WATCH: Rónán Mullen says Irish Independent journalist Ellen Coyne “invented remarks”

Image Credit: Houses of the Oireachtas

Senator Rónán Mullen yesterday called on the Irish Independent to apologise to a woman who was inaccurately quoted in an article by Irish Independent journalist Ellen Coyne. The Senator also requested that Coyne herself apologise for the article.

Senator Mullen said that Coyne had “invented remarks attributed to Ms Fitzgibbon suggestive of the idea that the pro-life group had knowledge and intent to time their witness along with abortions.”

A recording acquired by Gript showed that quotes used in Coyne’s article differed substantially from what she was actually told by her source, a Ms Antoinette Fitzgibbon. The Irish Independent has amended the story, but neither the Irish Independent nor Ellen Coyne responded to questions about how the quotes had come to differ so substantially from what was recorded.

Senator Mullen said that “If the shoe was on the other foot and this was a journalist with pro-life sympathies misrepresenting a situation such as this, he or she would be back making coffee and photocopying for a considerable period of time before being allowed to return to the newsroom.”

The Independent did not respond when asked if it had any comment to make on the allegation that one of its journalists had invented, and then attributed to a named person, quotations.

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This piece was first published on Gript.