It’s not like me to get thick with the BBC, but where on earth did they think that news story about the Tories secret talks with the UUP and DUP came from? Eamonn broke story both through his radio reports and his post on Slugger, from which it was picked up by other media outlets… Really guys, it’s not good enough… I suppose we should be grateful that last night they finally broke (on the anodyne nature of which, more later) the Sunday Tribune story which has been cycling through Slugger and the Irish News for three days now… All in all, it’s been a poor show from the local BBC over the last few days (some resting on Spotlight’s laurels perhaps?)… At least it demonstrates the enudring power and importance of a free, commercially supported press… Adds: Eamonn tells me he got a few texts congratulating him from inside Ormeau Avenue, so kudos to those guys…
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty