Blurred Keys

Hyping the ordinary into the extraordinary

Fintan O'Toole in the Irish Times today talks about "the hyping-up of the ordinary into the extraordinary". In the article he mentions journalism's part in the in the hyperbole...   

Journalism, of course, has a lot to do with all of this. The tabloid thesaurus in which every murderer is a monster, every rapist a beast and every piece of celebrity tittle-tattle a sensation, is becoming the vocabulary of the mainstream media too.

Of course, tabloids are not the only culprits by any means. For one local newepaper we read, an aim to cut road deaths is hyped to "frightening number of deaths", and new trains which don't have reclining chairs, don't have a first class carriages, and don't currently have any dining carriages, some-how are “luxurious” trains. We're surprised when there isn't superfluous words in their news.

I've heard excuses along the lines of it makes content more interisting, but nonsense hyperbole slowly chips away at people's fate in journalism. Is saying this hyperbolic in its self? No, because what are too often brushed away as just a little mistake and, in this case, just a little bit of hype is exactly what erodes the public's confidence in journalism. 

New SundayWorld.com, with Williams ad

The Sunday World has relaunched their website, sundayworld.com, recently.

The content includes columns, gossip, and reviews. They also have online-only content from gossip site PerezHilton.com. And there's video from Balcony TV, along with other video clips of games and films, and 'funnies'.

But no news.

The roll over banner advert currently running across the site shows Paul Williams, the newspaper's crime editor, saying - as ever - he'll be watching the criminals. That's entertaining at least.

Vincent Browne interviewed (link)

Vincent Browne talks to Marketing magizine about getting sacked by RTE, his Nightly News show on TV3, the Sunday Tribune, what he thinks of Independent News & Media and much more. Read it here. (vie Fergus Cassidy)

DPP seeks jaling of editor, journalist

The DPP is appealing a High Court finding that former Evening Herald editor Gerry O’Regan and journalist Anne-Marie Walsh were not in contempt of court.

The move could possibly end in the jailing of Walsh and the now Irish Independent editor O’Regan and fines for Independent News & Media.

MORE: DPP bids to jail editor, reporter for contempt

Freelancing and the art of pitching

Journalism is often described as a trade, but freelancing is more like an art. Or at least the process of pitching to editors is an art form.

Adam Maguire talks about the it here, following up on the boards.ie News & Media thread on the same subject here. While below are letters from the NUJ's magazine,  the Journalist, shows a few different views on the issue...

Irish media news round-up (April/May)

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, here's a bit of a news round-up...

- Broadcast Bill carries 'right to reply'
- Bill proposes single broadcast regulator
- Irish paper group seeks £8m help
- Press Council member quits over policy *
- Council's suppression of dissenting voice forced me to quit *
- Clarify Privacy Bill's limbo status - FG*
- O'Brien-backed group puts case for DTT licence*
- Metro director to leave paper 
- Sir Anthony scoops Media Person of the Year award
* = (subs reqd)

Irish media's problem - no manners

Or at least that's what Gayle Killilea wrote for the Sunday Independent after seeing a group of Irish newspaper reporters staying quite at the former Taoiseach's address to Congress...   

...I made my feelings clear about the media behaviour to Charlie Bird when I met him on Wednesday evening. He said that he had clapped. And I believe he did, the broadcast media were seated in a different section of the house to the print media, and did not seem to be infected by the same negativity.

However, he defended their behaviour by asserting that it is normal for journalists to sit impassively during such occasions. This suggests that it is normal for the Irish media to be impartial and detached, which of course they are not. The Irish media are not impartial or detached, the articles that they write demonstrate that...

- Gayle Killilea, Sunday Independent

Student media awards 2008 winners

The Irish student media awards, the Three Smedias, were held in Tripod last night, bellow are the all the winners (in bold and orange) followed by the other nominees...

Ex-Irish Times ed replies to FitzGerald's comments on paramilitary coverage

Former Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, as part of one of his weekly Irish Times columns ('Interaction between print and electronic media seems limited') wrote about the courage of journalists covering paramilitary activities in Ireland not being backed at editorial level:

Irish student media awards nominees

The nominations for the 2008 Smedia awards - the Irish student media awards - have been announced.

Although the nominees in three categories have yet to be revealed, the vast majority are available at the organiser's website, oxygen.ie.

The awards take place on Tuesday night at Tripod in Dublin.