RTE apologise for disrespect to Office of Taoiseach
Posted by Maman Poulet on 24 Mar 2009 at 09:49 pm | Tagged as: Irish Media, Irish Politics, MSM
It’s now a constant occupation of Government Press Officers to stop any criticism of Brian Cowen or his government. This includes reporting on the hanging of paintings in galleries or on their potential value or how they got to be hung in the galleries in the first place.
Tonight RTE apologised for offence caused to Mr. Cowen and his family and disrespect caused to the Office of Taoiseach. The apology will be uploaded shortly I’m sure and I’ll link to it when it comes in. Thanks to John Handelaar!
RTE did not paint the paintings or hang them up that we know of!
They are not allowed run phone in shows free from government interference. Satire in RTE is dead or severely hamstrung. Editorial decisions made by RTE and all it’s programmes now need to be taken with this very large rock of salt – no independence can be expected in the light of this apology and all other recent instances of interference and lack of senior government input or participation in Prime Time, Questions and Answers etc. Of course a government press office can complain about lack of balance or wishing to tell it’s side of story but this has gone across the line.
The galleries probably now live in fear of any Arts Council funding being cut for letting pictures in or even participating in media interviews. Our Banana Republic well and truly exists (but we’re not allowed say that either.) And the tag for this debacle is #picturegate.
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Surely #cowengate?
I was stunned, stunned, by that apology. Are the newspapers that also carried the piece also going to apologise (the Mirror had it and I believe the Sunday Tribune did too)? Any respect I had for RTE as news organisation has shot out the window. This really is a ridiculous country.
My complaint to complaints@rte.ie:
Sir or Madam,
I wish to complain in the strongest possible terms about your craven apology to the Taoiseach for a report which was entirely accurate and newsworthy. While there are countries that have laws governing disrespect to the state and its offices, these are not countries in which any Irish person would like to live, and their laws are not mirrored here. Our constitution guarantees freedom of speech and includes in this freedom the right to criticise the government, a crtisism which was the aim of the satirical paintings. That this apology came in response to political pressure is all the more shameful.
Sincerely,
Fergal Crehan
Good one Gerard – #Cowengate could be used as umbrella tag for bizarre and unpredictable nature of Cowen’s term in office?
Though I am aware I may have undermined my point somewhat by misspelling “criticism”. Remember folks, don’t type angry!
Maman: Happily seconded.
[...] Update 3 – RTE issue an apology at the end of the Nine O’Clock News tonight. [...]
The whole thing is almost like a giant satire in itself. You’d laugh if it weren’t so fucking outrageously depressing.
Coming soon.. . Fatwa against
DanishIrish cartoonist.[...] to deflect government from the editorial process is central to the integrity of the product. As Fergal’s excellent letter outlines. Sir or [...]
#Cowengate de-voted to feeding babies ‘not a replacement for breastfeeding’ T&Cs apply, ask the BCC.
we are a far cry from the scrap saturday days of hair pieces & receipts & faked apologies. RTÉ editors, what are you hearing from the spin handlers? that makes you broadcast this apology. Minister Ryan what is going on in RTÉ at all, at all, the answer is not independence (this time).
I’d like to express an alternative view, if that’s allowed! Has anyone considered the level of ridicule that such naked “portraits” could generate for the subject? I am not a fan of the Taoiseach, or of his party, but I do think there should be a limit to the extent of satire or ridicule based on his personal appearance, whatever about his politics.
How many of us would welcome a nude portrait of ourselves being hung in the National Gallery without permission? I know I wouldn’t!
I think RTÉ made a bad call in highlighting these portraits, and I think they did the right thing by apologising
I have tried twice to submit a reply to your blog. I hope it came through the last time!
It’s there Maeve, needed to be approved by hand! And you are certainly most welcome to express an alternative point of view (until someone comes and shuts me down, which may be not long now given current events
)
Maeve, You’re right. Satire should be restrained and responsible, See here: http://www.fustar.info/2009/03/24/filthy-durty-postcards-2-spineless-rte-bastards/
But Maeve, the point is that RTÉ were the ones who decided that it was newsworthy. They *chose* to do a piece about it. Tadhg Enright, the reporter who covered the story, didn’t make innuendos or crude jokes about it – he simply covered the story. So RTÉ were happy to run with the piece – until the complaints from the Taoiseach’s Office, upon which they immediately acquiesced.
The issue isn’t whether you think the portraits were satirical or grotesque; that’s entirely subjective. The issue is the reasons why RTÉ made the apology.
This suggests that there are limits on what RTÉ can say about the Taoiseach. To say that that’s worrying would be an understatement.
I’d have to disagree with you, Maeve. While I wouldn’t particularly enjoy seeing naked pictures of me hanging (sic) anywhere, and neither, I suspect, would anyone else, it happened and simply reported that indisputable fact. To apologise in such a scrapingly sickening manner due to political pressure sets an ugly precedent, and I think that’s the important thing to emerge for this, not Brian’s todger!
My letter of complaint.
Dear Sirs,
The apology today to the Taoiseach on today’s 9 o’clock news, preceded by the gradual erasure of the story from the RTE News website, of the satire in the national gallery is the lowest point in the history of RTE News.
It is a betrayal of your duty to citizens. A vital principle has been abandoned. Trust in what RTE news now broadcasts is lost.
See http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23picturegate for further reaction in Ireland and around the world.
yours faithfully,
Simon McGarr
Whinging over this piece was a bit childish, With that in mind, one could call this CowenGate.
See what I did there???
[...] potential value or how they got to be hung in the galleries in the first place.on 24 Mar 2009, Maman Poulet, Mar [...]
This weekend, a friend of mine called our state fascist. The elite rule, reap all the rewards, run rampant with our resources, and all with diminishing checks and balances.
This incident just goes further to flesh out the argument. Really two of the scariest paintings I have seen in a long time. Not by what’s on the canvas, but of the detailed self-portrait by our government appearing in response.
“Has anyone considered the level of ridicule that such naked “portraits” could generate for the subject?”
Well yes, that’s rather the point of satire.
“I do think there should be a limit to the extent of satire or ridicule based on his personal appearance, whatever about his politics.”
I disagree. You can’t be a little bit censored. The first limit is the end of free speech.
“How many of us would welcome a nude portrait of ourselves being hung in the National Gallery without permission? I know I wouldn’t!”
Perhaps not, but I’d prefer that to a government that decides what I can and cannot say.
“I think RTÉ made a bad call in highlighting these portraits, and I think they did the right thing by apologising”
Free speech isn’t nice. Free speech isn’t cuddly. Free speech is ugly. Free speech wants you to do drugs. Free speech wants to discriminate against you because you worship the wrong sort of god, have the wrong shade of skin, love the wrong gender. Free speech wants to overthrow the state. Free speech is good, because the one thing worse than all the things free speech demands is a society where you aren’t free to think. RTÉ apologised for reporting the news. That is wrong.
I don’t know, Maeve, are the pictures actually obscene? Personally I don’t think so, rather I see them as a way of stating that the emperor has no clothes.
If the cartoons are unacceptable without being either obscene or hate-based then what does that say about the boundaries of freedom of speech?
The incidents remind me of Banksy hanging pictures in the Louvre and Metropolitan Museum of Art.
And all because an artist took us the wrong way when we all said Cowen should be damn well hung…
I think it’s utterly disgraceful that this blog should give publicity to the RTE apology. It fuels the situation. Those so-called cartoons of Brian Cowen were an affront.
Remember his family and friends: do they not have the right to live without having their nearest and dearest depicted in such a disrespectful manner?
This is our Taoiseach. Our leader. Our first citizen. The person on whom we depend to find a way back for Ireland. And some non-entity has the cruelty to put ink to canvas in a way that draws attention to the figure of our democratically elected Mr Cowen.
I ask you, was the artist elected? Would the painter be prepared to stand for election in the same constituency as Mr Cowen? Then we’d see what the real Irish people think of both sides.
As for your blog, Madame, how dare you prolong the embarrassment. You should be ashamed of yourself and I expect nothing less that an apology from you – or else you can be sure I won’t be voting for you next time. You were elected to represent Irish bloggers. As the so-called best in class, don’t you feel any duty to prevent the circulation of ridicule.
The least you might have done would have been to publish a decent painting of Mr Cowen, who, when clothed, is a fine a figure of a man as Ireland is fortunate to have. You should publish the two side by side so that we, your readers, can see balance in action.
As for those who call for a day of action, when loads of people who are no good as artists and would never have a painting of their’s ever hung in any decent house would abuse their talent by making further images of the one man we should trust to recover Ireland, words fail me. The plain people of Ireland know their mind. Not one single parish will invite any of those sort of people to exhibit their work.
It’s time you stopped inflaming the national crisis. RTE should never have apologised. Typical of them, they apologise in order to draw attention to the original offence. You refer to RTE as being craven. Frankly I wouldn’t give a Craven A to anyone of that shower: they are clearly out to get Brian. First publicise the offending cartoons; next apologise for publicising them – and above all preserve the whole sorry incident for posterity.
I look to the Church to show the right way to deal with this. Do you see any bishop coming out demanding an apology? No, you see dignified, condemnatory silence.
I wish there was a way in which I could say all this to you without sullying my keyboard. I can tell you I’ve deleted every image of Mr Cowen unclothed, and every image of that smug woman apologising from my hard drive. I wish you would do the same.
In order to take those disgraceful, pornographic ‘paintings’ out of circulation for ever, I am today launching a public appeal for funds to buy them.
I’m sure many of your decent readers, if you have any, will be willing to contribute to the purchase fund. I think it a national duty to ensure no future generation sees such filth.
I have a house with a deep dark cellar, where the paintings could be hung in perpetuity and perhaps, in a gesture of generosity, someone will burn the house down.
Paul, they’re only pornographic if they turn someone on.
Maeve should be allowed to have an alternative view – but in my opinion it’s a ridiculous one as you can see that the VAST majority of the people on this site disagree and they are an excellent representative sample of public opinion.
How can RTE justify their apology? – I have no idea who was behind putting up the picture but they were certainly not a malevolent force and I hope journalists will not seek to identify who they are.
Its disgraceful, its like what Hitler used to do. I doubt Vincent Brown would be having any of it.
Luke
1. I hope that Paul O’Mahony is a rare case of satire.
2. I have pasted this post on my FB status asking everyone to do as Fergal and Simon say and get up off our asses and actually complain about this disgrace.
As for your blog, Madame, how dare you prolong the embarrassment. You should be ashamed of yourself and I expect nothing less that an apology from you – or else you can be sure I won’t be voting for you next time. You were elected to represent Irish bloggers. As the so-called best in class, don’t you feel any duty to prevent the circulation of ridicule.
You need to get off your high horse. Suzy wasn’t ‘elected’ to do anything and how dare you speak to her or anyone else who has highlighted this issue in that manner. Who are you to slur her readers, or any other blogger who has run with this story? I’m sure Suzy can live without your vote ‘next time’.
Seriously, you need to step back, take a good look at what you’ve written in the last two comments, and then think about getting some help, because you are quite clearly deranged.
I think it is a sad day when our news has to apologise for merely reporting news (whether good or bad) concerning our politicians.
I am currently working in the middle east where free speech is not a right and it is almost impossible to report any negative or derogative comments on ‘the leader’. Indeed the post by Paul O’Mahony uses the same words as we hear here every day (”This is our leader. Our first citizen etc”). So what? Our society allows reporting of what happened that day which is of interest to people, good or bad, and people are free to form an opinion on that news (would Paul like it if this site took down his post and apologised for his opinion?).
But to apologise for reporting a truth? The point is we live in a free society, and enjoy freedom of speech (thank God). We are free to form opinions and decide if we approve or disapprove of the topics, but our media must be free to inform us. RTE gives us the news, and plays a very important part in our democracy. I am ashamed of the apology, and the fact that this link was sent to me by an Australian friend speaks volumes for this pathetic act.
[...] case you’ve managed to avoid hearing about it, Maman Poulet has a good summary with the crucial video clips. One of RTÉ news reporting a fairly light news [...]
Bite your tongue Ann!
I think a Boycott of RTE is in order until they retract that apology.
Just popped by to say Hi from England and Thanks RTL for publicizing this painting to the wider world via your clever “apology”. I like it. They haven’t been rude enough to show the man’s private parts and it’s well painted, albeit not from life. It has inspired me and many other foreigners to examine why some Irish people dislike their leaders (it’s ok, so do we
“Experts say it’s not worth anything” I suspect it is now.
P.S You can’t offend an Office.
Hoppe to visit your lovely country again soon, will try to catch it in a gallery. Cheerio ! xxx
Postscriptum… i mean of course that we dislike our British leaders, you’ve probably heard of them. I am hoping that we will follow your lead and paint our own Emperors as they truly are.
[...] http://www.mamanpoulet.com/rte-apologise-for-disrespect-to-office-of-taoiseach/ [...]
[...] 25 Mar 2009 at 07:24 # Paul O’Mahony [...]
Worse – RTE just threatend further:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0325/breaking38.htm
oops – Today FM, not RTE.
Shouldn’t our ‘leader’ and ‘first citizen’ be more concerned with getting on with his job? Perhaps anything that takes the spotlight away from the mess we are in is welcome in government offices at the moment. Figures in public office have been the targets of artistic charicature and political satire for as long as there have been figures in public office. So why all the fuss now?
[...] has a take too. ← A Society without [...]
Hey, if Paul O’Mahony (Omaniblog) had his tongue any more inserted in his cheek he would need surgery to remove it.
GSOH required
keith
[...] Mulley ; Adam Maguire ; Gav Reilly ; Twitter updates on #picturegate ; Sharona’s Shambles ; Mamam Poulet ; more to be added as time goes by Tags: art, brian cowen, cens, Irish politics, picturegate, [...]
And here the offending article, thankfully salvaged onto youtube before the censors at RTE deleted it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQsR09ER4Yk
Luke I’m pretty sure Hitler never did anything of the sort! His rejections from Art college clearly state that he had problems drawing people and so I would imagine that he was quite incapable of painting nudes of President Hindenburg.
Seriously Michael Kennedy is a complete imbecile who regretfully for me represents my constituency. Even the local Fianna Fail people I know despise him.
I’m seething over this:
My letter to complaints@rte.ie:
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my utter disgust regarding the apology that was issued to Brian Cowen and his family after RTE ran a story about anonymously donated nude paintings of Mr. Cowen. The story was legitimate, based in fact and in my opionion the coverage shown was in no way disrespectful to the Taoiseach. It was not done in a jokey or insulting matter, you merely presented the story as it stood. By running the piece RTE expressed the opinion that it was deemed fit for broadcast. News organisations such as the BBC and papers such as The Guardian, The Times, The Tribune and countless others have also reported it. I have yet to see any of the above bodies issuing a statement of apology for covering a piece of news. RTE’s credibilty lies in tatters after this incident.
It’s not about the incident involving the paintings anymore. It’s about how a national broadcasting body apologised, completely unnecessarily in my opinion, to a politician and his family for “any embarrassment caused” by a piece of news. The so called freedom of press is meaningless after you issued the apology on air and amended the RTE website, removing any images and printing a retraction at the top of the page. I am a taxpayer. I have always paid for a TV license when in possession of a television. Whilst it’s generally acknowledged that the media will, in some shape edit or vet the information it broadcasts; it’s a different ballgame when RTE back down and allow political interference with a news item.
How dare you spoon-feed the masses information that only the government and it’s officials deem suitable. Are we living in a nanny state where we are discouraged from thinking for ourselves, and where any expression of dissatisfaction regarding how government officials are performing unsatisfactorily is discouraged. Seemingly so. Is this the way information will be distributed in future? The government are terrified of being portrayed in a negative light hence RTE won’t run any items which may question or offend the government? Should we just remain quiet and unquestioningly watch reruns of fair city whilst the country continues to fall to pieces?
The paintings themselves are satire.The Taoiseach may find it in his interest to learn the meaning of the word:
1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
If he’d had the sense to take the incident with a pinch of salt or in good humour; the chances are that it would have been forgotten in a few days.
If it’s a case of one person and their family being offended by the information reported and managing to get an apology from the national broadcaster; then my family, friends and i are also grossly offended by the way the situation was handled and demand an apology featured on the 9 o’clock news- I want an apology for your apology to Mr Cowen.
There’s a reason why someone took the time to paint those pictures and then hang them in 2 different galleries for public view. The government / F.Fail / Mr. Cowen are more concerned with stamping out any negative press than they are with dealing with the major economic issues. A lot of people in Ireland are unhappy with the way the government are doing things and we are entitled to voice these opinions. RTE, as “our” national broadcaster are entitled to run a news item without fear of political interferance. Shame on RTE for bowing down to Cowen.
“Hey, if Paul O’Mahony (Omaniblog) had his tongue any more inserted in his cheek he would need surgery to remove it. ”
Thank you Keith. If you’re ever in Cork, the pint’s on me.
Well, well, well, is this a record response to a blog entry? The issue gives new meaning to the phrase of ‘anything else being a load of pants’! It certainly is pants from one of your commentators Suzy?
RTE really needs some journos with a ‘pair’… outrageous that the news apologised for actually doing it’s job… could they now apologise for Fair City because it’s crap…
You know, Cowen has made such a pig’s ear of this issue, it shows someone with the sense of humour of an amoeba and certainly with no sense of how to cope with Public Relations! If he’d been shown grinning and taking it as a joke, it would have all gone away – and he might have added a couple of points in the opinion polls. But the involvement of the Gardai shows the true colours of FF in relation to satire, free speech and the press in general. Disasterous politically! There’ll be protestors carrying giant y-fronts beside him all through the next election campaign… or advocating a pants levy?
As to Omaniblog, I’d make a couple of quick comments but I can’t be arsed when you blinded by your leader (not mine!) in the Jim Tunney/ Scrap Saturday tradition, when you just don’t get satire and when you attack the integrity of Ireland’s foremost female political blogger. You’re a community of one on that score alone.
Eh Paul was being sarcastic in his earlier comments…. Should’ve pointed it out earlier but thought it was sorted. And yes it’s the most comments I’ve ever had on a blog post and I expect later tonight to confirm I and probably loads of other Irish bloggers have had our busiest traffic day ever.
[...] purchase (Proceeds to Rape Crisis Network), international reactions, analysis of online coverage, complaint letters, and so many blogposts on the matter from all across the Blogosphere. (Many of whom say they [...]
[...] RTE apologise for disrespect to Office of Taoiseach [...]
Maman,
I trusted you all day. Never crossed my mind otherwise, but it’s certainly made me think poor old Swift would have a hard time today.
[...] context, you could do better than looking here, here and [...]
Bah! Where was the artist when we needed him! i.e. when Bertie was on the scene.
[...] Figaro | Liam Murray | Little Beloved | Lucy Takes Off | Lucy’s drowning | Maman Poulet here, here, here and here | Media Lens Message Board here and here | New York Times | Niall O’Loughlin | [...]
Well said Goblin. On a serious note: I’d like to buy the paintings as an investment. Hopefully no one else will get the same idea.
When the history of Ireland is written in 50 years, this artist will be there. Was it the Danish cartoonist who inspired the work and the display?
There’s a thesis for a student of artology. A range of mugs and portable loo pots too. Any chance you’d know a suitable VC (venture capitalist)? (In case anyone thinks this is off the wall, go look at the pisspots of Gladstone during the Home Rule Crisis.)
The Declan Ganley line should go down well, eh. Maybe he’d fund production.
Brian Cowen shaped toilet spotted:
http://www.porcelainpoetry.faketrix.com/strange-toilets-weird-restrooms-page-2-pic-22-unusual-washroom-urinal-open-mouth-clown.htm
[...] ran the night before regarding two paintings for our glorious Taoiseach Biffo in the nip. As usual, Suzy was first out of the paddock on this one. Just to be clear, nobody in RTÉ was responsible for the painting, and their report [...]
[...] Mail Online | Maman Poulet here, here, here, here, here and here | McGarr Solicitors | Media Lens Message Board here and here | [...]
[...] The following night, having been contacted by a government press officer, the state broadcaster issues an on-air apology for the story and removes it from their website[2]. Meanwhile Today FM, an independent commercial radio station [...]
Well done to Paul. It looks like Conor Casby isn’t the only one being jumped on by the humour police.
Since when has satire become a criminal offense? As far as I am aware, Conor Casby was making an artistic statement. Art is meant provoke a reaction. If a politician cannot deal with being satirized, lampooned, mocked and ridiculed then he (or she) should not be in Politics. People should not be outraged at Mr Casby’s brave and bold brush strokes but rather at the reaction of the office of an Taoiseach; which was, in my opinion, more like the actions of a totalitarian dictatorship than a western democracy.
RTE should not have to apologize for broadcasting a light hearted journalistic piece. Brian Cowen should have just laughed off the incident, his hissy fit reaction will be mocked , ridiculed and caricatured much more than these paintings will ever be. I for one applaud Conor Casby, not just for his paintings, but for his bravery and also for stirring up some much needed debate in this country. We have put up with so much crap over the years in this country. We, the public, have had the absolute piss taken out of us by politicians, it was high time someone took the piss out of them. Bravo Conor Casby!
Oh and on the subject of satire..
I wonder what the dail brigade think of Langerland?
In my opinion much funnier than these caricatures of Cowen..
I’m surprised RTE got away with that one…
For those who haven’t seen these hilariously funny cartoons , here’s a link :
http://www.langerland.com/
RTE should apologise for apologising
[...] RTE have become the Government broadcast agency. This is the same station that chose to issue an apology to Brian Cowen because it reported the story about those pictures smuggled into the National [...]