The Taoiseach has criticised coverage of the Government by The Irish Times and the Sunday Independent.
At a special meeting of the Fianna Fail parliamentary party to outline the issues likely to develop during the new Dail term, which begins next Wednesday, Mr Ahern advised his party colleagues to concentrate on raising their profiles with local newspapers and radio stations.
He said that The Irish Times and the Sunday Independent employed commentators to write a point of view that was opposed to Fianna Fail and the Government.
The Irish Times's treatment of the first Fianna Fail government after 1932 was mentioned by Mr Ahern, who said the defiant attitude adopted by Mr Sean Lemass was still relevant.
One TD described the Taoiseach's comments as "unusually critical coming from Bertie".
The day-long meeting was attended by 92 of the 104 members of the parliamentary party. The mood was described as "extremely good" in light of the positive results for the Government in the latest Irish Times/MRBI opinion poll.
The Taoiseach repeated his wish that the Government remain in office until June 2002, the latest date a general election can be called.
A great deal of the meeting was given over to discussing the Planning and Development Bill which will be debated in the Dail during the forthcoming session. While the sections relating to social housing have been criticised by builders, Government sources continue to insist that the provisions are constitutional.
The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, outlined the main elements in the legislation while also taking questions on other aspects of the planning system, including delays in processing applications.
There were 15 contributions to the discussion on planning matters which will be concluded at a subsequent meeting of the parliamentary party.
The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, invited TDs and Senators to submit amendments for inclusion in the Finance Bill, which will be published on February 10th. The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, gave an update on the dispute between the farmers and the meat processors.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, spoke on several issues, including immigration policy. He stressed the importance of not allowing a right-wing anti-immigrant sentiment to develop in the State similar to that experienced in recent times in France and Austria.
Several TDs criticised the Southern Health Board for not co-operating fully with the policy of moving refugees and asylum-seekers to their region.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that the Fianna Fail ardfheis will take place on March 3rd and 4th at the RDS in Dublin.