Sir, - I wish to respond to an article written by your reporter Paul Cullen entitled "Fear and loathing as heavyweight presenters quit O'Brien radio empire" (Weekend Review, November 5th).
Mr Cullen stated that I gave instructions to Newstalk producers as to "which journalists were and were not to be invited to appear on the programme" following the publication of the Moriarty Tribunal. This is absolutely false and could not be further from the truth.
Newstalk prides itself on being a station that challenges existing norms and the integrity and professionalism of our presenters, producers, researchers and editors are absolutely critical to this. The editorial policy of the station is decided by the management and the station upholds the highest standards of professionalism in broadcasting. Mr Cullen failed to mention in his article that in addition to notable guests such as his Irish Timescolleague and seasoned tribunal watcher Colm Keena, Joe Higgins TD and Dearbhail McDonald, Mr Cullen was also a guest on commenting on the tribunal - a fact that I reminded him of when I talked with him on Friday week.
The article also made several references to Eamon Dunphy's allegations of editorial interference within Newstalk. Since that date Dunphy has failed to produce any example of editorial interference by Denis O'Brien because none exists. The most interesting summary was posed last week in the Sunday Timesby former Dunphy producer Stephen Price "either O'Brien does interfere but nobody is prepared or able to show how, or people who do not like O'Brien, for whatever reason, are making allegations about him without satisfactory proof. Both scenarios are frankly unhealthy - but unless proof of interference is forthcoming, then journalistically such claims amount to so much acrid smoke." I suggest that the article in Weekend Review amounts to exactly that - "acrid smoke". - Yours, etc,
Paul Cullen writes: I did not write that Garrett Harte gave instructions to staff as to which journalists were to be used; I quoted a former staffer as saying this.
I also quoted a denial by a spokesman for the station: "A Newstalk spokesman said staff have never been instructed not to use certain journalists: 'In certain circumstances, the overuse of certain guests would be highlighted to producers. This would apply not only to journalists but to all guest selections'."
Whether or not I had appeared on the programme was irrelevant to the story I was reporting on.