ARCHBISHOP OF Dublin Diarmuid Martin has called for independent regulation of the media.
Speaking yesterday, he criticised RTÉ over the time it took to admit it had wrongly accused Fr Kevin Reynolds, parish priest of Ahascragh, Co Galway, of raping a minor and fathering a child with her in Africa 30 years ago.
On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme the archbishop said there was a need to ensure a “basic balance between the right to investigate and press freedom and the protection of the rights of individuals”.
“Press freedom is a vital element of our society. Investigative journalism has done much good for our society, but we need to have forms of regulation which are independent and we need a broad discussion in Ireland about how we manage these,” he said.
Asked whether it was his perception that there was an anti-Catholic bias in the media, as alleged by some commentators, Dr Martin said: “I believe there may be an anti-Catholic bias by some journalists but I don’t think that in general you can say there’s an anti-Catholic bias in the media.”
Meanwhile, reports by the church’s child protection watchdog, its National Board for Safeguarding Children, into child protection practices in the dioceses of Raphoe, Derry, Dromore, Kilmore, Ardagh Clonmacnoise, and Tuam are to be published on each diocese’s website from 11am today.