Political Reaction
The incidents attracted comment from politicians.
The RTÉ News report was criticised as being in bad taste by Fianna Fáil Senators Maria Corrigan and Mary O'Rourke and TDs M. J. Nolan and Michael Kennedy. Fine Gael TD Michael W. D'Arcy called it the "most distasteful report I have seen on RTÉ in years". Kennedy urged consideration for the feelings of Cowen's wife and children, and called on Director-General of RTÉ, Cathal Goan, to resign, but did not advocate charging the artist.
Some suggested the government had put pressure on RTÉ to withdraw the report and apologise, or on Today FM to cooperate with the Garda. The station received several complaints that the report was in bad taste, including one from the government press secretary, Eoghan Ó Neachtain, who claimed he was acting on his own initiative. Fine Gael's Enda Kenny and Charles Flanagan called it a restriction on freedom of expression.
Liz McManus of the Labour Party criticised RTÉ for "bow to political pressure". RTÉ claimed the decision to withdraw the report was taken by RTÉ executives, and that Ó Neachtain's complaint was received after the late-night News on Two had already been broadcast without the report.
Some criticised the Garda investigation as a waste of resources. Frances FitzGerald said it was "over the top"; Rónán Mullen defended it as appropriate. Labour's Joan Burton said "While I sympathise with the Taoiseach and his family, the public has noticed that it took gardaí six months to go into the Anglo Irish Bank."
Read more about this topic: Brian Cowen Nude Portraits Controversy
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