RTÉ’s announcement that the salary of Derek Mooney, one of its most well-known on-air presenters, had been publicly misrepresented for years sparked a very public controversy.
It prompted debate in the Dáil and an appearance for the broadcaster’s director general, Kevin Bakhurst, before the Oireachtas media committee.
At issue was how pay is calculated at the broadcaster, with the suspicion that, once again, when it comes to how the “talent” is being remunerated, the public are not being told the full story.
And with the DG there, the committee took the chance to talk about other presenters and their pay, including Oliver Callan and the late Seán Rocks.
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So what did we learn from the weeklong controversy that again put the spotlight on RTÉ?
Irish Times media columnist Hugh Linehan explains what this latest controversy means and why it differs from others that have gone before.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by John Casey.
