Misinformation on RTE 1 this morning

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday April 02, 2003 12:39 by Orla Drohan

This morning on RTE 1's Leaders Questions program journalist Mark Hennessey outrageously claimed that there was only "four or five hundred" at Saturday's anti war demonstration in Dublin.

This morning on RTE TV's televised program of Leader's Question's in the Dail, journalist Mark Hennessey claimed that there were only "four or five hundred" at Saturday's Anti War demo.

In the Dail this morning Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) challenged the Taoiseach over the use of Shannon airport. Back in the studio two journalists were asked to give their impression of the debate. Mark Hennessy said the Taoiseach felt he could get away with his position considering there were only "four or five hundred" people on the streets last Saturday in comparaison to Feb 15th.

It is outrageous that such misinformation be paraded as fact on the national broadcaster. If anyone has seen the program it would be a good idea to telephone RTE to complain as I have done.

T.D.'s Tony Gregory, Joe Higgins, Liam Twomey, Seamus Healy, Finian McGrath, Gerry Cowley and Paudge Connolly have meanwhile put down a motion for discussion in the Dail this week regarding the extra US troops passing through Shannon and calling for the Government to call in the British Ambassador and US envoy immediately and lodge a formal complaint about the slaughter of civilians in Iraq.