Irish Examiner view: Questions for broadcaster yet again

Media minister Patrick O’Donovan has already pointed out that RTÉ has been bailed out by the taxpayer to the tune of €750m. His meeting next week with RTÉ representatives promises to be bruising, and the state broadcaster has nobody to blame but itself. File picture

Readers will no doubt recall the RTÉ payment scandal of 2023, a controversy which led to high theatre at a succession of Oireachtas hearings, a slew of high-profile resignations and departures, and promises from RTÉ to do better in the future.

Revelations this week about payments at the broadcaster suggest otherwise. We learned that Derek Mooney was reclassified as a producer rather than a presenter from 2020 to 2024, for instance, which has led to some sharp follow-up questioning because, in 2019, RTÉ announced plans to reduce the fees for top contracted on-air presenters by 15%.