What’s this about a row between RTÉ and TV3 over Jedward’s homecoming?
The Eurovision may be no more than a pleasant memory but coverage of Jedward’s return to Dublin has left RTÉ red-faced. What happened?
I thought we were finally finished with Jedward and Eurovision. Why is it still in the news?
Funny you should say that as it was the news, the Nine O’Clock News on RTÉ One on Sunday night to be precise, that is grabbing some headlines of its own today.
So what happened, did RTE spell Jedward wrong and get a load of Jedheads invading Montrose?
Nope, but they did manage to annoy their colleagues in TV3 with a bit of technical wizardry that the lads in Clondalkin probably feel was a bit below the belt.
What did they do?
Well, as we are sure you will remember, Jedward didn’t fare too well out in Baku on Saturday night but there were still hundreds of fans, and TV crews from RTÉ and TV3, there to greet them in Dublin Airport on Sunday.
The Grimes boys sounded off on their Azerbaijani adventure and the assembled press and TV had a handy little story for the next day’s paper and the nightly news.
However, eagle-eyed viewers watching the Nine O’Clock news spotted that a blue microphone, suspiciously like a TV3 mic, had had its logo removed in a still shot, as you can see above in the main picture.
In the actual video report, a still of which you can see below, the TV3 logo is present and correct so someone in Montrose had decided to blur out the badge.
Strange, we see loads of mics from every TV and radio station all the time on RTÉ. What did RTÉ have to say?
The Irish Times quote a spokesperson from the national broadcaster who says that it is not their policy to block out a rivals logo in interviews and that the airbrushing was carried out by a non-editorial member of staff “who was not instructed to do so”.
So there’s a rogue airbrusher knocking around RTÉ? I have a few ideas for their next job?
Now, now, let’s not get nasty. Anyway, next time you are watching the news, keep an eye out for this enterprising individual’s work.
Have RTE been a bit naughty like this before?
Well, we can recall RTÉ cutting off a Brian Cowen press conference in 2010 just as TV3′s main man Vincent Browne was about to fire off his questions but this latest incident is a bit harder to understand.
At least Jedward were not harmed, eh?
Thank God, TV3 may be none too pleased at RTÉ’s bizarre bit of erasing but if RTÉ were to harm one spiked hair on those twins’ heads, Montrose would be stormed within hours by their fans.
A scary thought.
Scarier than the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland I would wager.
We’ll leave it there I think…
Probably a good idea.
