country, cities including Rome and Florence are on alert for extreme heat — some parts of the country are suffering temperatures of 45C as the heatwave Cerberus roasts the country, while tourist hotspots such as Sicily and Sardinia are in danger of even higher temperatures.

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This development has the potential to affect Irish people’s holiday plans at the very least. The traditional inclination to go south for summer sunshine is now coming up against a staggering reality: It may be endangering one’s life to do so. Reports of tourists passing out at the Colosseum in Rome from the heat underline that new reality, and we may be on the cusp of a generational switch when it comes to the annual break from work — avoiding the dangers of the Med for the safety of the staycation.

Meanwhile a weather warning for the entire country commenced at 2am today, as heavy rain showers are set to cause “difficult” conditions.

Rainfall is often used by climate change deniers as a reason to demonstrate lack of impact, here. Irish Examiner  readers need only consult the graphic on our World page today to see that climate change is having an impact here, and everywhere.

Home truths on environmental threat

Elsewhere on this website the impact of global warming is outlined in the form of soaring temperatures around the Mediterranean.

However, one doesn’t have to look 1,000 miles south to see how the environment is coming under pressure.

Research emerging from Dundalk Institute of Technology suggests that Ireland’s lakes are getting warmer, and if this trend continues it has the potential to affect both the quality and quantity of our water. Significantly, the Dundalk IT
research identifies nutrients from phosphates and nitrates getting into the water system as a serious issue. along with the rising temperature of the water.

This seemed particularly relevant yesterday, when we learned of a fish kill near Kinsale, Co Cork, which resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 fish. Inland Fisheries Ireland has launched an investigation into the fish kill, which
occurred on the Brownsmills stream and spread over a 4km-5km stretch of the stream, flowing into the estuary at Kinsale.

This dispiriting development bookends a disappointing month. Exactly four weeks ago the Environmental Protection Agency stated that there was no real improvement in the water quality of Irish lakes, rivers, and coasts last year, pinpointing agriculture as the primary culprit for pollution.

Our awareness of the impact of global warming has led to many of us changing our outlook and behaviour. More quotidian environmental threats should not be forgotten as we do so.

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