RTÉ STAFF in Limerick City protested today (Tuesday) after it emerged their employer made undisclosed payments of public money to RTÉ star Ryan Tubridy.
RTÉ’s Mid Western News Correspondent, Cathy Halloran, joined colleagues outside the studios of Lyric FM at Cornmarket Row to voice their “anger and disgust” at the controversy which has seriously damaged RTÉ.
Ms Halloran said the current scandal had damaged trust in the broadcaster, for which she has worked for almost four decades.
“I’m 36 years in RTÉ this year, with 30 of those years in Limerick, and one of the things I take very seriously is that people trust me to tell their stories – and if that trust is broken, that’s a very worrying development for all of us,” said Ms Halloran.
“We all work very hard, long hours, on demand, with news, and this development has stripped any sort of authority I feel I have had over those years, to try to tell people’s stories – the big fear facing us now is who will believe us.”
Prior to the scandal, RTÉ faced sustained criticism from those opposed to its news editorial output, however Ms Halloran said she feared she and her RTÉ colleagues would face an increased social media backlash over a scandal that does not involve them.
“I think there is no doubt that will increase now. We have all faced challenges there, in the daily course of our work, where people are challenging us and filming what we do, and telling us we are ‘the virus’, and now I fear that there will be an increase in that because of this whole controversy.”
The seasoned news reporter said the events surrounding RTÉ’s undisclosed payments to Ryan Tubridy “have left staff very, very upset and disheartened”.
“We can’t understand why certain things were done and we want answers to that.”
She believes that anyone who has information about the scandal has “an obligation” to attend the scheduled PAC (Public Accounts Committee) hearing this week and disclose fully what they know.
Ms Halloran said RTÉ’s reputation was on the line and the only way it could be saved was for a “full disclosure” about the so-called ‘secret’ payments.
“I believe the only way to pull back from this is full disclosure about what went on. Unless this happens, what sort of future does RTÉ have? Given the events that have happened, and unless there is full disclosure and transparency in a very meaningful way – what is the future of RTÉ if the government and the public doesn’t get those answers?” she pondered.
RTÉ Lyric FM in Limerick had “fought hard”, she said, to be “the first national radio station to be established outside of the Donnybrook campus” and the current controversy involving public money was damaging everyone associated with the broadcaster.
“Lyric is a very important part of RTÉ’s broadcasting family, and I believe Limerick and its citizens are very proud of the fact that they have a national station here, and they support it.”
“On two occasions in the past, there were efforts as part of cost cutting measures (at RTÉ) to close the office and relocate it back in Dublin, and Lyric staff and regional (news) staff fought very hard against that, and won, with the support of the community,” Ms Halloran said.
