Full text of RTE’s statement on key changes and actions in current affairs programmes:
RTÉ’s Director General, Noel Curran, has today announced to staff significant changes in the personnel, editorial management structure and operations of RTÉ Television’s current affairs output.
The announcement of changes follows the BAI’s formal statement yesterday that it has reached a decision on foot of the Investigation under Section 53 of the Broadcasting Act into the Prime Time Investigates documentary A Mission To Prey. RTÉ has previously not announced or introduced changes pending the completion of the BAI’s work to this stage. RTÉ currently awaits receipt of the formal notification of decision and, in due course, of the finalised BAI Report.
Announcing today’s changes, RTÉ Director-General Noel Curran said: “Pending the conclusion of the BAI process in relation to A Mission to Prey, RTÉ must deal on an ongoing basis with issues which clearly arise in respect of Current Affairs programming, and with important decisions which have been taken in recent weeks at personnel level. Today’s announcements are being made in this context. We cannot comment on any matters directly concerning the programme or the Investigation at this time, but all matters will be dealt with on completion of the BAI review.
“The publication of these new structures and guidelines is, we hope, a key step in an important direction. The range of measures in these documents represents RTE’s determination to make our journalism stronger, fairer and more transparent, and to reiterate our commitment to journalism as a core public service.”
The Director-General today announced:
* Investigative journalism is confirmed as a continuing core element of RTÉ public service content, with a new Current Affairs Investigations Unit to provide key journalistic output on a multi-media basis for the first time, supplying Television, Radio and Online.
* Prime Time Investigates will not return to air. Plans for new investigative Television documentaries from the investigative unit will be announced ahead of the Autumn schedule.
* There will be a full restructuring of Television Current Affairs management and structures in line with improved editorial controls.
* Arising from this and from the departure of two senior executives, five senior posts in Television News and Current Affairs management, including two new editorial management posts, will be filled. There will be external recruitment but no net additions to RTÉ headcount.
*All RTÉ editorial staff will be issued with and trained in new Journalism Guidelines which have been developed over the last three months.
* A new Editorial Standards Board will oversee standards, and will take a role in a revised Complaints procedure.
Personnel Changes
The Managing Director of RTÉ’s News and Current affairs division, Ed Mulhall, has retired from the organisation with effect from March 2012. Mr Mulhall has spent 14 years as Director of News and MD of News and Current Affairs and as a member of the Executive Board of RTÉ.
The Director-General stated: “RTÉ wishes to thank Ed Mulhall for his dedication, professionalism and commitment to RTÉ and to its core public broadcast services in News and Current Affairs and to the management of its Newsroom operations and staff. Ed’s expertise and wisdom have made an invaluable contribution to our organisation and I personally offer my sincere gratitude to him for all that he has done.”
Mr Mulhall said: “It has been a privilege to have been entrusted with the important responsibilities of Director of News and MD of News and Current Affairs and to have worked with such professional and dedicated colleagues. I am grateful to the Director General for his support at this time and throughout the time I have spent working with him in Current Affairs, Television and in his capacity as Director General. I wish him well in his leadership of the organisation at a time of great change and development and wish all of my colleagues well in the tasks ahead.”
Mr Mulhall has made a significant contribution to work recently set in train to produce new Journalism Guidelines for RTÉ editorial staff and has provided detailed responses to issues arising from current affairs programming. “The implementation of these Guidelines together with the commitment and the ongoing good work of the talented and professional staff of both News and Current Affairs should ensure that any trust that has been diminished by recent events can be restored. This is important for the future of Irish public service Journalism, to which I remain committed” he said.
Ken O’Shea has confirmed that he has resigned from his post as Editor of Current Affairs. He is transferring to an assignment in Television, reporting to the Commissioning Editor for RTÉ Two. The Director General thanked Mr O’Shea for his work as Editor of Current Affairs since November 2008.
External Investigation Board
RTÉ has convened an external Investigation Board to conduct an investigation, under RTÉ’s procedures, into all personnel matters arising in respect of the programme “A Mission To Prey” and to make specific recommendations concerning RTÉ personnel.
The members of the external Investigation Board are:
Dr Maurice Hayes MRIA (chair), member of Seanad Eireann 1997-2007, former Chair National Forum on Europe, former Northern Ireland Ombudsman. At various times he has been Head of Personnel, NI Civil Service; member BBC NI Advisory Committee; and Director of Independent News and Media.
Richard Ayre was deputy news editor at BBC NI from 1973 to 1976. At BBC in London he led the Corporation’s Westminster operations before becoming Controller of Editorial Policy and Deputy Chief Executive of BBC News. He joined Ofcom in 2006 where he chaired the UK regulator’s Broadcasting Review Committee. In 2010 he moved back to the BBC as one of the twelve Trustees. He now chairs the Trust’s Complaints and Appeals Committee.
Gaye Cunningham has been a Rights Commissioner since 2008. Prior to that, she was a Senior Human Resources Manager with ESB. She has over 30 years experience in the Industrial Relations field and was a member of the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
The Investigation Board has commenced work and will report to RTÉ Group Head of HR. The members of the Board will not be available for public comment and RTÉ will not comment on this process pending its conclusion.
Restructuring
Following a restructuring of the editorial management of the News and Current Affairs division, , RTÉ will shortly fill five senior editorial positions: Managing Director RTÉ News and Current Affairs; Managing Editor Television Current Affairs; Editor Prime Time; Editor Frontline; Editor RTÉ Investigations Unit. There will be external recruitment. The changes will not result in net increased headcount at RTÉ.
Renewed Commitment to Investigative Journalism
Confirming the formal commitment made last autumn by the Director General that Investigative Journalism is one of the six key output priorities of the organisation, RTÉ is creating a new Investigations Unit. It will be responsible for managing and producing RTÉ’s investigative journalism output for Television and Radio and will be supported by a new Online resource. The new Investigations Unit will provide investigative reports for RTÉ’s existing current affairs programmes on television and radio from next autumn, in both long and short form, and will reside within RTÉ Television Current Affairs.
RTÉ has decided to permanently stand down the Prime Time Investigates series strand. Plans for new investigative Television documentaries will be announced ahead of the autumn schedule.
Revised Standards and Guidelines
RTÉ has published new Journalism Guidelines for all editorial staff. These new guidelines bring together and update all of RTÉ’s Programme Standards and Guidelines that relate to journalism. The Guidelines were produced with the assistance of Stephen Whittle, former Controller Editorial Policy with the BBC and principal author of the BBC’s Editorial guidelines. The new Guidelines are also informed by the ‘Report on Editorial Processes and Risk Management Procedures in RTÉ Television Current Affairs’ conducted by Professor John Horgan in December 2011. All editorial staff must attend training on these Guidelines in the next two months.
Editorial Standards Board.
RTÉ has established a new Editorial Standards Board. The purpose of this board is to maintain and monitor contents standards. RTÉ has also established a revised process for dealing with significant editorial complaints. The Editorial Standards Board will include the current Broadcast Compliance function and will give early consideration at a senior level to substantive complaints with a strong public interest dimension.
Director General reiterates determination to renew trust
Announcing today’s changes, RTÉ Director General Noel Curran said: “The publication of these new structures and guidelines is, we hope, a key step in an important direction. The range of measures in these documents represents RTE’s determination to make our journalism stronger, fairer and more transparent, and to reiterate our commitment to journalism as a core public service.”
“Mistakes will happen in broadcasting and in journalism, no matter what changes are made. Programme makers must be and will be supported in making challenging programming. It is our intention that through these guidelines and other changes, and through their application by every member of the organisation, we will set the standards bar even higher for ourselves.”
“Through these new measures and structures and their robust operation, programme makers from the most junior to the highest level will clearly understand and accept their responsibility and role in rebuilding RTÉ’s reputation for very high quality journalism. It is only through great programming that we will rebuild whatever trust we have lost with our audiences. We are determined to achieve that.”