RTÉ and Sinn Féin have said the party was not given prior access to an interview with former minister Shane Ross about his biography of Mary Lou McDonald which was never broadcast.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil on Tuesday that “apparently” a political party had been given “access to the interview to listen to it”.
“I don’t think I was ever afforded that opportunity as the leader of the Opposition,” he added.
But RTÉ and Sinn Féin later said in statements that they had not been given access to the interview about the book, Mary Lou McDonald: A Republican Riddle. RTÉ sources said the interview was dropped as it was “a bit boring”.
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The Taoiseach was asked in the Dáil about the decision to drop the interview, which was widely covered in the Sunday Independent, for which Mr Ross writes. Mr Martin said that RTÉ needed to explain its decision.
Mr Martin said the national broadcaster’s move “demands greater transparency and explanation” and that such a development “has a chilling effect on public debate and democracy”. The Taoiseach said the broadcaster was probably “taking a cautious position here and because of the fear of being sued”.
Ms McDonald is currently suing RTÉ for defamation in the High Court. She is the latest in a series of Sinn Féin politicians to take defamation actions, a trend that has been criticised by political opponents and others as having a chilling effect on free speech and political debate.
The Taoiseach was responding to Fine Gael TD Paul Kehoe, who accused RTÉ of “censorship of the highest order”. The Wexford deputy noted that Mr Ross “was able to give interviews to Newstalk, Today FM and other independent radio stations” and said RTÉ has questions to answer.
“It is a publicly funded organisation getting millions of euros off the taxpayer and off this Government in the recent budget, and they do have a duty of public service and public broadcasting,” he said. “I’m not sure if they are afraid or who they are afraid of or what they are hiding, but this is censorship of the highest order. And it has, I believe, some very serious consequences for the national broadcaster and it’s a very worrying development.”
In a statement on the matter, RTÉ said that “broadcasters have editorial independence to decide what they cover and broadcast”. It said this was a principle that the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland acknowledges.
“With many competing stories and items each day, it is not unusual for a pre-recorded interview not to be broadcast. In this instance, the decision not to broadcast was an editorial decision and was not influenced by any legal issues,” it said. “RTÉ can also confirm that no one was given access to the recorded interview.”
Sinn Féin said: “It is a matter for RTÉ what they choose to broadcast, or not. It is highly unusual for the Fianna Fáil leader to use Dáil time in this way; particularly when his information is completely incorrect - Sinn Féin did not receive a copy of any interview, nor was it sought.”
