Northern Ireland, where Government Press Officers outnumber journalists…

If the first base in setting up a democracy is to get a critical mass of politicians to buy into standing for election and then (trying to help) run the country, then Northern Ireland passes that with flying colours. If the next step (and there is no reason these things have to be linear) is a free press to interrogate said public officials, then maybe we have a bit further to go. In any case, there was a nice spot …

Read more…

Propaganda of Peace: Media and culture during the peace process

Extract from Greg McLaughlin and Stephen Baker: The Propaganda of Peace: The Role of Media and Culture in the Northern Ireland Peace Process. Bristol: Intellect Books. 2010. Political opponents Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness were confirmed as First Minister and Deputy First Minister of a new executive in May 2007, closing yet another chapter in Northern Ireland’s troubled history. A dramatic realignment of politics had brought these irreconcilable enemies together and the media played a significant role in persuading the …

Read more…

When the facts change, I’ll stick with my beliefs

Nice piece from the Boston Globe (via Gavin on Google Reader), which may or may not have a relevance to the ongoing saga at Northern Ireland Water (which has ruined many people’s attempts to take a holiday, including my own)… In reality, we often base our opinions on our beliefs, which can have an uneasy relationship with facts. And rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist …

Read more…

Foreign news and conjuring with the circulation figures

Even though news graphics often provide newspaper readers with more vivid versions of news events than  mere words can sometimes offer, enthusiasm sometimes takes the place of accuracy, or consistency, as in the case of the Chilean mine story, which broke in the papers generally on 23rd August, a fortnight after the shaft collapse which buried 33 miners alive. All the newspapers agreed on many basic details, with one exception: where exactly did the collapse take place that entombed the miners? The Irish Daily …

Read more…

Press Watch: A new column…

We’re not sure how regular this column will be, since it will depend to some extent on what comes in from you the readers. But f you see something wrong, misleading or inaccurate (Slugger O’Toole included, btw!!) then send it into Mick at [email protected] and he will pass it on. We cannot guarantee to publish everything we receive, but we’ll do our best to bring you the best. Here’s a couple of starters. First, these two divergent lines on the same story …

Read more…

Suspension; eye witness

In the subscription only Irish News Newton Emerson, editor of the satirical website Portadown News was in Stormont on the last day of business. One thing that consistently erks the reasonable middle ground parties is the way that most commentators rarely talk to them: “The Women’s Coalition are first to brave the spotlight. Cruelly, several reporters take this opportunity to make final adjustments to their cameras and microphones. There are no questions. As they leave, the DUP arrives and the …

Read more…