Ivan Yates has said that client confidentiality was the reason he did not reveal that he provided media coaching to Fianna Fáil presidential hopeful Jim Gavin.
Mr Yates spoke publicly about the matter for the first time this morning during an interview on RTÉ’s Today with David McCullagh, reports RTE.
He defended his actions on all fronts, saying “I’ve done nothing wrong”, while noting that he had attracted even more attention in recent days than DJ Carey.
The broadcaster maintained that he did not violate any broadcasting guidelines by offering media training to Mr Gavin while simultaneously presenting a news programme for Newstalk and co-hosting a podcast with journalist and Today FM presenter Matt Cooper, reports RTE.
Fianna Fáil confirmed that the coaching sessions took place between 23 and 29 September and were focused on preparing for media appearances on two programmes.
The party also disclosed that Mr Yates had previously trained several government ministers, reports RTE.
Newstalk stated that it has launched a review after Mr Yates hosted three programmes on air during the presidential campaign without declaring “any conflict of interest.”
Matt Cooper, co-host of the Path to Power podcast, criticised Mr Yates for failing to disclose the coaching work while commenting on the election. The podcast will now continue with guest contributors instead, reports RTE.
Mr Yates, the media regulator Coimisiún na Meán, and several political communications experts have since been invited to appear before an Oireachtas committee to discuss transparency within the media industry.
Committee chair Alan Kelly said he wanted to make it “clear” that the media watchdog must improve transparency standards so that the public can know whether a political commentator is also providing services to a political party, reports RTE.
Mr Yates confirmed this morning that he intends to appear before the committee.
He said he did not recall being asked by Mr Cooper or anyone involved in the podcast if he was working with any of the presidential candidates, nor did he remember Newstalk inquiring about his coaching of Mr Gavin, reports RTE.
According to Mr Yates, he provided around four hours of training to Mr Gavin between 23 and 29 September, while also guest-presenting The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk on 23, 24, and 25 September.
He said Newstalk has reviewed recordings of his programmes from those dates and found nothing inappropriate in his remarks, reports RTE.
Mr Yates said he remains confident that he did not breach any Coimisiún na Meán regulations.
Speaking on Today with David McCullagh on RTÉ, he said that when he left full-time broadcasting in July 2020 to launch his media training business, his guiding principle was always client confidentiality.
“I had a golden rule and that was a client confidentiality,” he said, reports RTE.
Mr Yates said that while everyone knows he has strong opinions, his work as a media trainer is “nothing to do with policy for any party and I have no involvement in any manifesto.”
“My job is like a physio at the last minute to get them match fit,” he added, reports RTE.
He noted that in the nine days since the story emerged, no other media trainer has publicly identified their clients.
This, he said, is because they are bound by confidentiality agreements, reports RTE.
Mr Yates rejected claims that he stood to gain financially if Mr Gavin were to win the election.
“Let’s be clear,” he said, “I had initially said some things in Jim Gavin’s favour because I thought he would be a good choice but I quickly found out that he is not a politician and had no political skills,” reports RTE.
He said all clients are entitled to privacy and that he does not believe any trust has been violated.
He added, “I ask myself the simple question – is this legal in everything I do,” reports RTE.
“And in the case of the podcast, I asked myself that question – and do you know what the answer is? The 2009 Broadcasting Acts do not cover podcasts. And in fact, the only law covering podcasts because they’re a personal and private expression, is the law of defamation.”
Mr Yates also addressed his previous comment that Fine Gael should “smear the bejaysus” out of independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly, saying it was made “fast and loose” and was not connected to any strategy by Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil, reports RTE.
However, he acknowledged that the remark had affected Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys’ campaign: “Actually the only thing I’m sorry for in the last three or four weeks, or in the whole period, was that impact.”
“It was my opinion that the minute Jim exited the race was that Catherine Connolly was going to win the race,” he said, reports RTE.
“I handed in my Fine Gael membership card when I started in Newstalk in 2009,” he said, “and it was a stroke of genius by the Catherine Connolly campaign to claim those comments were a Fine Gael smear.”
“Similar claims by Simon Harris that it was a Fianna Fáil smear are also lies,” Mr Yates said, reports RTE.
Mr Yates concluded: “I broke no rules. In my mind, I’ve done nothing wrong. Any coaching job I have has not compromised my own opinions.”
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