Jude Collins

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Sam and Miriam - being dropped and being fair


Sam Smyth



Miriam O'Callaghan
Two big media stories reported in The Irish Times  this morning. In the first, Denis O’Brien, who owns the two radio stations Today FM  and Newstalk , has rejected claims by Eamon Dunphy that he interfered in the editorial workings of Newstalk  and that he “hated journalism”.  O’Brien says he’s being subjected to “a disturbing trend of nastiness and cynicism” by the south’s media since he dropped presenter Sam Smyth (late of this parish) from Today FM.

The second media story concerns RTÉ.  Press Ombudsman John Horgan is going to carry out a review of RTÉ’s editorial process. This follows the airing of a ‘Prime Time’ programme (presenter one Miriam O’Callaghan) which claimed that a Fr Kevin McReynolds had had sex with a minor and fathered a child by her while he was working in Kenya. Fr McReynolds denied the claim and prior to the programme going out offered to take a paternity test. RTÉ ignored his offer and aired their programme. Fr McReynolds has since taken the paternity test, proven his innocence and is now taking a High Court libel case against RTÉ.

Both cases show how murky the workings of the southern media are. I like Dunphy – he’s a far better soccer commentator than anyone I can think of in England – but on this one, like most of the south’s media, he’s barking up the wrong tree. Presenters don’t like being dropped, especially if they’ve been presenting a particular programme – in Smyth’s case a politics programme – for a long time. If you’ve listened to him, you’ll know Smyth has a slight speech impediment but that’s not why I’m glad O’Brien dropped him.  I’m glad because (i) Smyth was dull and (ii) on any topic about the north, he was, um, what shall I say, not my favourite commentator (there, I think that keeps me on the right side of the law).  His many mates in the media may consider him a terrible loss; I suspect the rest of us will struggle on without him. 

The RTÉ story is truly shocking. This wasn’t just a case of being biased or dull – this was a case of wrecking a man’s life.  We now know that Fr McReynolds was innocent of the crimes RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan presented him as guilty of. Even worse, RTÉ and presumably O’Callaghan refused to let Fr McReynolds defend himself before they smeared filth all over his reputation.  Which raises three points: how many other bogus charges of clerical sexual abuse are there,  did the question “Do you go to confession?” cross O’Callaghan’s mind as she presented this glaring example of all that’s wrong with southern journalism, and will anybody lose their RTÉ job for their part in this despicable frame-up?  I don’t know the answer to the first two questions but I’ll bet I know the answer to the last. It’s No.










2 comments:

  1. It is clearly quite right that Fr Mc Reynolds is taking R T E to the High Court.It is outrageous that proper journalistic procedures were not followed in the first place.You feature Miriam O Callaghan in your blog but her name doesnt appear in the Irish Times article.As I understand it programmes such as these have a raft of researchers,producers etc.Should blame not be equally allocated to them?Could your focus on Miriam have anything to do with the hard questions she was putting to Martin during the Presidential debate? If Sam Smyth has a slight speech impediment more power to him for doing so well in the competitive media industry.The fact that he is not your favourite political commentator would commend him to many others!

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  2. Ha ha ha - I think you could be on to something with that last observation, Anon...I KNEW I had a role to play - you've helped me identify it. Go raibh cead maith agat...

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