If there’s one issue that fires Irish passions, it’s how the media treats religion.
Freedom of Information documents from the Department of Communications, show RTÉ’s treatment of Fr Kevin Reynolds, its decision to scale back on the broadcasting of Mass on Radió na Gaeltachta and its continued broadcast of the Angelus, dominated the bulk of complaints against the state broadcaster over the past two years.
Six of the 25 complaints related to RTÉ’s decision to broadcast the Prime Time documentary Mission to Prey, despite offers by a priest, accused of fathering a child after raping a young woman, to undertake a paternity test. Fr Reynolds later won a defamation case against RTÉ.
Five letters related to the broadcasting of the Angelus at 12 noon and 6pm with it being described as a "blatant contradiction of RTÉ’s statutory obligation of impartiality".
Radió na Gaeltachta’s 2010 decision — later reversed — to reduce the broadcast of the Irish Mass to just once a month, also sent tempers into overdrive.
Viewers also attacked comedian Neil Delamere’s choice of language when discussing Kate and Pippa Middleton on The Late Late Show. He referred to one of the sisters as "a good ride".
One complainant advised "that Mr Delamere’s description of the word ‘ride’ would be better applied to us hapless TV licence payers who are being taken for one [by RTÉ]".
Six of the 25 complaints related to RTÉ’s decision to broadcast the Prime Time documentary Mission to Prey, despite offers by a priest, accused of fathering a child after raping a young woman, to undertake a paternity test. Fr Reynolds later won a defamation case against RTÉ.
Five letters related to the broadcasting of the Angelus at 12 noon and 6pm with it being described as a "blatant contradiction of RTÉ’s statutory obligation of impartiality".
Radió na Gaeltachta’s 2010 decision — later reversed — to reduce the broadcast of the Irish Mass to just once a month, also sent tempers into overdrive.
Viewers also attacked comedian Neil Delamere’s choice of language when discussing Kate and Pippa Middleton on The Late Late Show. He referred to one of the sisters as "a good ride".
One complainant advised "that Mr Delamere’s description of the word ‘ride’ would be better applied to us hapless TV licence payers who are being taken for one [by RTÉ]".