Sinn Féin having ‘chilling’ effect on Ireland’s democracy, says taoiseach

Ross, a former politician and government minister, said he agreed to the conditions, making for a "sanitised" interview. "It was a bit like dancing on pins to not mention anything too sensitive." A week later the broadcaster canned the interview, telling Ross it did not meet editorial guidelines. "You can only conclude they are very nervous because there is a high court action against them."

In a statement the broadcaster said it had editorial independence over what to cover and broadcast. "With many competing stories and items each day, it is not unusual for a pre-recorded interview not to be broadcast. In this instance, the decision not to broadcast was an editorial decision and was not influenced by any legal issues."

The Index on Censorship, a London-based watchdog, has filed media freedom alerts to the Council of Europe in relation to the McDonald and Kelly cases. The advocacy group said the Kelly lawsuit had "several characteristics" of strategic lawsuits against public participation, or Slapps.