{"id":659120,"date":"2026-10-19T07:32:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:32:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/659120\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T07:32:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T07:32:11","slug":"cutting-palestine-flag-necklace-from-cheap-irish-homes-episode-a-mistake-says-rte-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/659120\/","title":{"rendered":"Cutting Palestine flag necklace from Cheap Irish Homes episode a \u2018mistake\u2019, says RT\u00c9 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

RT\u00c9<\/a> has said it will review its processes on impartiality guidelines after a Palestinian flag necklace was edited out of an episode of Cheap Irish Homes<\/a> in post-production, without the consent of the woman wearing it.<\/p>\n

Claire Molloy, who appeared in an episode of the property programme last month, has lodged a complaint with RT\u00c9 and Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n<\/a> over the issue, claiming \u201cthis selective editing compromises the broadcaster\u2019s obligation to fairness and impartiality\u201d.<\/p>\n

RT\u00c9 confirmed the footage was edited and said \u201ca mistake\u201d was made \u201cin the interpretation and application of our guidelines\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThese are judgment calls in a production process, and these edits were made in good faith and in an effort to adhere to obligations on impartiality and RT\u00c9\u2019s guidelines on the undue prominence of symbols and emblems,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRT\u00c9 acknowledges that this matter could have been handled differently. With that in mind, RT\u00c9 will review its processes and procedures for the application of its guidelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile RT\u00c9 does not believe there is any regulatory contravention or breach of guidelines arising from this, we do acknowledge an excessively strict interpretation of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Molloy, an accountant based in Dublin, and her partner Peter Foley took part in filming for the programme last May, looking at houses in Tipperary. The episode was broadcast on RT\u00c9 One on September 29th.<\/p>\n

While watching the episode, Molloy noticed the necklace she was wearing during filming was no longer visible, while footage of her wearing a blue keffiyeh scarf was also used sparingly and mainly in wide-angle shots. <\/p>\n

\"Molloy'sMolloy’s Palestinian flag necklace was removed from the footage in post-production. Photograph: RT\u00c9 <\/p>\n

Molloy said no one raised her necklace or scarf as an issue during filming, and that if she had been asked to remove either, she \u201cprobably wouldn\u2019t have gone ahead with the filming\u201d. <\/p>\n

She said she was not asked to sign a release form prior to filming. RT\u00c9 and Cameo Productions, the company which makes the programme, did not reply when asked if Molloy had signed a release form.<\/p>\n

\"ClaireClaire Molloy and her partner Peter Foley (both on the left) looked at houses in Tipperary with presenter Maggie Molloy and architect Tadhg Casey in an episode of Cheap Irish Homes broadcast last month. Photograph: RT\u00c9 <\/p>\n

Molloy, who has previously volunteered in the West Bank, said she regularly wears the necklace and scarf in solidarity with the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just so shocked that [the necklace] was removed from my person without them telling me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Molloy wrote to RT\u00c9 to complain earlier this month. An executive producer with Cameo Productions replied to Molloy and acknowledged the necklace had been removed during post-production. <\/p>\n

\u2018It is important to also acknowledge that some sections were retained; the blue keffiyeh is included in several shots and is part of the thumbnail for the programme on the RT\u00c9 Player\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0Cameo Productions executive producer in email to Claire Molloy<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pendant in question was inadvertently overlooked during filming and was not identified as an editorial issue at the time,\u201d an email sent on October 12th said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce identified during post-production, it was considered in the context of RT\u00c9\u2019s guidelines because it contained imagery associated with a matter of political and public debate which was unrelated to the subject matter of the programme. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was felt that there was a reasonable basis to suspect certain parts of the content may be, or may be perceived as being, in contravention of the guidelines. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to also acknowledge that some sections were retained; the blue keffiyeh is included in several shots and is part of the thumbnail for the programme on the RT\u00c9 Player.\u201d<\/p>\n

The producer wrote that decisions regarding editing footage \u201ccan be difficult and are not straightforward\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cRT\u00c9 is responsible for what it broadcasts and at all times retains the editorial control of its content; we as producers and RT\u00c9 as a broadcaster must therefore make every effort to be in compliance with its obligations,\u201d the email added.<\/p>\n

When asked for comment, the producer said Cameo Productions did not wish to add anything beyond RT\u00c9\u2019s statement.<\/p>\n

Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n said it \u201cdoes not comment on individual complaints\u201d, but noted that members of the public \u201chave a right to complain if they believe that they have seen something broadcast … that does not meet statutory or regulatory standards\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first instance, we advise members of the public who wish to complain about broadcast content to complain to the broadcaster concerned,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they are unsatisfied with the response they receive from the broadcaster, they can contact Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n. All complaints received by An Coimisi\u00fan will be processed as standard under our statutory complaints handling process.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RT\u00c9 has said it will review its processes on impartiality guidelines after a Palestinian flag necklace was edited…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":659121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3584,61,60,3411,43,4268,6085],"class_list":["post-659120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-coimisiun-na-mean","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-israel-hamas-conflict","tag-news","tag-palestine","tag-rte"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}