RTE queries Minister's information

RTE is to seek clarification from the consultants Price water houseCoopers as to whether the most up-to-date commercial information was supplied to the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands before she set the level of television licence-fee increase.

The station has defended its coverage of the debate on the increase following criticism from Ms de Valera that it had abandoned "the principle of balanced reporting".

RTE is also concerned that elements of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report were "selectively published in national newspapers" before the report was seen by the station.

Speaking to The Irish Times yesterday, RTE's director of corporate affairs, Mr Kevin Healy, rejected the Minister's accusations that there had been a lack of balance in RTE's coverage of the issue, pointing out that the Minister had been interviewed on the subject three times in the past week.

Mr Healy said the level of coverage was correct as the issue was clearly one of national concern "as reflected by the coverage given by TV3 and Today FM as well as the national newspapers".

The most up-to-date commercial information available to RTE suggested that there would be a shortfall in advertising revenue of about £7 million this year.

The station would, he indicated, be seeking clarification that this information was supplied to the Minister before she made her decision to approve an increase of £14.50, instead of the £50 requested by RTE.

He denied suggestions that RTE had "cynically distorted" the consultants' report and said the station received a copy of the report only last Thursday.

The station was disappointed that "selective extracts" of this report which were damaging to RTE had appeared in newspapers in advance of RTE seeing a copy of the report, Mr Healy said. Asked who he thought might have leaked the extracts to the media, Mr Healy said he was sure "it was not anyone in PricewaterhouseCoopers and it was not anyone in RTE".

Ms de Valera accused RTE of portraying her unfairly as a "parsimonious enemy" in a newspaper yesterday and insisted her handling of the issue had been balanced and fair.

A spokesman for the Minister said she had written an article for the Sunday Independent but instead of publishing it the newspaper had taken comments from it for a front-page story.

In her article, Ms de Valera wrote: "We've witnessed, over the past few days, an abandonment of the principles of balanced reporting on which the national broadcaster prides itself."

The broadcaster Mr Charlie Bird, who organised an impromptu staff meeting to discuss the current controversy at the station last Wednesday, said it was "not necessarily a bad thing that a debate has opened up" on the role of public service broadcasting.

Mr Bird said the meeting was "not anti-anyone", but the issues of the role and funding of the State broadcasting service had been "trailing along for years".

He said staff morale was more likely to have been damaged by years of uncertainty over the station's role and funding than it was by the reported comments of the Minister at the weekend.