Madam, - John Cregan TD (March 4th) expresses concern about the RTÉ News Six One bulletin of February 21st.
The appearance of the Taoiseach for two days at the Mahon tribunal was a significant news story. Not only RTÉ but all other media, including your newspaper, gave it substantial coverage and Dáil Éireann debated it the following week.
The RTÉ Six One News was co-presented from Dublin Castle on both Thursday and Friday in recognition of this and also to allow the presenter to attend and be fully briefed on proceedings.
It is not the case that other news stories were neglected by us as a result of our coverage of Mahon. On the same day, the RTÉ Six One News covered 16 other stories, as well as business and a comprehensive sports bulletin.
These included the stories cited by the deputy about difficulties at Aer Lingus and potential job losses in Cork.
I do not accept that our coverage of Mahon was either sensationalised or inappropriate. - Yours, etc,
CILLIAN DePAOR,
Managing Editor,
RTÉ News,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Madam, - Deputy John Cregan's partisan letter attacking RTÉ for its coverage of the Mahon tribunal is a flagrant abuse of his position as Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, and it represents neither Fine Gael members of that committee nor "the Irish taxpayer and the licence-paying public", as it claims.
His attack represents further evidence of the depths to which Fianna Fáil will stoop to in their obsession with protecting the Taoiseach, regardless of his credibility amongst the public.
The new tactic, it seems, is to attack anybody who questions Bertie Ahern's evidence and analyses the inconsistencies therein.
Instead of addressing the pressing issues of the day, the Government press office appears to be spending its time monitoring RTÉ's coverage of the tribunal in order to go on the offensive. Deputy Cregan's letter includes a detailed analysis of an entire day's reporting, down to the exact numbers of journalists involved, which raises the question as to whether Deputy Cregan even wrote the letter himself, or whether it was a Fianna Fáil press office publication.
It is difficult to see the Dáil returning to the normality of solving the everyday problems of people until the shadow cast by the credibility of the Taoiseach's tribunal evidence and his efforts to frustrate and stall the tribunal are over.
Fine Gael will not allow Fianna Fáil to cover up the Taoiseach's dishonesty by attacking the tribunal, opposition parties or RTÉ for that matter.
The truth will become apparent in time, in fact it is already apparent to most people, which is why Fine Gael has called on Bertie Ahern to resign as Taoiseach.
Standards in government are important. The public will no longer be fooled by ministers who attack the tribunal's approach, by John Cregan's letters challenging RTÉ for doing their job or by the Taoiseach's efforts to frustrate and confuse tribunal lawyers.
Irish people deserve honest government working hard to solve the many problems that need answers at a challenging time. Instead, what we have is a government whose only priority is retaining power and protecting its own leader, defending the indefensible. - Yours, etc,
SIMON COVENEY TD,
Fine Gael spokesperson on
Communications, Energy and
Natural Resources,
Dáil Éireann,
Dublin 2.
Madam, - I refer to the letter signed (presumably not written by) John Cregan TD in today's (March 4th) paper.
It is interesting to note that Fianna Fáil have decided to open a new assault front on the Mahon tribunal, namely "shoot the messenger", in this case RTÉ. Today RTÉ; perhaps tomorrow, if they have success, the press.
Keeping in mind Mr Cregan's party allegiance there are a number of questions we might ask. Would Mr Cregan name his "many fellow members in the Oireachtas" who see "RTÉ's continued obsession with the Mahon tribunal as an issue of extreme concern"?
In his letter Mr Cregan identifies himself as "chairman of the Oireachtas committee on communications" but does not sign his letter as such.
Are we perhaps to assume that the letter was not signed by Mr Cregan on behalf of the committee and therefore does not have the approval of the committee?
Mr Cregan proceeds to tell us he "feels duty bound to ask questions on behalf of the Irish tax-payer and licence-paying public" (stop guffawing at the back of the class).
One suspects there are many topics that Mr Cregan, as a well-paid public servant, might feel duty bound to ask questions about, such as builders, brown envelopes, blank cheques, Manchester friends, just to name a few. Certainly having allowed his name to be used on today's pathetic letter, Mr Cregan should feel duty bound to ask the question "when is my next move up the greasy pole?" - Yours, etc,
MICHAEL J HEARY,
Nutley Ave,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Madam, - It is quite disturbing that John Cregan uses his position as chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications to make a very public attack on RTÉ because of its coverage of Mr Ahern's appearances at the Mahon tribunal.
That this follows on so shortly after Mr Ahern's attempts to influence RTÉ's attitude regarding the matter of legal expenses owed by Beverley Flynn shows the corrosive influence that Mr Ahern is having on the institutions of this State. Mr Cregan's use of emotive words such as "obsession" and "public execution" is evidence that it is he who is both biased and attempting to set the agenda and, not RTÉ, as he suggests. - Yours, etc,
GEARÓID Ó DUBHAIN,
Rochestown,
Co Cork.