As I expected, the RTE weekly radio business programme The Business made no mention whatsoever of the Fyffes/DCC case even though it is one of the biggest financial scandals in the history of the State.
Neither was the scandal mentioned on The Marian Finucane Show on Sunday, a programme that features a panel of commentators specifically invited to discuss the major media stories of the previous week.
RTEs weekly flagship news and current affairs programme, This Week, also kept mum on this major financial scandal.
RTE must be aware that this story is of huge importance, they must be aware that their coverage of the scandal borders on a virtual news blackout.
An objective observer can only come to one conclusion – RTE has joined all other State authorities who have steadfastly refused to take action against DCC or Jim Flavin.
If that is the case, if a decision was made within RTE to keep the reporting of this scandal to an absolute minimum then we are looking at the appalling vista of news manipulation by the national broadcaster.
Even a suspicion that this scenario may be true, and that suspicion now exists, does serious damage to the credibility and professional respect of RTE as a balanced and independent broadcaster.
According to RTE, one of its core values is to:
“Operate in the public interest providing News and Current Affairs that is fair and impartial, accurate and challenging.”
I believe that this core value has been repudiated in favour of some other agenda.
(See previous posts on this matter here and here)
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