Talent show judge Twink is under fire for knowing contestants, so how does RTÉ deal with regular accusations of conflict of interest, asks Shane Hegarty.
If there was anyone left in Ireland who doubted the willingness of Adele King - aka Twink - to defend her reputation with the utmost ferocity, they will have been given a final lesson on Tuesday. Appearing on RTÉ Radio 1's Livelineto defend taking on a position as judge on a TV talent show, despite knowing some of the contestants, she delivered a performance that would have left her adversaries shell-shocked had it been delivered in person.
"At the risk of slapping my own back, Joe, I know what a truthful, honest, tell-it-like-it-is person I am," she yelled. "If Osama bin Laden's child was on that show and he threatened to send a hitman to my house if I didn't put that child through, I wouldn't do it!"
Because King runs a stage school, through which two contestants on Class Act had passed, she has been accused of having a conflict of interest. A mother of one of those girls taught at the school until two years ago. RTÉ admits that it was aware of this issue before the show was filmed, but felt that King would deal with these contestants exactly as she would with others, and to remove the teenagers from the line-up would be "grossly unfair to the performers".
The focus of King's ire was a caller whom she referred to as "Stephanie bloody Elliott", a former acquaintance ("I gave Stephanie more breaks than a KitKat in this business!") and is now a dance teacher. The father of a contestant also suggested it was unfair.
Admitting that she would already have been aware, to some extent, of several of the contestants, King argued that, in a small country, it's impossible for anyone in showbusiness not to know someone attracted to a TV talent show.
However, the episode - which produced several days' worth of newspaper headlines - put the spotlight on a recurring problem for RTÉ. Occasionally, and too often for its liking, it comes under scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest - usually on the part of its broadcasters, although issues have also arisen for those on the RTÉ Authority. Sometimes, it dismisses these. On occasion it has had to act upon them.
In 2003, newsreader Bryan Dobson apologised for a "bad call" when it was revealed that he had coached health board officials in how to deal with media interviews. The company on whose behalf he was working was part-owned by Late Late Showpresenter Pat Kenny.
Last year, a member of the RTÉ Authority, Fintan Drury, stepped down to avoid a potential conflict because his management company represented the Ryder Cup at a time when RTÉ was negotiating broadcast rights.
Other incidents have been less clear-cut, and more public. In February of last year, when Brian Kennedy was invited to represent Ireland at the Eurovision song contest, there was some disquiet expressed over the fact that one of the four songs the public were asked to vote on was written by him. 1,200 songs had been submitted in total. Ultimately, the public chose Kennedy's song, but the topic also kept Livelinebusy.
In 2005, questions were raised in the Dáil over RTÉ presenters' deals with car manufacturers. Ryan Tubridy was driving a complimentary Lexus and Pat Kenny a BMW. However, RTÉ's director-general, Cathal Goan, dismissed concerns.
Meanwhile, although RTÉ has sold shows to several sponsors, some are off-limits. On television, they include Prime Timeand the news bulletins. On radio, the list features M orning Ireland, Today with Pat Kenny, The Gerry Ryan Showand - ironically - Liveline.
As a publicly-funded broadcaster, RTÉ has traditionally come under greater scrutiny than other media outlets. Privately, some within RTÉ express frustration at the higher standards to which they are held, compared to commercial rivals.
RTÉ also comes under more rigorous guidelines. A charter published by the Department of Communications in 2004 declared that: "RTÉ will safeguard its editorial independence through an effective code of ethics for employees and contractors." Its 2007 programme standards and guidelines - available on its website - deal largely with the impartiality of news reporters, rather than those of teenage talent competitions, but it does make the broader point: "A central component of any successful public service broadcasting organisation is public confidence in the integrity and independence of what they hear and see on the airwaves. The public have the right to expect public service broadcasting to be independent of all vested interests and not to compromise itself for any reason."
These issues will no doubt arise again, whether they're in talent shows, sponsorship or presenters' extra-curricular activities. The crisis of trust currently affecting British television - faked competitions, overcharged contestants, Blue Peterpets given the wrong names - has only intensified that spotlight on broadcasters, especially those bankrolled by the public. Twinkgate, it could be argued, mattered more to the parents of losing contestants than to the wider public, but it was a reminder that in Ireland, with a small population, and an even smaller entertainment community, it pays to tread extra carefully.