Karen Coleman Apologises...Or Does She ?

On the morning of Sunday, December 20, 2009, I turned on Irish radio station NewsTalk, expecting to hear the current affairs discussion programme presented by Karen Coleman. I was rather startled to hear instead a male voice reading a really rather grovelling apology from the station to Dr Patricia Casey.

The apology over, an advertisement follows and then Ms Coleman resumes as if nothing has happened.

Having missed the beginning of the apology, I had no idea as to what it was about. I therefore went to the NewsTalk website, hoping to find the full text. It was not there, and it did not appear on Ms Coleman's own website either.

Neither the station nor Ms Coleman responded to my requests for more information. However, I have my own sources, and here is the full text

On the Wide Angle programme transmitted on Sunday 29th November, Karen Coleman, the programme presenter, interviewed Professor Patricia Casey of UCD and the Mater Hospital, regarding the Murphy Report on Clerical sexual abuse in the Dublin Diocese.

In the course of that programme, in discussion about the conduct of the clerics, the programme presenter, Karen Coleman, put it to Professor Casey that she was somebody who represented an element of society in this country which has probably forgiven, forgotten or ignored the kind of abuse that these people had been capable of over the years.

Newstalk now accepts that the nature of the questioning was hostile and inappropriate and was of a nature that caused Professor Casey unnecessary distress.

Newstalk wishes to express its apologies to Professor Casey who they completely accept has never sought to forget about those who committed abuse or those who suffered abuse, neither has she ever sought to forgive those who committed the abuse and neither has she ever sought to or advocated in any way that the abuse issue should be ignored.

Newstalk acknowledges that Professor Casey is a vigorous and articulate defender of her Catholic faith and values and that she has been as critical as anyone in denouncing the abuse and the subsequent cover-up that took place.

Newstalk values Professor Casey's contributions to their programmes and we are very happy to express our unreserved apologies to her and her family at this time. We look forward to renewing our relationship with Professor Casey following this regrettable incident

It is rather striking that the apology is clearly made by the radio station rather than by Ms Coleman, that Ms Coleman has not associated herself with the apology at all, and that she did not read it out herself or even refer to it in any way whatsoever. Indeed, it was read during a commercial break and rather pointedly not as part of the programme proper.

"Shabby" is the word that springs to mind. I wonder if Ms Coleman would call it "self-censorship".

Comments

[universallawyer]

For a news station to admit to a "regretable incident" is pretty strong stuff and how nice you refer to the self censorship article!

I declare an interest though - I am married to Prof Casey!