Former RTÉ correspondent Ciaran Mullooly unhappy over exclusion from first major European election TV debate

Former RTÉ Midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly has expressed unhappiness over his exclusion from the first major European election TV debate.

As part of RTÉ's coverage in the run up to the June 7 European Parliament Elections, Upfront with Katie Hannon will hold the first major TV debate this Monday night, May 20 on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.  

The live programme will focus on the Midlands North-West constituency with presenter Katie Hannon at the helm beginning at 10.35pm. There are 27 candidates vying for election, however, just eight will feature in the debate and Independent Ireland candidate Mullooly is less than impressed with his exclusion. 

"RTÉ may choose to exclude me but the people know my track record," said the former RTÉ correspondent.

This Monday night's RTÉ One programme will see the following candidates live in studio: Peter Casey - Independent; Barry Cowen - Fianna Fail; Luke Ming Flanagan - Independent; Saoirse McHugh - Independent; Chris MacManus - Sinn Fein; Pauline O'Reilly - Green Partyl; Peadar Toíbín - Aontú and Maria Walsh - Fine Gael.

RTÉ stated that "With over twenty candidates in each constituency and more than seventy across the three European constituencies, when inviting candidates to participate RTÉ set impartial and objective criteria across all three debates to ensure they are as informative and coherent as possible to best serve the audience. The criteria will see a maximum of eight candidates in each of the above television debates."

Mullooly has said, "Coimisiún na Meán offers guidance to broadcasters such as ragso they may consider the evidence provided by recent opinion polls before making important final decisions on whom to give valuable airtime to or include in influential high profile debates such as Monday night’s Midlands North West debate on RTE1.

"The last test of the electoral popularity of many of the individual candidates in this European Parliament campaign was a full five years ago. Most of those who went before the public at that stage have not had an opportunity to indicate an increase or decline in their support from the electorate since 2019, and two of the four MEPs elected in Midlands North West at that time have since left office.

"Coimisiún na Meán is clearly of the opinion that RTE - aware of the consistently-high ratings of a candidate carried out over 5 successive opinion polls by professional  research companies IPSOS, Red C and Ireland Thinks) over the last 8 weeks - can ignore or dismiss such findings in distributing critical airtime or selecting just 8 representatives to take part in Monday's Primetime TV debate. Furthermore, RTE itself refuses to follow the guidance of Coimisiún na Meán.

"Yesterday, I made RTÉ aware of the clear evidence of these 5 opinion polls. I suggested they meet with my Director of Elections to review such evidence before finalising their decision on the TV debate structure. RTE has yet to accept the invitation to attend such a meeting. Today I intend to raise this very significant discrepancy in the interpretation of the guidelines set down by Coimisiún na Meán with the Director General of RTÉ, the Chairperson of the Board and the Minister for Communications."

About Monday's programme, RTÉ explained that in order to allow as much time as possible for candidates to make their points, there will be no live audience and no opening or closing statements.