FF candidate owns local papers running ‘FG electoral pitches’
A NUMBER of the local newspapers carrying stories on the new national development plan, paid for by the Government, are owned by a Fianna Fáil election candidate.
Micheál Martin has criticised the stories, describing the placement by the Governmet as an “electoral pitch by any yardstick”.
The Fianna Fáil leader said the €1.5m marketing campaign on Project Ireland 2040 by the Taoiseach’s Strategic Communications Unit is “by far the most expensive and extensive ever undertaken by a government”.
In particular, he took exception to the presence of Fine Gael politicians in some features used by regional newspapers.
“If one reads the ‘Longford Leader’, ‘Limerick Leader’ or ‘Roscommon Herald’, for example, one will see advertisements masquerading as news articles, with Fine Gael party candidates prominent in them.
“Some are not members of the Government or even members of the Oireachtas but election candidates,” he said.
The ‘Longford Leader’ and ‘Limerick Leader’ are owned by Iconic Newspapers, whose managing director is a Fianna Fáil election candidate.
Councillor Joe Flaherty, who will run in the Longford-Westmeath constituency, did not want to comment on the controversy when contacted by the Irish Independent yesterday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar denied editorial lines had been blurred by booking space with media organisations, including the Irish Independent , ‘The Irish Times’ ‘Irish Examiner’ and ‘The Journal.ie.
Mr Varadkar accused Fianna Fáil of trying to create a distraction because it doesn’t want to talk about the investment programme being rolled out by the Government.
“I have said it before and I will say it again, but good communication is a virtue. It is right and proper the Government should be able to inform the publicwhatitisdoing,whatis happening, how public money is being spent and how it is acting in people’s interest,” he said.
“Last week the deputy did not want to talk about it, but instead he wanted to talk about process and procedure. This week he wants to talk about the public information cam- paign because he does not want people to hear about the plan.
“He does not want people to hear about the Government’s vision to make our country a better place,” he said.
In heated exchanges, the Taoiseach was warned about being disruptive after showing copies of advertorials taken out by Fianna Fáil to highlight a previous national development plan. He told Mr Martin: “The deputy is not in a position to be giving lectures.”
Mr Varadkar argued the Fianna Fáil-Green government ran a campaign on climate change that cost €15m. He also said the Transport 21 campaign, also linked to Fianna Fáil’s time in government, cost €3m.
But Mr Martin insisted the Taoiseach was avoiding the fundamental question about the work being done by the Strategic Communications Unit.
“This is not about process but it is fundamental and goes to the heart of democracy and how our system works.
“The civil service should be completely devoid of politics.
“We have an independent media, thanks be to God, which is essential to the health of our democracy. Speaking truth to power is an essential prerequisite of this,” he said.
“The media needs revenue and the Fianna Fáil party does not have any difficulty with advertisements that are clearly identified as such. Media content partnerships between Government and the media should be fully transparent,” he added.