Today FM’s soon-to-be-former current affairs host Sam Smyth glossed over newspaper headlines relating to his own dismissal during his Sam Smyth on Sunday show this morning.

Smyth has been removed from his position with the popular station, with The Sunday Times reporting today that the decision was taken due to the legal battles of Denis O’Brien, the media mogul and owner of Today FM, at the Moriarty Tribunal on which Smyth has worked as a journalist.

Smyth gave a brief mention to those headlines during the newspaper round-up at the start of his show, before declaring: “Before someone comes downstairs and pulls a wire we better move onto something else.”

Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists criticised Today FM following the decision.

He said the Sunday Independent: "This decision to terminate Mr Smyth's contract with Today FM raises fundamental questions about the editorial independence of the station and would again bring into sharp focus issues relating to the ownership and control of the media, print and broadcasting in Ireland.

“The decision to terminate Sam Smyth's contract will inevitably be viewed against the backdrop of Mr O'Brien's legal action and the actions of those close to him in seeking to influence his work as a journalist covering the Moriarty Tribunal.

“Mr O'Brien is a well-known supporter of a number of human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Front Line Defenders. His commitment to human rights abroad is not always matched by a similar commitment to freedom of expression or trade union rights in Ireland.”

Anton Savage, regular stand-in for Matt Cooper on “The Last Word” on Today FM and presented of TV3’s The Apprentice: You’re Fired show, is expected to be confirmed as Smyth’s successor in the Sunday slot.