The RTÉ Authority has acknowledged shortcomings in the development of the High Society programme on cocaine use.
The programme was broadcast on RTÉ last month and was based on a book of the same name by Justine Delaney Wilson.
Among the claims made were that a politician, an airline pilot and several medical professionals had admitted to taking cocaine.
Following an internal report, RTÉ Authority Chairperson Mary Finan said RTÉ did not sufficiently exercise its editorial controls when it came to the programme, however she said the shortcomings were not endemic in RTÉ.
Ms Finan said a number of steps would be taken to ensure this would not happen again.
This includes suspending production of factual programmes that are dependent on anonymous contributors and re enactments. New guidelines will also be introduced for any programme that relies heavily on an external publication as its primary source.
She also said she was not aware of the identity of the politician mentioned on the programme, however she said the publishers of the High Society book say they do know the identity of the individual, and that RTE accepts this.
