RTE has hit out at a newspaper report this evening claiming one of its programmes contained a racist comedy sketch which is under investigation by the Broadcast Complaints Commission (BCC).
Under the headline, "RTE's racist shame", the Evening Heraldpublished a report which included condemnation of a sketch on the Park LiveGAA programme presented by Ger Gilroy and Mairéad Ní Ghormain.
The newspaper's editorial said the sketch, broadcast on July 12th, "cast a terrible racist slur on Ireland's welcome new communities".
The sketch featured Irish comedian Neil Delamare interviewing a black man in Dublin Zoo about how he learned hurling in his native Africa.
The mock interview takes place by Bobo a tiger "who is not the only one to have made the journey from Africa". The interviewer then turn to the black man called Daniel who made the journey "not in a crate but on a plane".
The interviewer refers to "you people" having "a different rhythm" and asks: "Apart form the goal celebrations, do you play the game differently from Irish people". The black character shakes his head indicating a negative response.
The sketch, which appeared to intend to mock the presenter's old fashioned notions, also features Daniel pointing out that tigers are Asian not African.
The Evening Heralddedicated its front page and three inside articles, including the editorial, to the story. One of the articles was headlined: "Sketch that cast shame on broadcaster".
But RTE issued a strongly-worded statement this evening saying there were no complaints from the public about the sketch and it was not racist but "satirised some Irish attitudes towards race".
"Any fair-minded person who views the sketch will find the criticism of the programme in the Evening Heraldentirely without foundation and unwarranted," the statement said.
It also said the newspaper wrongly reported that the BCC was investigating.
It also denied that the programmes which broadcast from GAA headquarters at Croke Park had not been banned from the stadium by the organsiation.
"RTÉ Television is happy to confirm that next Wednesday night's show will be the fifth programme in the series to be broadcast from the GAA Museum at Croke Park."
Park Livehas received critical praise for its non-traditional approach to sports broadcasting and presenter Ger Gilroy has won applauds for his nightly sports programme on Dublin radio station, Newstalk 106.