Backing of artist on 'Late Late' prior to poll wrong, admits RTÉ

RTÉ HAS conceded it was wrong to have allowed actor Gabriel Byrne to endorse Dublin City Council election candidate Mannix Flynn on the Late Late Show one week before the poll.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) is investigating a complaint against the station made on behalf of Labour election candidate Kevin Humphreys following the elections last June. Both Mr Humphreys and Mr Flynn were elected to the council.

RTÉ has acknowledged the incident should not have happened but has asked the complaint be dropped, saying Mr Humphreys topped the poll.

Gabriel Byrne was a guest on the last Late Late Show hosted by Pat Kenny on June 29th, a week before the elections. He appeared on stage with an election pamphlet for artist Mannix Flynn, visible in his jacket pocket.

During the show the pamphlet slipped further into Mr Byrne’s pocket and disappeared from view.

However, Mr Kenny made reference to it and said it was an election flyer for “our old friend Mannix Flynn”. Mr Byrne went on to endorse Mr Flynn.

Following the elections, a complaint was made on Mr Humphreys’s behalf by his director of election on the grounds that RTÉ failed to be fair objective and impartial in the programme.

In its response to the BCC, RTÉ said it had acknowledged that the incident should not have happened and asked that the matter be considered resolved.

However, Mr Humphreys said he intended to pursue the complaint.

“The point is not whether I got elected, the point is that RTÉ broke its own rules in relation to fairness and objectivity. That is why I waited until after the election to complain.”