Barr Tribunal will not examine TV3 footage
Thursday, 22 July 2004 20:01
The retired High Court judge investigating the fatal shooting of John Carthy in Abbeylara has said he is not prepared to examine TV3 coverage of the siege.
Mr Justice Robert Barr said no complaint had been made against the station's coverage of the event four years ago.
He was responding to an application by legal representatives for RTÉ this morning who fought to question RTÉ Crime Correspondent Paul Reynolds about a TV3 broadcast on the second day of the siege.
But Mr Justice Barr said it would be unfair for him to allow direct or indirect criticism of the station when it was not represented at the tribunal.
The chairman added that he was concerned principally with the Five Seven Live broadcast on RTÉ Radio, which might have led to TV3 and others subsequently naming Mr Carthy.
Counsel for RTÉ said the chairman's ruling would be greeted by his clients with some dismay. He said it was RTÉ's expectation that the inquiry would investigate the role of all the media who covered the Abbeylara siege.
The chairman said the media module of the tribunal was always the RTÉ module, as no complaint had been made against any other media outlet.
