At the High Court RTÉ's Chief News Correspondent Charlie Bird has said that he did not have any agenda or any desire to "get at" Beverly Cooper-Flynn when he pursued the CMI story. He told a High Court jury that his purpose in interviewing the retired farmer James Howard, who alleged Ms Cooper-Flynn, dissuaded him from the tax amnesty, was to get him to tell his story, no more, no less. Charlie Bird, who is being sued by Ms Cooper-Flynn for libel, was giving evidence on the 22nd day of the action.
Charlie Bird denied trying to lead James Howard in any particular direction when he interviewed him in Gormanston in June 1998. He also denied putting words in his mouth. Mr Howard, his identity concealed, made his allegations against Beverly Cooper-Flynn. Charlie Bird then had to seek Ms Cooper-Flynn's response. With this story as with all others, he wanted to give all sides, he said in his evidence today.
However, despite phone conversations and a trip to a Cavan hotel, the two failed to meet and Mr Bird had to entrust a letter, setting out Mr Howard's allegations, to a duty manager for delivery. Earlier by phone he said that Ms Cooper-Flynn told him, “Charlie, I've made up my mind, you do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do”. He took this to mean that she was not going to take the letter from him.
Charlie Bird said that he had done his damnedest to get the letter to her and if she had said anything to him, it would have been taken into account. Charlie Bird agreed that if Beverly Cooper-Flynn was not a TD the story would not have received the coverage it did. The fact that she was a member of the parliamentary party as well as the Public Accounts Committee added to its significance. Mr Bird also rejected allegations that he had jockeyed or altered the edited story he broadcast in relation to Beverly Cooper-Flynn to portray her in as bad a light as possible.
Mr Bird will continue questioning from RTÉ counsel Kevin Feeney tomorrow before facing cross examination from Ms Cooper-Flynn's side.
