The Saturday Night Show has received a serious complaint about host Brendan O’Connor, claiming he made “unacceptable” remarks towards US President Obama.
In a new documents released by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), RTE have had to apologise for the comments made by the presenter during an interview with the Mayor of Boston, Mr. Marty Walsh, who is Irish/American.
The complainant states that during the interview the programme presenter suggested that Mr. Walsh should stand for President of the US because we had “the black guy…” and that if he won we would “have one of our own”.
Complaint: RTE have apologised for the remarks
“The complaint to the broadcaster alleged that the presenter’s comment implied that only white people can be truly Irish (“. . . the host . . . doesn’t appreciate that colour and nationality are not mutually exclusive”),” the BAI states.
“The broadcaster states that this is to take the presenter’s remark out of the context in which it was made – both in terms of playful tone and of the subject under discussion, U.S. politics.
“The broadcaster states that when heard in context it is very clear that the presenter’s remarks were intended to jokingly highlight the difference in degree of President Obama’s and Mayor Walsh’s relationship with Ireland.”
Not happy: Brendan received a serious complaint
In the official complaint Mr Walsh says he was “aghast and almost stunned by the comments made by the programme presenter and quickly pointed to the validity of President Obama’s roots in Ireland.”
BAI further ads that the complaint suggests Brendan “did not appreciate that colour and nationality are not mutually exclusive.”
During the conversation host Brendan said: “what we’d really like, and I guess what everyone in Connemara would really like, is if
you wouldn’t mind becoming the President….’cause if we had an actual President …”
“….of Ireland or America?,” Mr Walsh asked.
Comments: BAI state that the matter was been “resolved”
“No become the President of America…given that we’ve managed to appropriate a black guy, like, if we had an actual President of our own… who actually was really connected with us.. I mean we could go crazy here,” Brendan replied.
BAI looked into the complaint and said the matter was “resolved”.
“The complainant believes such comments by the host of a primetime show are unacceptable and that colour and nationality are not mutually exclusive,” they stated.
“Although the Forum found the reference to the skin colour of the President superfluous, the Forum was of the view that there was no intention to discriminate or unjustly represent President Obama.”
In an official apology RTE said they didn’t not mean to cause any offence.
“RTÉ regrets any offence which may have been taken by the complainant in respect of this exchange but believes that, in the context of the clear meaning of the remarks and their jocular tone, no such offence could be seen as undue.”
