What is RTE afraid of?

To my knowledge only this website and Vincent Browne in his Irish Times column (Sub Req’d) have covered the real story/scandal in the Fyffes/DCC insider dealing case.

All other media outlets are merely reporting the facts with some referring briefly to the options open to Paul Appleby of the ODCE.

And yet this is the biggest and most serious insider dealing fraud in the history of the State. Browne describes it as

“By far the greatest theft in the history of the country.”

Nobody seems to think it odd that the entire State regulatory/law enforcement sector have turned a blind eye to the whole scandal.

RTE, in particular, seems to have made a deliberate decision not to examine the many serious questions surrounding this major fraud.

In a previous post I described RTEs failure to adequately cover this scandal as ‘curious’. I no longer think it’s just curious, I think it’s disturbing. I believe it raises serious questions about the credibility and editorial balance of the RTE News staff.

I believe any reasonable person examining the minimum coverage by RTE of this, the biggest financial fraud in the history of the State; can only come to the same conclusion.

The story broke on Monday 14th April.

RTE internet headlines – No coverage.

RTE (Radio) One News (6th item – It should have been the first item) – The bare facts of the case were reported followed by a short interview with Richard Curran, deputy Editor of the Sunday Business Post. This is exactly the same minimum coverage provided when the case came up for mention in the Supreme Court last November.

Incredibly, there was a complete radio news blackout on the matter after that. This major event wasn’t mentioned again on any radio news report. And this included RTEs flagship news and current affairs programme Drivetime. I find it very disturbing that the national broadcaster killed this story so quickly.

RTE (Television) One News – No mention whatsoever. I again emphasis this major story had only broken a few hours earlier and it was ignored by this programme – Why?

RTE Six One News – The story was given low priority (8th item) and minimum analysis comprising of a broad outline history of the case. The scandal received the same low level of attention on Nine News.

Morning Ireland (15th April) No mention of the case whatsoever. It should also be noted that, to my knowledge, not one of RTEs business news reports mentioned the scandal.

I will be tuning into RTEs The Business next Sunday morning to see if the story is covered and in particular if listeners are provided with an analysis of why State authorities have completely failed to act against the fraudster Jim Flavin.

Copy to:
All RTE current affairs programmes