The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, said yesterday that sections of the media were determined to "bring down the Government". He said that the risk to democracy was comparable to that faced by Germany in the 1930s.
Speaking to Eamon Dunphy on Today FM's Last Word programme, the Minister said he believed an inordinate amount of time had been given to the O'Flaherty controversy, and public opinion would be affected.
"I think it would be a sad, sad day for truth and a sad day for democracy in this country if a government was forced to change its mind by sections of the media that are bent, bent on trying to bring down this Government", he said.
The Minister said that a similar situation existed in Germany in the 1930s. "I saw what happened there when truth and democracy were succumbed and people were forced by certain factions into something that was totally untrue. I do believe there is a principle in this matter here. It would be a sad day for truth and democracy if we succumb."
Speaking about media coverage, Dr McDaid said there were certain editors who had succumbed to the old Murdochism "If it bleeds, it leads". He added: "I think that is what is happening. I think that is a sad day for democracy."