Thursday, March 20, 2008
Normalisation and managing the message
You couldn’t have failed to notice the English Queen has just completed a three day trip to the six counties.
A visit that occurred in such a ‘normalised’ environment today’s event in Armagh was flagged weeks in advance.
The media assisted with normalisation of the visit by pretty much ignoring Republican protests. So far the Newsletter is the only outlet giving the protests any real coverage, though they’ve downplayed the combined numbers attending demonstrations organised by both éirígí and RSF. (éirígí note the normalisation did not extend to the people of Armagh)
UTV News chose to cover the protests by lumping them in a section including some hoax bomb alerts (like the Newsletter), showing only a small section of the crowd, ignoring the rest and relying on the connotations brought to mind by using the throwaway tag ‘dissident Republicans.’ The BBC just completely ignored the whole issue.
So it all seems so normal but that’s only possible by ignoring the truth, something many other groups also found a convenient tactic.
Mark McGregor @ 08:10 PM
The media assisted with normalisation of the visit by pretty much ignoring Republican protests.
The Natural Law Party has a greater mandate than the two organizations you mentioned. Why report on irrelevant people with irrelevant opinions ?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 08:42 PMCS,
You’d have to ask the Newsletter that question. For me the answer is because it interests me and I can.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 08:55 PMIrrelevant views in your opinion...the point clearly is the medias attempt to hide or down play any opposition to the British Monarch`s visit…
I don`t care one iota if she visits or not, its of no interest to me but to pretend that alls rosy in the garden and all of a sudden the Queen is the darling of the Native Irish is naive....
What would happen if the UK became a republic, would her royal moneyness retire to Hillsborough to dote over her loyal ulssteeer sssssscccoots
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 08:59 PMA small protest got small coverage what is the issue?
I’ve organised about a dozen pickets in my time and got media coverage for about 3 of them another 3 were filmed/interviews but were not used the rest got feck all. Such is life no grand conspiracy.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:06 PMProbably because we have seen enough of protest politics. If they have any substance go to the electorate and receive endorsement via democracy.
Otherwise stand there with your ‘no queen crown’ thingies stuck on cardboard and wave away until you feel that you have protested enough.
The media have enough to answer for regarding being sucked into shock stunts of the past the reality is that it passed of peacefully because largely people are at ease with what was planned to happen and has.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:17 PMFD,
The difference is this one was covered (TV crews all over it) but it all hit the cutting room floor on a day when there was pretty much nothing else but coverage of the visit. A visit that was solely sold in the context of 10 years since the GFA, isn’t the world a box of soft centred chocolates, isn’t this all so normal.
Protests against the English Queen and the massive security operation in place in Armagh today are not normal in Britain and trying to pretend they are or ignoring them is just a deception imho.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:17 PMI think this trip was really a nice time for many in the unionist community, but also handled by the organisers so that it was inclusive, inviting the Irish President along to join in, for example.
After many years of feeling that their identity was not valued-perhaps they were wrong to feel that way but the feeling was there- here was a day when the average unionist person in the street could see their Britishness expressed. The most British of British institutions, the Queen.
For the Queen to actually break with tradition in Northern Ireland’s favour was symbolically meaningful.
The BBC interview with the lady on the Newtownards Road said it all: “Q: Why is this special to you?” “Q: Because it reminds us we’re British”.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:19 PMI thought McAleese’s comments came dangerously close to overstepping her constitutional boundaries. And not for the first time. Still, elect such a person and what do you expect.
I have to say the media coverage has been a bit much to take.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:21 PMGari,
I’ve sent you mail to that account you never check.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 09:29 PMMark, I put up an example of news management (post #7) two days ago. The Spring briefing had slipped through the net briefly but it only sees the light of day when I post it. You’ll not see it on CAIN or the BBC. You can see Annesley’s version of events here. It’s likely that similar management is still in place.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:00 PMI felt the coverage was of a colourful religious occasion,good for television, and not a political one, a sort of one-off thing which we won’t see again; so I was vaguely interested in it, and viewed it - though not specially; I just happened to be about.
I don’t get any local newspapers, but I DO realise there was a protest demonstration - because I saw a shot of it on tv!; and read what it said on the protestors’ banner. The protesters protesting is ok by me
I dunno what it is expected that the tv people should have done. If they’d interviewed the protestors they would have just repeated why they were protesting. There would have been nothing new in what they said.
The slap-up ceremony the cathedral, on the other hand, was new. and, as I say, sort of half interesting/ What are some getting so worked up about?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:02 PMMM
“The difference is this one was covered (TV crews all over it) but it all hit the cutting room floor”
Such occurrences was addressed in my previous comment “another 3 were filmed/interviews but were not used”
“it all hit the cutting room floor”
No it didn’t and you said it didn’t “UTV News chose to cover the protests by lumping them in a section including some hoax bomb alerts”.
The BBC report last night referred to tight security showing peelers on rooftops when that den of republicanism called the newtownards road was visited.
“there was pretty much nothing else”
Definition of Nothing - 2 people died in a serious car accident (Nice display of social conscience BTW). A man was also charged in relation to a record-breaking and second largest robbery ever in the UK. Former US president Clinton cancelled his trip here. Hamill inquiry not extended. Adams bashes the police over crime. There was also the Labour Force Survey stuff showing an improvement in the relgious balance of the workforce and a significant decline in the differential in employment rate between the two communities. Plenty to be filling the news sections with a number of particualr interest to the nationalist community.
Still not seeing evidence of a conspiracy so far.
BTW Irish presidential visits have pretty much been ‘normalised’ even with Mcaleese’s foot in mouth tendencies. Is normalisation to be a one way process?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:11 PMI hope you enjoyed your day of protesting Mr. McGregor. It might disconcert you to know that I do know a number of fundamentalist Protestants who are none too fond of the Queen thinking that “There is none King save Christ alone”. Thought maybe that quote in Armagh might be a little close to Drogheda.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:14 PMFunnily enough I frove though Armagh today on the way to Bushmills. I was a bit nervous, thinking I would be held up for ages, but in the end I couldnt be arsed trying to figure out a short cut and took a chance.
I drove through the city about 10 minutes before the Queen went to the Cathedral, and was struck by the dead atmosphere. There were about 50 people behind railings waiting for the Queen, and about 20 police men. There was no check point on the Newry Road into Armagh, although traffic was being stopped coming into the city from the Moy side.It was a bit eerie, as I was the only car in the whole of Armagh at the time. Far from being congested, it was deserted! I did not see any protest, and it struck me that it was actually a fairly low key event, compared to the dozens of events I have covered over my years in Northern Ireland.
Anyway, that was my first person report form having been there, and I think that apart from the ceremony in the Cathedral, the rest may have been mcuh ado about nothing
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:23 PMMark, is éirígí following in the footsteps of Sean Garland?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:24 PM“even with Mcaleese’s foot in mouth tendencies”
Is she related to Prince Philip? A variant on blue tongue disease? ;)
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:32 PMNevin
Good onePosted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:37 PM“I frove though Armagh today on the way to Bushmills. I was a bit nervous”
You’re a brave woman, Miss Fitz. I remember the time John Hume attended a schools event in Ballycastle. He decided to avoid the ‘fearsome’ Bushmills and went back to Derry via Mosside instead!! The details of the trip were written up for the Reader’s Digest by Cal McCrystal.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:42 PMI’m also surprised the media didn’t note the first six county action from éirígí activist - Breandán MacCionnaith.
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:49 PM“the first six county action from éirígí activist - Breandán MacCionnaith.”
Holding a family in Portadown hostage?
Posted by on Mar 20, 2008 @ 10:55 PMIs that link correct, Nevin? Maith thú, a Bhreandáin.There’s life in the oul’ dog yet!
Posted by on Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:02 AMHats off to the BBC, I thought, for great coverage of the service in armagh. It was quite right that they reported the central event of the 3-day visit without reference to a couple of nutters with posters. Great pageantry.
Posted by on Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:10 AMHere’s the big secret about why that earth-shattering protest by two men and a wee boy didn’t get any coverage on the beeb.
They were the host broadcaster for the big gig at the cathedral and were putting out a live programme on same. That meant all their resources in Armagh were tied up in one place behind the security cordon so they couldn’t roam freely unlike UTV...so hold the front page, Chomsky.
Posted by on Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:27 AMAs far as I know, Pancho. Here are the details from another site:
The court was told that two masked men burst into the house in Churchill Park, Lurgan, and demanded the keys of the family car. A gun was produced and one of the men made off in the car while McKenna held the family of three hostage for almost three hours.Belfast Telegraph 28 January 1997
The family’s ordeal ended when a policeman called at their door to investigate, after the hijacked car was left unattended in the centre of the town. McKenna tried to escape when he saw the policeman, but he was caught and arrested. A green mask was found in his pocked.
Posted by on Mar 21, 2008 @ 12:34 AMIts also noticeable that Secretary of State Shaun Woodward chose today to announce his decision to refuse to extend the remit of the Robert Hamill Inquiry to include investigating decisions, or lack of them, by the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to that particularly foul murder.
He clearly recalled the Labour govt policy of picking the right occasion “to bury the bad news” as neither the BBC or UTV mentioned this on any of their news programmes.Posted by on Mar 21, 2008 @ 01:02 AM
