George Lee: RTE employment would be made difficult he allocated blame

oceanclub

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obnGVSf6-gA

On RTE Radio 1's Lunchtime news today (Sunday 5 April 2009), George Lee responded to a question asking how Ireland went into its economic crisis by saying that giving an answer would mean remaining employed at RTE would be difficult.

P.

mikemac

Just enter the code between the youtube tag
obnGVSf6-gA

So get rid of the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= part

silverharp

I dont get it , there is no mystery here or did he just want to use alot of 4 letter words?

Kristopherus

Wtf was he trying to say ??? Am I right in guessing that he was thinking of saying something that you'd have heard in any pub over the past 9 months

oceanclub

silverharp wrote: »

I dont get it , there is no mystery here or did he just want to use alot of 4 letter words?

Um, the senior economics editor of RTE said that if he answered a question truthfully about how we got into the situation we are in now, his employment would be at risk. And he specifically mentioned this at the very start of the interview.

P.

silverharp

oceanclub wrote: »

Um, the senior economics editor of RTE said that if he answered a question truthfully about how we got into the situation we are in now, his employment would be at risk. And he specifically mentioned this at the very start of the interview.

P.

Can you fill in the gaps? what hasnt he said that is the big elephant in the room? RTE economics reporting is pretty crap I know but I wouldnt expect anything different.

mike65

Facinating! Obviously like most here I hear rather a lot of "Sunshine" and at times you get the feeling he'd really like to say what he thinks but always manages to reign himself in.

I reckon there could be a rather good book/tv series to come from Mr Lee at some point

eamonnm79

He had obviously just been repremanded for telling the truth or depressing the country.
Can you imagine the conversation.
Director of RTE : George any chance you could talk up the economy. If I hear any more doom and gloom ill loose all the advertisers I have left. Bulmers are going to pull their advertising. They say no one wants to drink cider after listening to you! Im putting you on the weekend team with Colm Murray!
It should improve absentee rates in the Irish economy on a monday. Thats right george people cant even drink after listening to you!
George: You cant silence me blah blah!

Cool Mo D

I doubt it would be for "depressing the country" that would put him in the firing line

I'd bet quite a lot that the real reason he can't spread the blame, is because he would name, in no uncertain terms, a list of senior Govt. names.

I'd imagine the list would start with:

Bertie Ahern
Brian Cowen

and continue with brown envelope stuffing councillors, deep pocketed builders, arrogant idiot bankers, gravy-train riding TDs, and people who thought that buying a shack of an investment property for a fortune in the middle of nowhere was a great deal.

If you see the trouble RTE got in for a fairly innocuous piece on a nudie painting of Cowen, imagine the excrement hitting the fan if the main economist of the national TV station accused the Government, the builders, the banks, and our own greed of shafting us all rotten.

Time Magazine

No, Eamonn. I think he was hinting at how scathing he would have to be of the management of the nation's finances.

thebman

So basically he is being censored because it will upset politicians.

Dangerous territory for the public broadcaster to go into IMO.

From their public service broadcasting document:

national and international news of high quality journalism and impartiality as a
cornerstone of its schedule. RTÉ’s news coverage shall be accurate, impartial and
objective: this will help set the agenda for informed democratic debate in Ireland

in the case of its programming, maintain and cherish its freedom from political
control or influence and from all other vested interests, whether commercial,
religious, social or cultural

Isn't this violating its Public Service Obligations?

lostexpectation

who started all the rumours about him going for fg in the by-election

Saabdub

Questions and Answers going, Pat Kenny "retiring" from the Late Late, Charlie Bird broadcasting from the the US in a non-election year and George Lee stating he is unable to answer a question frankly, is there a pattern emerging?

Maybe this belongs in the politics thread?

Saabdub

Barname

ZANU-FF

more and more we descend into a Zimbabwean like morass

Thanks to the one party state ran by ZANU-FF

The Irish electorate get everything that they deserve.

Barname

Saabdub wrote: »

Questions and Answers going, Pat Kenny "retiring" from the Late Late, Charlie Bird broadcasting from the the US in a non-election year and George Lee stating he is unable to answer a question frankly, is there a pattern emerging?

Maybe this belongs in the politics thread?

Saabdub

give this person more thread, they stitch quite well

Time Magazine

Yeah, this doesn't belong here. Moved to News & Media.

eamonnm79

The Economist wrote: »

No, Eamonn. I think he was hinting at how scathing he would have to be of the management of the nation's finances.

Why would that loose him his job in RTE?

jdivision

Because Eoin O'Neachtain would be straight on again and making his usual threats