DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ryanair prevented the media from attending its annual general meeting on Thursday, telling reporters upon arrival at the event that they would not be allowed in.
Reporters who understood that they had been brought into the conference room were told that they had been brought into the media room instead and that CEO Michael O’Leary would speak with them after the AGM ended.
A Ryanair spokesperson said the decision was made Thursday morning, but declined to say why.
The decision comes a day after the Irish Independent reported that Ryanair had refused entry to one of its reporters, John Mulligan, at the event.
It said Ryanair had offered access to any other journalist but the newspaper refused, saying Ryanair should not be allowed to dictate who covered the event. The newspaper quoted the National Union of Journalists as saying that any attempt to dictate who is covering the news would not be acceptable.
Ryanair declined to comment on whether Mulligan was banned.
