What the papers say: Sunday's front pages
Controversy and scandal at RTÉ and the BBC dominate the front pages on Sunday as the public service broadcasters deal with deepening crises.
The Business Post reports that RTÉ is preparing to "move against" members of its senior management team as soon as Monday in a radical bid to restore public confidence after the Ryan Tubridy payments controversy.
The Sunday Independent reveals that RTÉ’s former director general Dee Forbes asked the Government for a €35 million bailout while auditors investigated her involvement in the secret payments made to Mr Tubridy.
The Ireland edition of The Sunday Times says forensic accountants hired by RTÉ are investigating whether Mr Tubridy received a €100,000 “loyalty” payment in 2012 as part of a deal he signed to present his morning radio programme and The Late Late Show.
Ministers are discussing a taxpayer-funded bailout of RTÉ as the crisis continues, The Irish Mail on Sunday reports.
The Irish Sunday Mirror publishes photos of Ryan Tubridy out for a jog ahead of him facing questions from TDs and Senators on Tuesday.
The Sunday World has further detail on the suspected murder of a Dublin woman in Spain last week.
Sunday Life says a "child-killing paedophile" from Belfast has been released from prison.
The story of a BBC presenter paying a teenager to send them explicit photos dominates the front pages of the British newspapers.
After The Sun broke the story on Saturday, its Sunday edition continues coverage as it talks to the alleged victim’s mother and reveals the unnamed star “sent pants pics” to the teenager.
On tomorrow's front page: The BBC presenter at the centre of a sex-pictures scandal stripped to his underpants for a video call, the alleged victim’s mother claimed https://t.co/NYncseqVf0 pic.twitter.com/x0lC1tp4X1
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 8, 2023
Both the Mail on Sunday and Sunday Times describe the story as a “BBC crisis”, the Mail saying the presenter is a “household name” while the Times says the teenager’s parents complained months ago and reveals stars were lining up to say “it’s not me”.
Mail on Sunday: BBC crisis over top star in sex photos probe #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/5Etku3gS8e
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 8, 2023
Sunday Times: BBC crisis over star ‘paying teen for sex photos’ #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/xU74CsU32T
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 8, 2023
The BBC is coming under fire over its handling of the affair, according to The Sunday Telegraph, while the Daily Mirror said bosses partied with the star after the family’s complaint.
Sunday's front page: BBC star partied with bosses at award bash after sex pic allegations were made#TomorrowsPapersTodayhttps://t.co/DCsVg2C39p pic.twitter.com/P65ZlG75p0
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) July 8, 2023
Other stories do make the front pages elsewhere, the Sunday People reporting that the British government plans to spend another £800,000 (€935,000) to paint a Union Flag on the prime minister’s plane.
Sunday People: Plane Stupid Tories #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/jSpsRDy4Ef
— George Mann (@sgfmann) July 8, 2023
The Sunday Express concentrates on what it calls “a risk to national security” from banks refusing to do business with Britain’s defence industry.
Tomorrow's front page: Woke banks are 'a risk to national security' as they are not backing Britain's defence #tomorrowspaperstodayhttps://t.co/mOe0K6ViZ7 pic.twitter.com/noM8C7UJUu
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) July 8, 2023
And the Daily Star on Sunday revives the word bonk with the latest in its stories about boffins.
Sunday's front page: Boffs are Britain's biggest bonkers #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/hyrqnOk9vF pic.twitter.com/5kfaB4Tc0S
— Daily Star (@dailystar) July 8, 2023
