RTE and Fr Kevin Reynolds

Gallant_JJ · 07-10-2011 01:43AM #1

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1006/apology.html

Apology - Fr Kevin Reynolds
Updated: 21:38, Thursday, 6 October 2011

On the evening of the 23rd May 2011, RTÉ broadcast a Prime Time Investigates programme entitled "A Mission to Prey".

Before this broadcast Prime Time conducted an interview with Fr. Kevin Reynolds, the then parish priest at Ahascragh in Galway.
This interview took place beside the parochial house
after the annual First Holy Communion Mass.
During this interview allegations were made against Fr. Reynolds. He immediately protested his innocence and denied all the allegations.
Between the interview and the broadcast, Fr. Kevin Reynolds, through his Solicitors, repeated his protestations of innocence, asked RTÉ not to broadcast the interview and volunteered to
undergo a paternity test.
Prime Time duly broadcast the programme accusing Fr. Reynolds of raping a minor named Veneranda while he was a missionary in Kenya and fathering a child named Sheila as a result of this rape.
He was also accused of secretly providing funds to Sheila.
Both Veneranda and Sheila were interviewed in the programme to corroborate the allegations.
As a result Fr. Kevin Reynolds was obliged to stand down from ministry and was removed as the parish priest of Ahascragh. He had to leave his home and his parish.
He was compelled by the actions of RTÉ to institute High Court defamation proceedings to vindicate his good name and reputation.
RTÉ acknowledges that the material in the programme concerning Fr. Reynolds ought never to have been broadcast.
RTÉ now fully and unreservedly accepts that the allegations made by Prime Time against Fr. Kevin Reynolds are baseless, without any foundation whatever and untrue and that Fr. Reynolds is a priest of the utmost integrity who has had an unblemished 40 year career in the priesthood and who has made a valuable contribution to society in Kenya and Ireland both in education and in ministry.
RTÉ acknowledges the defamation has had a devastating effect on Fr. Kevin Reynolds, his family, his peers, his parishioners in Ahascragh, those in the diocese of Kakamega in Kenya who were aware of the allegations and all those who know him or of him.
RTÉ fully and unreservedly apologises to Fr. Kevin Reynolds for this defamation and deeply regrets the serious consequences suffered by him. He was entirely innocent of the allegations broadcast about him.

This is absolutely disgusting, is this what our national broadcaster has resorted to. Heads should roll over that. I would like to see him take the fcukers for everything they had but we would only end up paying for it.

How can anyone be so insensitive as to ruin a mans life, after he had even offered to do a paternity test.

They really should have to have an apology of equal stature to the program aired, not some sneaky article that will disappear in a few hours.

Dotrel · 07-10-2011 01:48AM

I've always reckon news reports and papers should have to put their apologies and retractions in exactly the same spot and size as where the accusation was made in the first place.

eg if they spent 30 mins accusing this guy of whatever at 930pm on a Wednesday then rather than issuing a few half-hearted paragraphs into the ether they should instead be forced to play their apology on loop for 30 mins the following Wednesday to make sure as many people who were exposed to the slander are also exposed to the retraction.

Bride2012 · 07-10-2011 01:49AM

That's hideous, ruining his life and expecting a 'sorry about that' to cover it.

LH Pathe · 07-10-2011 01:53AM

Caught the apology earlier on tv. No real compensating for that though

They really blew a wittily defamatory title too, pity it came back n bit them on the ass

Wertz · 07-10-2011 02:12AM

He should pull a Cooper Flynn on their asses....only trouble is it comes out of the licence payer's pool, not out of the pockets of individual employees. Hpw the hell do you let something like this air with any sort of the doubt surrounding it....bet you they were wetting themselves in the primetime office when someone stumbled upon this story and couldn't wait to air their exclusive. Makes you wonder what else they go off half-cocked about...

tinofapples · 07-10-2011 02:24AM

As already suggested, heads for the block.

mikemac · 07-10-2011 02:28AM

People should be fired over this.
Starting with the top, the job title is director general

TanG411 · 07-10-2011 02:35AM

It's safe to say, the worst punishment RTE will receive is a few complaints on boards.ie

Wertz · 07-10-2011 02:39AM

A few harshly put, strongly worded and possibly witty complaints though...that'll learn 'em good.

Blatter · 07-10-2011 02:40AM

Is it religiously acceptable to claim legal damages if you're a priest?

If so, I personally hope he sues the sh*t out of RTE.

IvyTheTerrible · 07-10-2011 08:46AM

It's a bit dodgy for me that they repeat all the allegations in the apology. Extremely shoddy treatment of an innocent man.

brightkane · 07-10-2011 08:49AM

Did he do the paternity test?

Irish Slaves for Europe · 07-10-2011 09:06AM

He has not been proved guilty in court as there has been no court case yet, but thats not to say that he isn't guilty. I'd much sooner believe the story of the alleged victim in this case, who has nothing to gain from making false alegations.

MagicMarker · 07-10-2011 09:10AM

Irish Slaves for Europe wrote: »

He has not been proved guilty in court as there has been no court case yet, but thats not to say that he isn't guilty. I'd much sooner believe the story of the alleged victim in this case, who has nothing to gain from making false alegations.

He took the paternity test and it was proven he was not the father.

Irish Slaves for Europe · 07-10-2011 09:12AM

I'm talking about the alleged sexual abuse

Snakeblood · 07-10-2011 09:28AM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

It's a bit dodgy for me that they repeat all the allegations in the apology. Extremely shoddy treatment of an innocent man.

That's reasonable though.
There's no point apologising if people don't know what they said. The text is 'We said this' followed by 'We were completely wrong to say this'.

IvyTheTerrible · 07-10-2011 09:31AM

Snakeblood wrote: »

That's reasonable though.
There's no point apologising if people don't know what they said. The text is 'We said this' followed by 'We were completely wrong to say this'.

Fair enough. It's one of the first times I've heard this in an apology though.

Snakeblood · 07-10-2011 09:35AM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Fair enough. It's one of the first times I've heard this in an apology though.

Ok, every time I've seen an apology I've seen the allegations that they made and them apologising for them.

I suppose if you think of it like: Let's say someone hears the allegation, doesn't know it came from that program. With this, RTE, and the priest can point to exactly the source, and also, that they apologised for each of the allegations that was made. A blanket 'sorry' with no detail doesn't give clarity later on.

Dionysus · 07-10-2011 09:35AM

An innocent priest? In Ireland?

ldoll · 07-10-2011 09:40AM

Dionysus wrote: »

An innocent priest? In Ireland?

That's just ignorant. You can't tar them all with the one brush, it's unfair and unreasonable.

Wetai · 07-10-2011 09:45AM

Irish Slaves for Europe wrote: »

I'd much sooner believe the story of the alleged victim in this case, who has nothing to gain from making false alegations.

Not much to lose, either.

mobby · 07-10-2011 09:49AM

ldoll wrote: »

That's just ignorant. You can't tar them all with the one brush, it's unfair and unreasonable.

RTE obviously do.
Terrible stuff man’s life is ruined. The RTE DG should resign over this.

I Heart Internet · 07-10-2011 09:54AM

It's interesting. I heard a small piece on Ian Dempsey's radio show about this 4-5 weeks ago. It wasn't in the news bulletin, just dropped in the show along the lines of - "remember the primetime show that said this about this priest, well he's taken a paternity test and it's proved the rte were wrong". I thought it was interesting (I hadn't seen the primetime show anyway). Turned over to RTE expecting to hear a little bit more - but nothing until this morning (the apology was read on Morning Ireland around 8.40 am).

Maybe Ian Dempsey was really pissed off by it too.

Very sloppy stuff by the film makers and the person who approved it for broadcast. How did the conversation go?

RTE Exec: "So it's his daughter yeah? What does he have to say about it?"
Reporter: "Uuuummmm....well he says it isn't his child and it's all lies. He says he'll do a paternity test"
RTE Exec: "Mmmmm....that could take a while....and we've really been desperate to use this show title....run with it....what's the worst that could happen"
Reporter: "he could sue RTE"
RTE Exec and Reporter: "Hahahahahahahahahahaha.........how's your pension??"

Yes - it's easy to say "heads should roll" but that's about all one could hope for. Sloppy, sloppy stuff.

Wetai · 07-10-2011 10:02AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeP6CpUnfc0

lastlaugh · 07-10-2011 10:12AM

Dionysus wrote: »

An innocent priest? In Ireland?

That's probably the attitude that the clowns who made the program had.

I saw the apology last night and although it was pretty thorough, it was a bit rushed.

I think they should have dedicated a part at the start of the next Prime Time outlining what was aired in the program and how they are so very wrong.

podgemonster · 07-10-2011 10:14AM

Primetime is becoming more and more like a tabloid television programme every year. Focusing on peoples doubts and fears, using strong suggestive language and imagery that pulls at the heartstrings while not focusing on the full and credible facts as they do not suit the theme of their programme.

lastlaugh · 07-10-2011 10:22AM

podgemonster wrote: »

Primetime is becoming more and more like a tabloid television programme every year. Focusing on peoples doubts and fears, using strong suggestive language and imagery that pulls at the heartstrings while not focusing on the full and credible facts as they do not suit the theme of their programme.

I couldn't agree more.

jhegarty · 07-10-2011 10:23AM

Dionysus wrote: »

An innocent priest? In Ireland?

That's exactly the attitude that would have had you called an ira bomber if you visited the uk in the 70s/80s.

orourkeda · 07-10-2011 10:28AM

Irish Slaves for Europe wrote: »

He has not been proved guilty in court as there has been no court case yet, but thats not to say that he isn't guilty. I'd much sooner believe the story of the alleged victim in this case, who has nothing to gain from making false alegations.

So he's guilty until proven innocent?

Sonnenblumen · 07-10-2011 10:31AM

Dionysus wrote: »

An innocent priest? In Ireland?

Moronic

Tom · 07-10-2011 10:50AM

In general we are a tabloid nation and love to hear of the latest scandal whether it is about the church, celebreties or politicians. This type of reporting is basically gossip on a national/international scale and until there is very strong evidence that it is true it is not proper investigative journalism.

People are happy to read all about whatever celebrity is having an affair, which priest is fiddling with kids or which politician is taking brown envelopes - they will make up their mind straight away and assume anything reported is true.

Now - when I think of this type of journalism I'm thinking of the obvious daily and Sunday rags - a national broadcaster should not be stooping to this level. I can't imagine the BBC reporting something like this without doing their due diligence - even when alligations are not truethey will follow the accused around for the rest of their life.

I don't pay my license fee to hear gossip - I can buy a tabloid for that.

RTE and Fr Kevin Reynolds

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