"In some instances it can look more like crass than class"
May 26, 2015
Marty Morrissey
©INPHO
Jim McGuinness says Marty Morrissey is the latest victim of The Sunday Game's "culture of sensationalism".
Writing in his weekly column in The Irish Times, McGuinness is clearly disappointing by the falling standards of the national broadcaster's GAA coverage:
"When I was looking up the results, I immediately saw reports about the comment Joe Brolly had made about Marty Morrissey on The Sunday Game. And it was on my mind all evening," the former Donegal manager writes.
"Joe apologised for the remark he made about Marty live on the programme. It was offered in jest and the programme moved on. But I think the incident is like a window to a bigger issue which has been damaging to RTÉ and to its coverage of Gaelic football.
"The Sunday Game is considered to be the blue riband programme of RTÉ's sports coverage. It is supposed to be something that exudes class. But in some instances it can look more like crass than class. Sunday was an example of this.
"The culture of sensationalism may get ratings up but there is always going to be a human cost. And that human cost at the weekend was Marty Morrissey. But it will be someone else soon enough. Once something is said about an individual in any media, the impact of those words can affect that person for a long time. The broadcast ends and the debate moves on but the person at the centre of that debate can carry the criticisms with them and it can damage them.
"RTÉ has a great reputation when it comes to covering sport. RTÉ and Ireland lost one of its great broadcasters yesterday in Bill O'Herlihy, who always did it the right way. And on The Sunday Game live show, Michael Lyster always tries to moderate fairly.
"I have come to know some of the RTÉ journalists through my time with Donegal and hold them in very high regard. Marty Morrissey is one of those. He is a human being and as it happens, he is a great human being. But RTÉ have allowed this to happen with the coverage of Gaelic football by sitting on their hands and now it has affected one of their own staff members."
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