Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has neither seen nor received a report commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) into the Prime Time Investigates programme that libelled Fr Kevin Reynolds.
The unpublished report into the broadcast, which was carried out by former BBC Northern Ireland controller Anna Carragher, and proposed a fine of about €200,000, was sent to RTÉ and interested parties last week.
An article in yesterday’s Irish Times detailed the main findings which were highly critical of the standards of journalism involved in the broadcast, citing briefing notes based on the document.
Mr Rabbitte said today based on the information in the public domain the report “seems to be immensely rigorous”.
“What I have seen in the public press is extremely serious, more serious even than I had suspected.”
The Mission to Prey documentary falsely accused Fr Reynolds of raping a minor and fathering her child while he was a missionary in Africa. He sued the broadcaster, accepting an apology and a substantial out-of-court settlement.
The report, commissioned by the authority but not yet published, was sent to RTÉ and interested parties last Thursday. They have until April 20th to respond.
Speaking on the Newstalk Breakfast programme today Mr Rabbitte said the report had been sent to RTÉ for feedback “in accord to natural justice” and would not comment until that process was complete.
“I would imagine we are within 10 days of the report being available and the findings and recommendations coming into the public domain and I’ll comment then on it,” he said.
The Minister said he would make public the cost to the broadcaster, including any fine, arising from the case.
“That information will have to be made available. I mean nobody is arguing that this is anything other than a debacle - it shouldn’t have happened,” he said.
He described the programme as a departure from the “usual high standards in RTÉ” but said this didn’t make the mistake “any less egregious”.
"It was a horrific defamation of the priest concerned and he has the same rights to be vindicated,” he added.
On the same programme Mr Rabbitte said diversity of ownership and content were “essential” for the media.
“I’m interested in the different aspects of concentration of ownership and cross-media ownership and it is nothing to do with one oligarch as compared to another oligarch,” he said.
His comments come as Denis O’Brien and Sir Anthony O’Reilly struggle publicly for control of Independent News & Media.
Mr Rabbitte said it is important to distinguish media from other enterprises in the economy because “media has such a profound impact on the character of our public life and on public affairs and politics that diversity of content as well as diversity of ownership is essential.”
