Harney's aide phoned RTE day before Crown was axed
Tuesday November 13 2007
MARY Harney's spokesman expressed his concerns about a lack of balance on the 'Late Late Show' cancer debate just 24 hours before an outspoken consultant was controversially dropped from the show.
Health Minister Ms Harney and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have denied that there was Government pressure on RTE.
As the Cabinet prepares to decide today on RTE's application for a €2 increase in the licence fee, the station also denied there had been political interference in its decision to drop consultant oncologist Professor John Crown from the show last Friday at short notice.
Ms Harney's spokesman Derek Cunningham did however confirm he was in contact with the 'Late Late Show' team last Thursday.
Mr Cunningham insisted his phone call to a 'Late Late Show' researcher was part of routine discussions he would have with any programme seeking an interview with Ms Harney.
"I was in contact with RTE to confirm the minister had diary engagements in Cork and she wouldn't be taking part in the programme. But I did express a view that I thought the panel that they were proposing was unbalanced."
Mr Cunningham, a former RTE reporter and IFA press officer, said he had made this complaint on his own initiative and had not discussed it beforehand with Ms Harney.
RTE's managing director of television, Noel Curran, yesterday outlined his role in the controversy for the first time.
He said he had become concerned about a lack of balance last Friday when he viewed the list of panel members. Although the 'Late Late Show' team disagreed with him, he instructed them to drop one panel member and find another.
"I can say this categorically, there was no political interference. The decision to change the panel was made by me."
A senior RTE source said that although Mr Curran did not specify that Prof Crown should be the person taken off the programme, his complaint about a lack of balance could be seen as "shorthand" for just that.
Tension
'Late Late Show' host Pat Kenny personally told Prof Crown that he wanted him to appear, but last night he denied any suggestion that there might now be tension between himself and Mr Curran over the decision to drop the consultant.
"I'm not going to go any further than say there is absolutely no tension between Noel Curran and myself, and Larry Masterson (the show's executive producer) and Noel Curran. That's for sure," he said.
Mr Kenny told the Irish Independent that his only ambition now was to persuade Prof Crown and Ms Harney to come head-to-head in studio -- a request which Mr Cunningham said would be considered.
However, the Opposition expressed dissatisfaction with RTE's explanation for the bizarre events.
Labour health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said that RTE was asking the public to believe that the dropping of Professor Crown was not related to the Taoiseach's criticism of him in the Dail last week and the phone call to the station by Ms Harney's office.
- Michael Brennan and Jason O'Brien
