Sean Gallagher to break silence on ‘Twittergate’ scandal online


14 May 2012

In a fitting way, former presidential candidate and former RTÉ ‘dragon’ Sean Gallagher has chosen the internet to be the medium through which he will break his silence on the controversial Frontline debate scandal dubbed ‘Twittergate’.

Gallagher will broach the controversial topic at the Future Media Conference tomorrow in Dun Laoghaire.

His appearance will be by way of an interview that will focus on the presidential election campaign in Ireland and in particular the role social media played in the final result.

The interview will be broadcast live tomorrow from 2.15pm on Aertv.ie, Magnet’s online TV service.

A special hashtag for the interview has been created: #seangallagherlive

During the 2011 campaign, Gallagher adopted the use of social media in his campaign as opposed to posters. However, it was social media that was to also prove his undoing when during a live debate on RTÉ a tweet related to a bogus account derailed his chances for election.

The tweet also caused a crisis for the broadcaster, as questions were raised as to whether proper checks went into establishing the veracity of the tweet.