Comments made by Ivan Yates about media outlets were 'unsettling', O'Donovan says

Vivienne Clarke

Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has described comments by former Fine Gael TD Ivan Yates about media outlets being “riddled with conflicts of interest” as “unsettling”.

Mr O’Donovan told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the comments had given him “food for thought” and he had discussed the issue with officials in his department.

“Every year I have to produce a statutory declaration of interest because of the job that I have, because of the role that I have," he said.

"This was something that was discussed at the time that RTÉ was saved by the taxpayer. We need to make progress on it to be quite frank about it.”

A register of interest was something that needed to be looked at on a wider scale, he added. RTÉ was not the only broadcaster in the country and not the “only opinion former.”

“While they'll say, journalists have quite rightly said that they're not politicians, however, they are very importantly and intrinsically part of our democracy in terms of forming opinion and in terms of guiding people in their opinions.

“And I think based on what Ivan Yates said the other day. It certainly, it made me sit up and take notice when he said that this was a widespread practice.

"When he said that this is going on all over the place and there was conflicts of interests everywhere. This is obviously something that is unsettling. And it's something that I've asked the officials to engage with Coimisiún na Meán in this area to see how we move forward from here.”

Mr O’Donovan said that a great deal of follow up was required, particularly Mr Yates’s assertions about widespread conflicts of interest.

“This is something that I have to reflect on and having heard his interview and actually I listened to it twice to make sure that I didn't mishear it and the assertion that this is widespread, it's seemingly common knowledge within the sector and you know the assertions is that everybody's at it, it is something I'll have Coimidiún na Meán have a look at.”

The Minister also denied there were any tensions between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael over the media training provided by Ivan Yates to Jim Gavin during the presidential campaign.

“No. I've been very clear about that, you know, he was kind of asked to leave Fine Gael. He has nothing to do with us. And he's gone from us a long time.”

Fine Gael was working very well with Fianna Fáil in government, he said.

“We have the utmost of respect for Micheál Martin's role as Taoiseach. And every week, week out, week in, the cabinet works collectively together for the good of the country.

"And there's, contrary to what people outside the cabinet room might or might not say, there's no sniping from a political party point of view.

"And we're not going to, in any way, lecture Fianna Fáil with regard to what it is that they're going through, that's entirely a matter for them, and by the same token, you know I won't be lectured by anybody from outside my own party either.”