The great and the good of public-service broadcasting in Europe descended on Dublin earlier this week for a major conference on the international news business.
Mercifully, they departed before the manure hit the fan, so at least RTÉ didn’t make a show of itself in front of the neighbours.
But how many of the organisation’s top brass had knowledge of the sensational story about to break when they mingled with their industry peers during this two-day event organised by the European Broadcasting Union?
RTÉ senior executives, led by incoming director general Kevin Bakhurst, were out in force at the News Xchange summit which began on Monday with a high-powered line-up of speakers led by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and former UK prime minister Liz Truss.
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The opening address was delivered by EBU director general, Noel Curran, formerly director general of RTÉ.
Conspicuous by her absence was Dee Forbes, still in the top job at the public-service broadcaster.
“We have past, future but no present,” noted some of the local contingent as Curran and Bakhurst circulated.
The prestigious powwow closed on Tuesday evening, but Forbes was not suspended from her position until Wednesday on foot of the astonishing revelations about Ryan Subsidy, sorry, Tubridy’s enhanced emoluments.
And RTÉ’s (already) seething staff weren’t told about this development until Friday.
But back to the News Xchange extravaganza, which was attended by heads of global news organisations and high-profile international journalists. It represented a plum networking opportunity for the Irish hosts.
There must have been some sweaty palms among the weighty contingent from the national broadcaster while they schmoozed their European colleagues. Back at base after the Tubridy bombshell exploded, workers wondered if a small group of people in the know – perhaps even a few politicians – had sat on this story until the international media big hitters were gone.
The main social event for conference delegates (preceded by a “networking cocktail”) was on Monday night at the Gravity Bar in the Guinness Storehouse, where there was a “networking party” until the early hours.
“Time to assess the Gravity of the situation,” said the invite.
The EBU conference finished on Tuesday at teatime with a final drinks reception in the Convention Centre. If Those-in-the-Know were heaving a sigh of relief, it will have been short-lived.
The Tubridy payments scandal has gripped the nation and is convulsing the national broadcaster. It’s misery in Montrose.
As soon as details of the secret sums paid to the organisation’s star turn were made public on Thursday afternoon, the anger and sense of betrayal felt by RTÉ staff who work hard to maintain a bond of trust with the public was apparent.
Radio One’s Drivetime programme was first out of the blocks with Oireachtas media committee member Senator Malcolm Byrne the first to call for a statement from Forbes. The flagship Six One News followed up with an interview with RTÉ’s chairwoman, who didn’t disclose that Forbes had already been suspended the day before. Legal considerations were later cited.
The wall-to-wall radio and television coverage continued into Friday, with broadcasters issuing pained requests for somebody, anybody, from the upper echelons to come and talk to them.
Going hell for leather after a major story is the thing to do, but the breast-beating and on-air rending of garments by shocked reporters and presenters – angry, blindsided and left to take the flak for decisions they knew nothing about – has been off the scale.
They are earnestly trying, as best they can, to make up for the actions of others. Fighting to assert their professionalism and integrity.
The politicians are having a field day. The heavyweight Public Accounts Committee and the Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media are vying with each other to haul the principals into Leinster House for a grilling.
The chair of the PAC, Brian Stanley, is talking about “fraudulent accountancy” – a charge vehemently denied by RTÉ.
Meanwhile, absolute confirmation that this story is political box office came rapidly after Thursday’s revelation when Brian’s colleague Louise O’Reilly belted on to the plinth and declared: “Sinn Féin is demanding answers.”
The Taoiseach has commented.
The Tánaiste, probably relieved to divert attention from his unfortunate forum on security, has commented.
Party spokespeople are tripping over each other to throw in their tuppence ha’penny.
Committee hearings will be packed with those TDs and senators who rarely darken their doors but hurtle headlong into sessions to hold forth at length when anything to do with RTÉ is on the agenda.
The PAC will be concerned with the accounting end of Tubridy’s deal. The media committee is currently considering the future of public broadcasting.
At Monday’s EBU conference, Varadkar was asked about the Government’s promise to reform RTÉ’s funding model by September of next year.
“There will continue to be public funding” he told the BBC’s Tara Mills.
“How we do that has still got to be decided.”
It had already been a big week for news.
The EBU conference in Dublin was making international headlines when Liz Truss broke her long silence on the head of iceberg lettuce wearing a blonde wig which outlasted her short-lived premiership.
“I didn’t like it.”
Michael D Higgins going into the final phase of his presidency with all guns blazing.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin disrupted by hecklers at his international security forum roadshow.
Another Titanic tragedy in the Atlantic Ocean.
Tubs blew all of them out of the water.
This saga has some distance to go.
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An unfortunate double booking on the diplomatic front on Tuesday evening forced Leinster House’s social gadflies into a mercy dash across Dublin so they could enjoy the British ambassador’s summer garden party to mark his monarch’s birthday and also take in a soirée at the American ambassador’s residence in honour of Joe Kennedy, the US special envoy to Northern Ireland.
The reception for the dashing Kennedy at Claire Cronin’s Deerpark House in the Phoenix Park was a more low-key affair that Paul Johnson’s popular annual shindig at his residence in the foothills of the Dublin mountains.
Joe Biden’s special envoy also briefed the media during the evening, while the majority of TDs and senators who came to meet him were from Border counties. They were joined by members of the Irish/US parliamentary friendship group – one of the larger friendship groups in the Oireachtas.
Across town, the marquee in the grounds of Glencairn was packed as the heavens opened and the rain pelted down. The gods relented when time came for the speeches and guests were able to endure them in the fresh air.
Some Government deputies were putting it about that members of Sinn Féin figured prominently on the guest list and they would be toasting the official birthday of King Charles with gusto, now that they are part of the establishment and in- training for government.
In reality, there was just one reported but unconfirmed sighting of Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh, but she used to work as a barmaid in the House of Lords so would be well to cope with the occasion.
Among the attendance was impresario Louis Walsh, television presenter Doireann Garrihy and the irrepressible Michael Flatley. Senator Ronán Mullen was spotted escorting the new papal nuncio around the grounds while the UCD Ad Astra string quartet played in the distance. The tempo livened up when a Dixieland jazz band struck up.
Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe did the honours on behalf of the Government and proposed the toast to King Charles. Ambassador Johnston proposed a toast to President Higgins.
Some observers were privately joking that the Government politicians were happier to toast the ping than the Irish President after Micheal D’s stinging comments about Irish neutrality and the Minister for Foreign Affair’s controversial forum on international security.
His excellency welcomed incoming RTÉ director general Kevin Bakhurst to the party while noting that Ryan Tubridy had sent his apologies. He also took the opportunity to wish all the best to his successor, Patrick Kielty.
Ambassador Johnston attended the final edition of The Late Late Show last month.
Among the diplomats present was the popular German ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt, who was in Dublin Port on Friday to welcome the German training ship Gorch Fock.
The beautiful sailing ship is now moored beside the toll bridge and the ambassador said he wanted people to know that the ship’s captain had been in touch with him to say that members of the public are most welcome to visit the vessel on Sunday.
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Very well done to the men and women from the Department of Foreign Affairs who emerged with flying colours from this year’s public service performance report.
This annual overview of how Government departments are going about their work provides an account of what they have been doing with public funds over the past year and what impact it has had for society.
The report, compiled by the Department of Public Expenditure, is also a valuable reference for Oireachtas committees scrutinising departmental spending “and engaging in a performance dialogue with line Ministers”.
As opposed to non-performance dialogue, which they also like to do.
Each department is rated under different categories with a “high-level goal” specified for each section and accompanying figures to show if they delivered on their targets.
Foreign Affairs set out targets in a number of areas, such as advancing Ireland’s interests in Europe and communicating “Our Values” with the objective of working for a fairer, just, secure and sustainable world.
Programme D was “Our Prosperity”.
Its high-level goal was to “advance Ireland’s prosperity by extending our influence and promoting our interests internationally.” Total expenditure was just over €45 million and the programme went extremely well.
The target number of cultural events organised or supported by missions for the year was 360 and the department delivered 453, a 125 per cent result.
St Patrick’s Day ministerial-led trade and promotional visits organised by the embassy network almost doubled the target of 22, with a 191 per cent result.
But Foreign Affairs absolutely smashed it on “St Patrick’s Day events organised by embassies or consulates”, with a target number of 175 gatherings and a final figure of 896, that’s a whopping return of 512 per cent.
Admirable commitment to going on the jar in the national interest. Well done, all.
Soft (Baby) Power and whatever you’re havin’ yourself, in action.
