RTÉ STAFF who run for public office are “no different” from those in other publicly-funded professions such as teachers, the station’s director general Cathal Goan has said.
Mr Goan was responding to a letter from Fianna Fáil Senator Terry Leyden over the foray into politics of the station’s former economics editor, George Lee.
In his letter, Mr Leyden said he had spoken in the Seanad of “the urgent need for a code of conduct or protocol to be applied in respect of employees/contractors of RTÉ who subsequently choose a career in politics”.
The letter continues: “It should be said that entry into this career would have been made all the easier owing to a profile built up with the national broadcaster.
“The argument exists that there should be safeguards in place to prevent a situation where an individual who is paid from the public purse can take advantage of this position – in essence, state-sponsored career development,” wrote the Senator in a letter dated February 16th.
Responding, Mr Goan said: “RTÉ, like many organisations, believes it is important to support the democratic process and therefore has a well-established practice of facilitating, where possible, staff members who seek to run for elected public office or work as advisers within the political system.
“In this sense, staff in RTÉ who choose to run for public office are no different from those in other publicly-funded or part publicly-funded professions, such as teachers or doctors for example.”
The letter continued: “When/if a staff member returns to RTÉ following a period in either elected office or work within the political system, the role that they are assigned would always have to be balanced against RTÉ’s statutory requirements relating to objectivity, impartiality and fairness.
“In respect of George Lee, RTÉ was as surprised as everyone else when he decided to leave RTÉ to contest an election and was equally surprised when he decided to leave politics. As has been reported, we have received an indication from George that he intends to return to RTÉ.”