Sinn Féin’s RTE review would break European Law on Press Freedom – Carroll MacNeill

Fine Gael’s Minister for European Affairs, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, is calling on Sinn Féin to immediately withdraw its threat of a state-ordered review of RTÉ news coverage.

“Sinn Féin has announced an overt and chilling attempt to intimidate a state broadcaster, usurp independent media regulators and lean on press freedom.

“It is a policy you would see implemented in Moscow, not Montrose, and is direct breach of the European Press Freedom Act which the European Parliament passed in March. Ten out of 13 Irish MEPs voted for the Act.

“The European Press Freedom Act obliges member states to protect media independence, protect the independence of regulators like Coimisiún na Meán and makes illegal any form of state-ordered interventions in editorial decisions.

“Sinn Féin has singled out coverage of the Middle East in RTÉ for review showing an unhappiness within the party about some aspect of RTE’s coverage. Where will it end?

“If Sinn Féin isn’t happy with other coverage in the future, will it order further reviews?

“The party’s characterising of its proposal as a peer review is hollow nonsense. This is a slippery slope that other democracies have gone down and it must be withdrawn immediately.

“I’m calling on Mary Lou McDonald to scrap the proposal, to explain why her manifesto abandons defamation act reform, and to come clean on how many libel and legal actions she, her candidates and her party members have taken against RTE and other media outlets.

“As Minister for Europe I see the increasing pressure by far right political movements in Hungary and formerly in Poland. Undermining the media is a key step.

“In my role, I’ve met media freedom groups, such as Media Meretek in Hungary, who tell of public and private broadcasters being undermined and attacked by the Orban government in Hungary and previously by the Law and Justice party in Poland.

“This is a serious red flag for rule of law in Ireland. It  is a playbook used from some populist politicians across the world and it is hard to believe it is being attempted here.”