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Irish Times CEO asked for British Guidance on what to publish

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  • 11-07-2014 2:09pm
    #1
    blatantrereg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭


    In 1969 the CEO of The Irish Times asked the British government for guidance on what to publish in the paper with regard to Northern Ireland. He also used racial perjoratives to describe the paper's editor, whom he viewed as a traitor. This was because the editor was not being obedient with regard to what stories he ran. The British response was to do what they could to exploit the opportunity.

    http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=64231

    Obviously the use of the n word is shocking, but it's more pertinent to discuss the apparent collusion in what news was run in Ireland's paper of record. The main relevance of the terms in this regard is the extremely partisan attitude it demonstrates. It leads to the conclusion that the offer was not made out of a desire to minimise tension, but rather to avoid accountability for the establishment in the north. At best it was an offer to be an agent of propaganda.

    The Irish Times was always pretty openly anti-IRA, so my immediate reaction to the article was that it wasn't that big a deal, since it could be viewed as in-line with the position and politics of the paper. However I realised this was a bit of a stupid viewpoint- there has been plenty of misbehaviour by members of the establishment up there, and they should be accountable - it's not just about the IRA in other words. I decided it is in fact outrageous that there was this sort of influence on what should have been the news source with the most integrity.


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    #2
    jonniebgood1
    Registered Users Posts: 3,577 ✭✭✭jonniebgood1


    Why do you feel that media moguls in history would not have had biased views?

    He had an editor in place that was quite capable of being independent and he did not replace him with a more compliant one.


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    #3
    Judgement Day
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,549 ✭✭✭✭Judgement Day


    As far as I know the Irish Times has only adopted the self-styled 'paper of record' mantle in relatively recent times. Back in the late 1960s early 1970s it was still largely a Protestant (Unionist sympathetic) paper for a dwindling Protestant readership and the Major would have been reflecting their views. Today the Irish Times is far from being a paper of record and its readership far more diverse than when the Major had his rush of blood to the head.


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    #4
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    I think this was given a good airing at the time........mostly in other papers :D

    It was only after McDowell died that the paper became less biased - hence it being referred to in the past as the Hardly Irish Times.

    Their front page on VE Day was an excellent bit of editing to get around the censors......
    428109_10150599475406158_657164306_n.jpg


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    #5
    blatantrereg
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    Most or all papers reflect the political position of their readership. That suggests viewing things from a certain angle. What the letter dicusses goes beyond that though. It talks about selectivity of what stories to run at all. It was a direct offer to be an agent for their interests.


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    #6
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    blatantrereg wrote: »
    Most or all papers reflect the political position of their readership. That suggests viewing things from a certain angle. What the letter dicusses goes beyond that though. It talks about selectivity of what stories to run at all. It was a direct offer to be an agent for their interests.

    Go and read some of what Con Houlihan had to write about his time at the Irish Press.........you could say the exact same about it, Dev and Fianna Fáil.


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