Sir, - In your issue of last Saturday, September 15th, your television critic Shane Hegarty was critical of the RT╔ coverage of the recent terrorist attacks in America.
Overall, RT╔ News coverage was extensive, distinctive and impartial and I would like to put into context some of the remarks made in the article. Fundamental to Shane Hegarty's criticisms is an assumption that RT╔ News can operate as a dedicated news network such as Sky News or CNN. The RT╔ Newsroom provides a 24-hour service to RT╔ 1, Network 2, Radio 1, 2FM, Raidi≤ na Gaeltachta and Lyric FM. Whatever shortcomings were observed, it should be acknowledged that the reporting of the American tragedy was a feat of technical, production and editorial planning for RT╔'s already stretched newsroom. In addition, RT╔ as a whole had to take into account its normal schedules on radio and television and strike the correct balance between continuous news provision and the resumption, at a certain stage, of some degree of normal programming.
While the story was still developing, reporters were dispatched by our newsroom. Mark Little in the Middle East was the first international journalist to get an interview with Yasser Arafat; Tony Connelly was sent to Islamabad in Pakistan; Charlie Bird went from assignment in Colombia to the Mexican-American border; and Western correspondent Jim Fahy also travelled to New York. Meanwhile, Washington correspondent Carole Coleman undertook television broadcasts which ran until midnight on Tuesday, September 11th. On the home front, interviews were obtained, including those with the Taoiseach and President McAleese.
RT╔ reacted early and comprehensively. RT╔ was one of the first television stations to change its schedule to carry live footage of the atrocities. It went on air at 2.15 p.m, initially using live CNN and Eurovision News sources as events unfolded. In the first 24 hours of the crisis, RT╔ provided an extra ten-and-a-half hours of television news, in addition to normal bulletins and extended editions of Morning Ireland. On Wednesday morning, the newsroom continued extensive coverage with a two-hour breakfast programme. Morning Ireland began at 6 a.m. on Wednesday and there were special bulletins on radio and television throughout the day. The Radio Division also provided extensive coverage, starting with an early edition of 5-7 Live at 3.30 p.m. on Tuesday.
RT╔ was determined at all times in its role as public service broadcaster to present the latest news from an Irish perspective using Irish voices and experiences. The Irish Times correspondent Conor O'Clery provided immediate and excellent eye-witness accounts of unfolding events. RT╔ continued to source Irish commentators and participants in the emergency services, the diplomatic service and the political world.
Bryan Dobson also was did an excellent job in difficult circumstances, acting as an anchor in a measured fashion yet displaying empathy with the audience. As for viewers being unsure about whether pictures were live or not, at all times there was a small caption indicating this fact.
Shane Hegarty suggests that "RT╔ needed to accept early on that it couldn't cope and hand over to a station that could". For RT╔, that would have been a complete betrayal of its obligations to the Irish audience. In fact, the RT╔ Newsroom received many congratulatory calls and e-mails for its coverage of the events, acknowledging the commitment of a tightly-stretched and professional team who gave their very best in an unprecedented situation. - Yours, etc.,
Deirdre Henchy, Public Affairs Manager, RT╔, Dublin 4.