Three complaints were made about the Late Late Show segment.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has rejected three complaints made in relation to the treatment of former presidential candidate Peter Casey when he appeared on RTÉ’s The Late Late Show last November.
During the presidential campaign, Casey said Travellers should not be recognised as an ethnic minority because they are “basically people camping in someone else’s land”. He also said Travellers are not paying their fair share of taxes in society.
The interview became heated when the floor was opened to members of the Travelling community who questioned Casey on his comments.
Two of the three complaints centred on presenter Ryan Tubridy's response when Peter Casey asked him if he'd lost control.
Tubridy responded by saying: “I have absolutely not Peter and I’ll tell you something, if I do, you’ll know all about it.”
The third complaint was in relation to Tubridy's interview with Casey with the BAI stating the "complainant believes that the presenter’s response was threatening and displayed bias towards the interviewee.”
The BAI rejected all three of the complaints made about the segment.
The committee found that the presenter was “robust in his questioning" but a robust interview does not nessecarily amount to unfairness.
It also found that the steps taken prior to Casey's appearance on the show were sufficient to provide the interviewee with enough information to allow him to prepare for the interview and he had been informed beforehand that he would be input from the studio audience.
The latest broadcasting complaints decisions were published by the BAI on Wednesday morning with all 16 complaints made being rejected.
