Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
9%
2 of 23 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
BBC News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
- Published
Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary has said he is "truly sorry" for describing rival airlines as "high-fare rapists".
asserted
he → publish → rapists
He had previously refused to apologise to a rape crisis centre which criticised him for the comments.
asserted
which → refuse → comments
O'Leary had made the remark earlier this month while talking to journalists ahead of Ryanair's yearly meeting with shareholders.
asserted
O'Leary → make → shareholders
Following the comments, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) wrote to him asking for an apology, in a letter seen by the BBC.
asserted
Centre → follow → BBC
O'Leary had originally said that some people were "desperate to get to Ryanair's low fares because they can't afford to fly with the high-fare rapists around Europe".
asserted
they → say → Europe
He subsequently defended his choice of words when asked by a reporter from the Press Association whether the language was appropriate.
asserted
language → defend → Association
"British Airways, Lufthansa, and everybody else's high fares, I'll happily offend them on a regular basis," he had added.
asserted
he → offend → basis
Asked whether it would offend sexual assault victims, he said rape was "a terrible crime".
asserted
rape → ask → victims
In a video posted on Friday, O'Leary said that, over the last ten days, he had had "conversations with family and friends, both inside and outside Ryanair".
asserted
he → post → Ryanair
"I have come to realise however that the word that I used so carelessly has caused considerable upset and offence to a wide number of people, especially to victims and survivors.
asserted
I → come → victims
"I want to apologise, sincerely and unreservedly, to those people, especially to the survivors."
asserted
I → want → survivors
O'Leary described his choice of language as "careless", and said "it won't happen again".
asserted
it → describe → language
"I will try to learn from this mistake, and do better in future."
asserted
I → try → future
Following O'Leary's first comments, the DRCC's chief executive Rachel Morrogh had written to O'Leary accusing him of trying to get a headline with his comments.
asserted
executive → follow → comments
She said the DRCC had received calls from rape victims who were "upset and distressed because of what you said".
asserted
you → say → what
She offered O'Leary training on the impact of sexual violence and urged him to apologise.
asserted
She → offer → him
"I can't imagine you would ever use the term so flippantly again if you truly understood [what] it was like to survive rape," she wrote.
asserted
she → imagine → rape
In response, O'Leary had said: "I am quite clear that no remarks of mine could possibly trivialise the heinous crime of rape."
uncertain
remarks → say → rape
He added that as he had not "trivialised the heinous crime of rape" he would "not be issuing any apology or accepting your offer of training".
asserted
he → add → training
It was not the first time O'Leary had offended people while talking about his business.
asserted
O'Leary → offend → business
In 2004, he reportedly called the owners of Stansted Airport "a bunch of overcharging rapists", external in a row over airport charges.
uncertain
he → call → charges
He has also previously called some of his own staff "lazy bastards" and once said to passengers looking for a refund "we don't want to hear your sob stories".
asserted
we → call → stories
In June, he said the airline would "reluctantly" stop charging parents to sit next to children after a watchdog investigation was opened, but insisted its previous policy complied with laws.
asserted
policy → say → laws
The Aporia
