Critical press coverage of a recent 12-day trip by four TDs to Argentina and Chile was absolutely despicable, an Oireachtas committee heard yesterday.
Senator Marc MacSharry said sensational media reporting of the mission to study the fishing industry and ports had made it sound like members of the committee had "gone surfing".
He was responding to widespread criticism of the trip in the media and subsequent comments made to RTÉ by the chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. In an radio interview on Morning Ireland Noel O'Flynn TD, who led the mission, reminded a reporter the committee would shortly question RTÉ on its annual report and review its work.
Senator Kathleen O'Meara said yesterday that these remarks reflected badly on the committee and she wanted to dissociate herself from them.
"The media is not only entitled, but very welcome to question what we do when we're on trips abroad . . . I don't think it serves this committee to have taken umbrage at the fact that RTÉ and the Irish media were simply questioning what this committee was up to," she said.
Mr O'Flynn said there was no implied threat in his comments to RTÉ and he was simply using the analogy of comparing value for money for both organisations.
He later said RTÉ was due to appear before the committee next Wednesday.
Senator MacSharry said he found media reports of the trip absolutely despicable.