Anger at leaked report criticising 'significant failure' by RTE journalists

Ireland's public broadcaster, RTE, has complained to the country's broadcasting watchdog after a severely critical report about its journalism standards was leaked to a newspaper.

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland expressed its "dismay" and "deep disappointment" at the leak to the Irish Times of the findings of an investigation into RTE's current affairs series, Prime Time Investigates.

According to the Irish Times, the report found "a significant failure of editorial and managerial controls" and "an almost complete absence of documentary evidence" in the making of a programme that led to a significant libel payout to a priest.

The report, compiled by former BBC Northern Ireland controller Anna Carragher, was due to be handed to RTE before being made public, to give the broadcaster an opportunity to respond to the criticism.

RTE said in a statement: "RTE wishes to express its disappointment that this report has leaked in circumstances where it prejudices RTE's response to the investigation, within an ongoing process, and prejudices the response of the programme makers as named individuals.

"If fair regulatory procedures are to apply, RTE and the production team must be allowed to make submissions to the BAI in response to the report, within the process. The leaking of the report has undermined that process. RTE will continue to observe the process, as it is required to do."

The broadcaster is facing a fine of up to €250,000 over the broadcast, last May, in which a priest was falsely accused of raping a minor and fathering a child in Kenya 30 years ago. Father Kevin Reynolds accepted a significant out-of-court settlement over the defamatory claims.

RTE announced last week a range of measures to improve editorial standards and "rebuild whatever trust we have lost with our audiences".

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