Media

The Art of Political Speechmaking – a dying art or still a vital talent? #imaginebelfast

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https://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/the-democracy-unit

Has the art of writing and delivering a political speech fallen by the wayside of a media landscape that vacuums up soundbites rather than valuing passionate prose? Next Thursday evening, some local politicians will recite elements of other people’s speeches which have influenced their own political journeys and discuss the importance of speechmaking in the current political climate. It’s part of the Imagine! Festival, and Claire Hanna (SDLP), Deirdre Hargey (Sinn Féin), Emma Little-Pengelly (DUP) and Kate Nicholl (Alliance) are …

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The Hope of Possibility

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My Dad died two days before Christmas. I was on my way up to see him when I got a missed call and a text from my brother telling me he’d passed away. He had pancreatic cancer. The time between diagnosis and death is often short. Before you’ve had time to wrap your head around the fact that your loved one is ill, they are gone.  The shock of the loss is as sharp and painful as the grief. How …

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Gerry Kelly libel case: “The abuse of process in this case is so blatant that it would be utterly unjust if the court were to allow the proceedings to continue.”

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justice, statue, lady justice

As the BBC report, Belfast High Court has thrown out a libel case brought by Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly against freelance journalist Malachi O’Doherty, describing it as “scandalous, frivolous and vexatious”. As the Irish Times report notes In a decision published on Monday, The Master of Belfast High Court, Evan Bell, also struck out Mr Kelly’s defamation action on the basis that “the proceedings are an abuse of process”, that it “has no realistic prospect of success”, and that …

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Free press crucial for transformative justice in Venezuela: a talk with Luis Carlos Díaz

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Luis Carlos Díaz, an accomplished journalist from Venezuela and deemed a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was a guest keynote speaker at an event organised by the International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE) at Ulster University, Belfast. A conversation was facilitated by Juliana Poveda Clavijo and Cristal Palacios Yumar, both PhD researchers at the university. Professor Brandon Hamber (John Hume and Thomas P. O’Neill Chair in Peace) introduced Luis Carlos Díaz, informing the audience of his co-authorship of nine books …

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Constructive journalism is ‘pressing, urgent, and needed everywhere’: inaugural B° Future Festival

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The Bonn Institute hosted an inaugural, two-day B° Future Festival for journalism and constructive dialogue, held in the city’s LVR LandesMuseum. The first day for registered delegates was conducted mainly in English and discussed various dimensions of constructive journalism — such as focusing on human experiences and solutions, trauma-informed interviewing, community engagement workflows, and the business case for newsrooms. The second day was opened up to the general public, with a long list of information and practical sessions at various …

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Is it now the case that music and politics don’t mix?

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I was going to write this piece a couple of weeks ago when the hysteria over the Wolfe Tones at Feile had settled down. But it didn’t. So I didn’t. Then last week it was worse than ever with their appearance and apparent triumph at the Electric Picnic Festival. But probably better timing for me. Leaving aside the embarrassing spectacle of thousands of young people singing along to a dirge in tribute to sectarian terrorism, it raised a bigger question …

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So how’s our press getting on in 2023?

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man sitting on bench reading newspaper

The last time I wrote for Slugger on the performance and prospects of our three local daily newspapers was in March 2021. At that point in the aftermath of the defection of Allison Morris and Sam McBride to the Belfast Telegraph from the Irish News and News Letter respectively. I haven’t contributed on the industry in the subsequent two and a half years as I’ve felt – frankly and regrettably – that there was little to be added to my …

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The tiresome self flagellation of the BBC…

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So poor old Huw Edwards has been revealed as the BBC presenter at the centre of a supposed sex scandal. It does not matter that the police have said there is no evidence he has committed any crime, he has been found guilty in the court of public opinion, and that is all it takes these days to ruin someone’s life and reputation. I don’t particularly care what he does with his money, although I would find it strange if …

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A Peace of Us: Exploring the Impact of the Good Friday Agreement 25 Years On

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Megan Fearon is the Policy and Public Affairs Manager for the Open University  As we approached the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, The Open University in Ireland embarked on a unique project called “A Peace of Us”. The four-part podcast series goes beyond the political institutions and delves into the broader themes of post-conflict societies. With voices from various sectors including arts, music, sports, and activism, “A Peace of Us” aims to give us a holistic understanding of …

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The Rise and Fall of Belfast’s own ‘Fleet Street’ #looknorth23

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Journalists Ivan Little, Allison Morris, Gary McDonald and Jim McDowell on Journalism panel Look North Festival

Last Friday evening, four journalists gathered top discuss the rise and fall of the print media presence on Donegall Street, once Belfast’s very own ‘Fleet Street’. Jim McDowell was joined by Gary McDonald, Allison Morris and Ivan Little. Memories of formal training and learning on the job, old characters in the news rooms and printing presses, deadlines, dubious headlines, drinking on the job, death knocks and even a bit of poetry from John Hewitt. Filmed & edited by Alan Meban …

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The English right wing press try to make Mick Lynch public enemy number one…

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I admit I take a certain amount of pleasure in the fact that a guy with an Irish background is being such a complete pain in the neck to the British Establishment. They absolutely loath charismatic working-class leaders. This is the front page of today’s Sun. Take a minute to watch this bizarre monologue from Richard Madeley yesterday: 'Will you answer the question Mr Lynch, I won't let you get away with nonsense'@richardm56 grills the General Secretary of the RMT, …

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Media’s responsibility in reporting health stories: avoiding public panic…

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person using both laptop and smartphone

The death of a child from an infectious disease is shocking and heartbreaking in equal measure. It’s thankfully so rare nowadays that when it occurs, and the event is local, it understandably causes panic. Over the past week, with the reported tragic death of Stella-Lily McCorkindale following a spike in Strep A infections locally and other child deaths across the UK (there have been an estimated 16 deaths to date), we went straight to panic mode. The pressure on out-of-hours …

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In Defence of Lord Mayor of Belfast, Tina Black…

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On Saturday past, the current Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tina Black, was recorded for an interview with Press Association (PA). During the piece to camera, the PA journalist put the question to Councillor Black as to why Sinn Féin attended the Armistice commemoration at the Cenotaph, but not the service for Remembrance Sunday.  I wish to state from the outset that I don’t share the politics of Sinn Féin nor do I agree with their stance on the matter …

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Media’s role in mediating our ‘different psychic landscapes’

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A set of current and former journalists shared their experiences and thoughts on the role of media and social debate across the island of Ireland. Hosted by the Irish Association, the event “Journalism without borders” attracted several dozen, including other journalists and commentators. The discussion explored what we think the public knows about society on both sides of the border, and why or why not that is the case. Indeed, Stephen Douds (president of the Irish Association) explained in his introduction a motivation …

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The trouble with making drama – Part 1: The small screen…

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Old TV

While I was watching Bloodlands the BBC drama series starring Jimmy Nesbitt as a bent PSNI detective, it occurred to me that a new sub-genre of post-Troubles legacy drama has effectively emerged. Like similar serials such as Line of Duty or The Fall, Bloodlands is not specifically about politico-sectarian conflict, but this theme is inevitably lurking in the background with regular references to past events involving paramilitaries. During my formative years in the 1980s and 90s there seemed to be …

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Houses of sand: Unionism has a problem with younger voters. A huge one.

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Whither the union. I find myself becoming weary as I write this. Articles about the demise of the union, about unionist malaise and mistakes, are so common these days that they all sound the same. I stopped writing them at one point because I had nothing new to add. Even now, people write these pieces with a weird air of arrogance. They want you to know that they and they alone have figured out that unionism is in a difficult …

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A tribute to Jim Fitzpatrick…

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Thank you Slugger O’Toole for inviting me to write something about Jim Fitzpatrick RIP. My first thoughts today are with Jim’s family, with Anne, Bríd, Bernard, Eileen, Dominic, Clare, Jim (Junior) and Andrew and his other loved ones. And with the Irish News family who are also grieving a revered patriarchal figure and beginning to come to terms with his loss. I extend to all of them my sympathy and prayerful solidarity at this sad time. However, it is also …

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Almost half of people now avoid the news…

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After meeting up with a group of creatives in OKC, we spent the day driving around the city and capturing cool moments together.

The Reuters Institute has published its 2022 Digital News Report and it makes grim reading for news organisations. The Press Gazette has a good overview of the findings: Almost half (46%) of British people actively avoid reading the news as a result of fatigue at excessive Covid and political coverage and a drop in trust in journalism, a new report has found. While the BBC remained the most trusted and biggest news brand in the UK, the public service broadcaster …

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