Sinn Féin attack on RTÉ needs to be widely condemned and dropped – Higgins

Sinn Féin’s threat to review editorial coverage at the national broadcaster is an outrageous attack on journalistic freedom and editorial independence, a Fine Gael Minister has said.

Mary Lou McDonald’s manifesto commits to a review into the objectivity of RTÉ’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Minister Emer Higgins, Fine Gael General Election candidate in Dublin Mid West, said: “This is a very serious and worrying proposal from Sinn Féin that goes against what is a fundamental cornerstone of democracy.

“Not being content with continuous and repeated legal action and threats against journalists and media outlets, Sinn Féin now wants to go a step further and start ‘reviewing’ coverage from the national broadcaster. If they’re not threatening to sue or bully the media, they want to control their editorial output and content.

“This is a type of proposal we would expect of authoritarian leaders and countries led by dictators, not those in healthy democracies like Ireland.

“On Today with Claire Byrne today, Mary Lou McDonald claimed neither she nor Sinn Féin have ever made a complaint to Coimisiún na Meán about RTÉ’s coverage of Gaza. So where is this proposal coming from?

“Sinn Féin claim it is not aimed at any one broadcast or any one journalist, however this cannot credibly be described as anything but a complete attack on every journalist, broadcaster, and editor in the country.

“Since their late in the day manifesto launch, this proposal has been widely called out and has been pointed out to be in breach of an EU law on press freedom.

“Despite this, Sinn Féin are doubling down and refusing to drop their chilling attempt to undermine press freedom.