RTÉ Crime Correspondent Paul Reynolds has told the Barr Tribunal that he had no authority to stop a radio programme from broadcasting the name of John Carthy.
Mr Reynolds was questioned at length today about a request the gardaí made to some members of the media asking them to refrain from naming Mr Carthy during the siege at Abbeylara.
The RTÉ reporter said he may not have been very precise in his live broadcast, and he also said he did not disagree with Superintendent John Farrelly of the Garda Press Office when he said he had checked if RTÉ was using the name.
He told the tribunal he had said what he did on the Six One News in a bid to explain to the public why RTÉ was not broadcasting the name of Mr Carthy.
Mr Reynolds said the 27-year-old's name had been broadcast on RTÉ's Five Seven Live, several local radio stations in the Dublin area, and on TV3 where inaccurate information had also been given out.
He said an editorial decision had been made for RTÉ not to follow suit on the Six One News.
Mr Reynolds said the overriding feeling after Mr Carthy had been shot was a sense of tragedy, loss and numbness after a life had been lost.
The journalist added that he did not take part in any subsequent discussion in RTÉ about the editorial decision made on radio to name Mr Carthy.
