Fr Kevin Reynolds Libel Scandal Case Study
2) Cultural Context
Fr Kevin Reynolds Libel Scandal
In a programme broadcast in May 2011, RTÉ falsely alleged that Fr Kevin Reynolds had sexually abused a teenage girl in Kenya in 1982, fathered a child by her and abandoned the child. The false allegations were also broadcast on RTÉ's Morning Ireland the following morning. A paternity test showed Fr Reynolds was not the father of the child and RTÉ apologised fully and unreservedly to Fr Reynolds. A libel case was taken by Fr Reynolds against RTÉ and was settled in the High Court for damages remaining confidential as part of the agreement.
RTÉ approached this situation in a number of incorrect ways. From door stepping him at his church following a Communion Mass, to not researching and fully …show more content…
“We didn’t rush to publish,” explains Deputy Editor Paul Johnson. “We verified the photographs and waited for a full story before publication. The enormous poignancy and potential power of the photographs was evident from the start. Could they be the images that provided a tipping point? Would public sympathy, and perhaps anger at Britain’s role as an apparent bystander in this saga, be moved by them? We decided that both of these were highly likely. Those factors had to be balanced against the real shock that some readers would …show more content…
Among the most cited explanations for his popularity is the media’s fascination (and, at times, outrage) with him. His controversial comments and ideological flip-flopping have gained a lot of media coverage.
There were many who thought that the leaking of the tape containing audio of Trumps’ lewd comments would finally beat him, but they were wrong. If you can't understand how someone could "still" vote for Trump after the tsunami of controversy he carried with him, consider that it is what made this such an unprecedented election. This election was not about greatness, the future, or even Donald Trump. It was about rebellion. To his supporters, a vote for Trump was a way to flip the middle finger to the system, the media, the elite, the liberals, the know-it-alls.
And while Trump repeatedly accused the media of unfair treatment, if you look at the number of opinion articles written about Trump and Clinton over the span of the election race, you will find that the liberal outlets (e.g. NYT, Washington Post, Slate, and Politico) were seen to write about Trump more often than their conservative counterparts. The fact that major newspapers did not endorse Trump for the presidency didn’t
Fr Kevin Reynolds Libel Scandal
In a programme broadcast in May 2011, RTÉ falsely alleged that Fr Kevin Reynolds had sexually abused a teenage girl in Kenya in 1982, fathered a child by her and abandoned the child. The false allegations were also broadcast on RTÉ's Morning Ireland the following morning. A paternity test showed Fr Reynolds was not the father of the child and RTÉ apologised fully and unreservedly to Fr Reynolds. A libel case was taken by Fr Reynolds against RTÉ and was settled in the High Court for damages remaining confidential as part of the agreement.
RTÉ approached this situation in a number of incorrect ways. From door stepping him at his church following a Communion Mass, to not researching and fully …show more content…
“We didn’t rush to publish,” explains Deputy Editor Paul Johnson. “We verified the photographs and waited for a full story before publication. The enormous poignancy and potential power of the photographs was evident from the start. Could they be the images that provided a tipping point? Would public sympathy, and perhaps anger at Britain’s role as an apparent bystander in this saga, be moved by them? We decided that both of these were highly likely. Those factors had to be balanced against the real shock that some readers would …show more content…
Among the most cited explanations for his popularity is the media’s fascination (and, at times, outrage) with him. His controversial comments and ideological flip-flopping have gained a lot of media coverage.
There were many who thought that the leaking of the tape containing audio of Trumps’ lewd comments would finally beat him, but they were wrong. If you can't understand how someone could "still" vote for Trump after the tsunami of controversy he carried with him, consider that it is what made this such an unprecedented election. This election was not about greatness, the future, or even Donald Trump. It was about rebellion. To his supporters, a vote for Trump was a way to flip the middle finger to the system, the media, the elite, the liberals, the know-it-alls.
And while Trump repeatedly accused the media of unfair treatment, if you look at the number of opinion articles written about Trump and Clinton over the span of the election race, you will find that the liberal outlets (e.g. NYT, Washington Post, Slate, and Politico) were seen to write about Trump more often than their conservative counterparts. The fact that major newspapers did not endorse Trump for the presidency didn’t