The Michaella McCollum interview: big mistake by the broadcasters

The Irish Times joins the Belfast Telegraph in criticising the soft focus treatment of drugs  smuggler Michaella McCollum. She was interviewed for RTE Features  by independent film maker Trevor Birnie of Below the Radar films, an outfit that is usually associated with investigative journalism. As the Irish Times’ Hugh Linehan points out.. Given the circumstances, one might have expected a few hard questions. How much were you going to be paid for the job? Did you get money in advance? …

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One rule for ‘ussuns’, another rule for ‘themmuns’?

As Martin McCauley and Stephen Barnes have noted on twitter – after 2 nights of rioting in Rathcoole the PSNI have yet to deploy a single Baton Round or roll out their water cannons. The petrol bombs, vehicle burnings and gunmen mingling within the rioters have been described as ‘different beasts’. Lucky old Rathcoole rioters. But will people in Ardoyne understand the softly, softly PSNI attitude to things just up the road when they got the iron fist? Blank