Blurred Keys

Two-year wait for FoI request leads to numbers blackened out on documents

Newspaper viewed blackened out sections by holding documents up to a light source

Last week the Irish Times ran a story on the planned rail projects for Dublin, the story was based on Freedom of Information request made nearly two years ago.

While the request was filed a day after the transport plan 'Transport 21' was launched the Irish Times only received some of the documents the week before last, the newspaper says that every figure, particularly cost estimates, were blacked out.

Talking up crime in Ireland

As the World Health Organisation classes Ireland as the least violent country in Europe the church classes the violence levels as "close to a national emergency" according to the Irish Times.

While it might be wrong that anybody is being killed or murdered, the facts simply don't back that there is any kind of crisis. Crime in the country is low per head of population, and there is no trend of alarming growth.

On the eve of the release of a WHO report that shows Ireland to be least violent state in Europe, the media and "leaders in society" are continuing to peddle outright twisted view that violence in the country is spiraling out of control, it simply isn't.

In the Sunday Times yesterday a news report started with the view that the WHO report "seems to fly in the face of reality", the reality it seems is that the political and media hype flies in the face of reality and hard facts.

Challenging the idea that the level of violence is out of control is akin to challenging an urban myth that just won't go away. Close to everybody is sucked into the myth and the fear, and the fear is irrational and near to unchallengeable.      

MORE: There is no crime crisis
MORE: Ireland ‘least violent country in Europe’
MORE: The hyping of crime

Browne to the Mail? Everybody hates the Sunday Independent?

The Sunday Independent's Liam Collins suggests that Vincent Browne, besides his recent radio movements, may also move in print.

Collins takes what looks like half a wild guess and says that Browne's columns may end up at the Irish Daily Mail.

The Guardian's Roy Greenslade says "I don't think so", but isn't that what most people would have said to the suggestion of Frank Connolly moving to the Mail?

Connolly was previously at Ireland on Sunday before it was re-branded as the Irish Mail on Sunday, but he -- like Browne -- doesn't share the views of the typical image of the Mail.

But all three have common ground -- getting a good story, they are apprently out to get the Irish Government or just Fianna Fáil, and they are all mortal enemies of the Independent News & Media.

It's apprently the world against the Indo Sindo and FF.

Also on Sunday, Collins has pot shots at what he classes as "Dismal science merchants" (ie anybody that "talks down" the economy), naming George Lee (RTE), Richard Curran (Sunday Business Post), and David McWilliams (SBPost, Indo).

Then again, these day it looks like everybody hates the Independent group, or at least everybody hates the Sunday Independent, even the Irish Independent's Ian O'Doherty...

There are some people out there who think that the Sunday Independent is an arrogant, solipsistic rag with delusions of journalistic adequacy. But they are wrong.  As last Sunday's issue proved, it is actually the finest satirical publication available today and is better than The Onion, Private Eye and Mongrel all rolled into one.

How else could one explain Eoghan Harris reviewing himself on the Late Late and, bravely, fearlessly, courageously, giving himself a good review?

Irish press council members announced

The members of the Press Council of Ireland have been revealed today, the group will work with the Office of Press Ombudsman to act as an independent regulatory for the print media in Ireland.

A statement today said that the two bodies hope to be fully operational by the autumn. Code of practice to govern newspapers and magazines in Ireland is also to be introduced.

The Press Council is made of 13 members in total, it's chairman, Professor Thomas Mitchell, six 'independent members' picked using public recruitment, and media nominated members.

“I believe the establishment of a Press Council of Ireland is a significant event in the history of the Irish media, and a very good news story for the Irish public and the press industry in this country" said Mitchell.

“We will soon have a complaints procedure that is independent, accessible to all, simple, quick and free”.

In addition to Mitchell the independent members are Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link; Mary Kotsonouris, a qualified solicitor and former District Court Judge; John Horgan, former chairman of the Labour Court; Maeve McDonagh, associate Professor of Law in UCC; Dr Eleanor O’Higgins, senior lecturer in the UCD School of Business; and Peter O’Mahony, former CEO of the Irish Refugee Council.

While the industry members are Rosemary Delaney, managing editor of multi-media firm WMB Publishing Ltd; Michael Denieffe, managing editor of Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd; Martin Fitzpatrick, treasurer of the Irish Executive Council of the National Union of Journalists; Michael McNiffe, Editor of the Irish Sun; Eoin McVey, managing editor of the Irish Times; and Frank Mulrennan, president of the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland.

“The council brings together a great range of talent and considerable diversity of geography, background and expertise,” Mitchell added.

“All 13 members are people of achievement, standing and varied experience. I believe all of these factors will give the Council credibility and strong moral authority, and anyone who might seek to undermine it or ignore its judgements can I feel expect an adverse reaction from both press and public".

The appointments were made by a what was referred to today as an independent appointments committee.

The new press council chairman Professor Thomas Mitchell also chaired the committee and was joined by Dr Miriam Hederman-O’Brien, a former chairman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission; Dr Maurice Manning, president of the Irish Human Rights Commission; and Kevin Murphy, former Ombudsman and Information Commissioner.

UPDATE: Greenslade over at Guardian Unlimited compares the Press Council of Ireland to the UK Press Complaints Commission.

RTE director general on Flynn case

The director general of RTE has written a 'Opinion Piece' in response to the state broadcasters settlement with Beverly Flynn over a failed libel action.

The opinion piece by RTE director general Cathal Goan (pictured) was published in the Irish Independent yesterday and online at rte.ie. In it he defends RTE actions linked with the case and credits Charlie Bird and George Lee for "breaking an important story".

If Flynn had been declared bankrupt had RTE pursued her for full costs awarded to them Flynn was possibly in a position to lose her recently won Dail seat.

The settlement amounts to €1.225m, less then half of the  €2.3m legal costs, plus interest of €500,000, that RTE were first looking for. It lead to newspaper letter writers and commentators asking "If Beverley Flynn paid RTE half, why not us?" in regards to TV licences.

 

"Throughout this case my two overriding considerations were firstly; protecting the integrity and independence of RTE, its journalism and journalists and secondly ensuring value for money for licence-fee payers. No other considerations, political or otherwise, were part of my decisions at any time" Goan states, likely in reply to accusations over the last week of the possible influence of political pressure.

He went on to say, "If there is a political issue from all this it is about libel reform. On the one hand when a person feels their name is damaged they risk potentially catastrophic expense to seek redress. And on the other the publisher is often left with the difficult choice of whether or not to run stories where a mistake could result in huge legal bills. Or as in this case, we can run a story of the highest standard, based on excellent journalism of genuine public interest and value, be challenged, win, and still end up paying a high price". Image (c) RTE

Exclusives, exclusives, exclusives.... Phoenix Magazine Vs the Sunday Times

Newspapers get a bit prickly when it comes to exclusives and credit for such, rightly so. But apparently there's a bit of confusion over who got there first at the Irish edition of the Sunday Times on a story on Manhon Tribunal interview tapes.

The Times printed their story earlier this month, while the Phoenix published their first at the start of the year. Phoenix explains...

Leech loses Irish Independent libel case

Monica Leech has lost her libel action against the Irish Independent. Leech claimed she was libelled by the newspaper in an article about claims made on the RTE radio show Liveline.

The PR woman previously won €250,000 in damages from RTE due to comments made on the show.

MORE: Leech loses High Court damages action (free access).

Irish property market coverage defended

Deputy Editor of the Sunday Business Post, Richard Curran, defended negative media coverage of the Irish property market this evening on the Last Word radio show; he said a stable market would not be affected by such coverage.

Curran came under fire for talking down the property market after presenting the RTE program Future Shock: Property Crash, but much of the media has been blamed after an apparent recent in negative coverage.

Irish journalists were accused of been infected by a pack mentality yesterday by Paul Allen, head PR company of Paul Allen & Associates, who was guest writing in the Media and Marketing section of the Sunday Business Post. He referred to coverage of the economy as well as how the media treated Bertie Ahern before the recent election.

Allen citied similar criticism on coverage of the economy by Bank of Ireland economist Dan McLaughlin, saying, “He has suggested that certain elements in the media are trying to talk us into a recession and do not give a true picture of how the economy is performing. He suggested misleading headlines were taking things out of context”.

The PR man said the media were obsessed with bad news and called for journalists to start acting as independent observers, “It is time the media got back on track and started acting like an independent observer and reporter on our current fortunes, rather than spinning the stories to suit its own bad news agenda”.

Times – Mahon Tribunal case set for July

The Mahon Tribunal’s action against the Irish Times has been set to be heard before the High Court on July 10. 

The action centres around forcing the editor Geraldine Kennedy and public affairs correspondent Colm Keena to reveal the source of a story focused on payments to the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, a letter quoted in the article is viewed by the private and confidential.

M: Judges appointed in case against 'Irish Times' (subs reqd)

FF bias conspiracy theories

Irish Examiner political editor Harry McGee tackles John Waters' claims of bias against Fianna Fail in the pre-election coverage...

Most journalists based their predictions (and their analysis) not on any fatuous wish-fulfillment for the soft left or prejudice against FF, but on the only evidence that was available to them - the opinion polls. The same polls waxed and waned during the 25 days of the campaign. And it meant that many journalists, who are creatures of the moment, swayed with whichever way the wind was blowing.

In the main, the writing reflected this flux and the volatility (and I'm including my own in this). Sure there's a question about our almost craven reliance on opinion polls. And perhaps, in retrospect, journalists over-estimated the impact of the BertieGate allegations. But that's a reflection (sadly) of superficiality - not of any deep-seated ideological prejudice. And, what nobody predicted, even FFers themselves, was the sheer ease of the FF victory. - Harry McGee

Meanwhile, Michael Hennigan at finfacts.ie tackles Waters on a number of points... 

Expecting to dance to the tune Arise and follow Charlie, John Waters as Rip Van Winkle, wakes up to an Ireland where divorce is legalised, homosexuality decriminalised and the cap is no longer doffed to the high and mighty in Church and State. God forbid, the media at last even dares cast a cold eye on the machinations of politicians. - Michael Hennigan

Never mind Rip Van Winkle, what you have imagine is Waters (and Harris and co) actually sitting behind a dike with their fingers in the gaps in the wall stopping the tide of a Fianna Fail biased media from coming in from the other site, a Fianna Fail biased media which "en masse" is only in their imaginations...   

The easier solution is for the media, with the exception of Eoghan Harris and myself, to stand down en masse, it having been established that, once again, ideological agendas, wishful thinking and spite have prevented them doing their jobs. If there is a better reason for resigning, I cannot think of it. - John Waters in the Irish Times

Maybe Waters was reading too much of the Irish Times? The Phoenix had the following to say about the newspaper's election coverage...

There was a time when, despite its undoubted anti-Fianna Fáil agenda, the IT affected an impartiality in its political coverage. However, all such pretence has been dropped under Madam Editor, whose detestation of FF was openly manifest in its election coverage. This bias may well have damaged the paper’s credibility, not only because many of today’s middle-class readers would have more regard for FF than ten or twenty years ago, but also because the paper’s election coverage was damaged by its partisanship.