Sinn Fein pledge to investigate RTE deemed ‘dog whistle to conspiracy theorists’

A Sinn Fein manifesto pledge to investigate RTE’s objectivity is a “dog whistle to conspiracy theorists”, the Taoiseach has said.

Fine Gael leader Simon Harris and Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin both heavily criticised the proposal, with Mr Martin branding it a “dangerous departure”.

In its General Election manifesto published on Tuesday, Sinn Fein said it would commission an “independent human rights and journalist expert review into the objectivity of coverage by RTE of the Israeli genocide in Gaza and other international conflicts”.

Arriving separately for a Cabinet meeting at Government Buildings in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Harris and Mr Martin both raised concerns over the proposed examination of how Ireland’s national broadcaster has covered the bloodshed in Gaza and its reporting on other war zones.

The Taoiseach said: “I just can’t imagine this scenario in any functioning democracy that a political party that wants to lead a government would put in its manifesto, in its list of political promises to the Irish people, that it will establish an independent review of RTE’s objectivity and news coverage.”

To even suggest that RTE needs to be independently reviewed is a dog whistle to conspiracy theorists, is an effort to undermine media freedom in this country, and I... believe it's an effort to intimidate journalists

Questioning where the Sinn Fein policy would stop, Mr Harris asked if the party would later probe matters beyond the Middle East, and added: “RTE today, who tomorrow?”

He called on Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald to withdraw the “chilling, despicable” proposal.

“To actually even suggest that RTE needs to be independently reviewed is a dog whistle to conspiracy theorists, is an effort to undermine media freedom in this country, and I, quite frankly, believe it’s an effort to intimidate journalists from the work that they do,” Mr Harris said.

“What was she thinking?”

Mr Martin said he was “shocked” by the proposal.

“Political parties can’t be setting up committees to investigate the media,” he said.

“We may all have complaints and so on like that. But this is a dangerous new departure. It’s almost a threat to the media, really, that you know ‘we’ll be coming after you, because we don’t believe you are being objective’.

He said the implication was that Sinn Fein does not believe RTE is objective in its reporting of the Middle East. Mr Martin said he found it hard to give credit to such an assertion.

“I think it’s a dangerous departure in terms of, essentially, what Sinn Fein are saying ‘if your views don’t accord with ours, then we’re going to set up a committee to investigate you’,” he added.

Ms McDonald defended the measure on Wednesday, insisting the proposed review would not be directly triggered by government.

She said RTE’s Editorial Standards Board or Ireland’s media regulator Coimisiun na Mean could instigate what she described as a “peer review”.

In the face of the criticism from Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, the Sinn Fein leader said the proposal was a “good idea” as she made clear she did not envisage politicians having any role in the exercise.

“I absolutely accept and respect the necessity for editorial independence. That’s not a question mark. That’s a pillar of an open democratic society,” she told reporters on a canvass in west Dublin.

“The objective here is not for political interference, but actually to grow and develop confidence and trust. So what we are proposing is a peer review.

“Nothing to do with politicians, a peer review informed by human rights expertise, but also journalistic expertise. The commissioning of the review would have to be independent of government. RTE itself has an editorial standards board, they might commission it, or Coimisiun na Mean might commission it.”

Ms McDonald, who cited the recent BBC Board commissioned review of the UK broadcaster’s coverage of migration issues, was pressed on why the party had put the proposal in its manifesto if it did not envisage the review as something the Government would have a role in instigating.

“I think you will find across lots of parties’ manifestos (have) ideas, concepts and ideas and initiatives that aren’t necessarily directly triggered by a government, by government decision at cabinet,” she said.

“We think this is a good approach. We think it’s a good idea.”

Ms McDonald added: “People, I think, would take confidence actually from a confirmation that the national broadcaster is peer reviewed in this way. I mean, if I were in RTE, if I were a journalist, I would welcome something like that. I think it can actually be really helpful.”

The National Union of Journalists has expressed “grave concern” at the proposal, adding that it had written to Ms McDonald urging her to reconsider.

A spokeswoman for RTE said: “Impartiality and objectivity are among the cornerstone principles of RTE and the organisation’s own journalism guidelines.

“Section 46L (1) of the Online Safety & Regulation Act 2022 imposes a specific obligation to report in ‘an objective and impartial manner and without any expression of the broadcaster’s own views’.

“The Oireachtas established CnaM (Coimisiun na Mean) as an independent statutory body with power to hold broadcasters accountable for compliance with the legislation and the broadcasting codes.”