Does the Limerick Leader actually hate Limerick?

Amazotheamazing

I see the front page of the city edition carries the headline "Not Safe after Dark" or somesuch, on reading it's about a protest of 100 people in UL. Not to unfair but 100 people in a college of 14,000 is nothing. If I got 100 people together to hold a Limerick is great protest would they report on that too? The Leader seems to be the most negative paper, certainly by comparison to the Irish Examiner (Cork) or the Galway Advertiser. Indeed I know that in the early days of the Advertiser, Galway City Council threatened to shut them down when they put a negative headline about the violence in Eyre Sq up. The Leader seems to to spout negative rubbish to ever-decreasing readership figures, I wouldn't even read it if I wasn't looking for news on rugby/rowing/night life in the city.

I know a paper has a duty to report on the reality of life in their area, but am I paranoid in thinking the Leader highlights the negative and minimises the positive?

limerick_man

Well they bought that medal for Limerick City to prove of there love and dedication to the city (and not for profit like we all thought)!

I guess they just want to get the 'scoop' so ppl will buy the paper, on the otherhand the post is free and they are free to post how great the city is, and they do and then they put it in everyones door, so we can read about how great our city is!!!!

Bard

Amazotheamazing wrote:

I know a paper has a duty to report on the reality of life in their area, but am I paranoid in thinking the Leader highlights the negative and minimises the positive?

That's what sells more papers, I believe...

billy the squid

its a sensational headline designed to sell more papers, and how do you know that some students don't feel safe, and how do you know that the 100 students protesting are the entirety of the student body who don't feel safe. 2000 or 3000 students could feel unsafe for all we know, they just are not protesting.

Amazotheamazing

Fair play to them for buying the medal but that doesn't excuse the fact that they are a trash newspaper. For example, a girl is more likely to be raped in Galway then any other city in Ireland but not once in my four years there did I see the local paper lead with anything stating such. It reported rapes alright, but in a calm and reasoned manner, the LL seems to throw objectivity out the window in favour of block print doom and gloom. This year Cork has suffered a increase in drug related killings, yet the Examiner coherently reports on these without reducing it to a black and white, we all should live in fear style, so beloved of the Leader. Personally I regret the day they ever rebuilt after the fire, the Leader should be shut down. It does nothing for the city's self image, or wider reputation.

I would like to point out that I feel the press has a duty to be honest about Limerick, and I certainly believe Limerick has problems worth reporting.

Amazotheamazing

Fair enough Billy, if I arrange a Limerick is great party, get 100 people I know to attend should I get the front page of the Leader? How about a concert with 200 fans, can you see the headline, Limerick feels the Frank and Walters rock? In a city of 80,000 people, 100 people should not be given the front page to air their greivances with the UL management.

invincibleirish

just out of interest are you/have you been a student at UL?if you had then you will know that over the past few years there has been numerous incidents around campus some of which were very high profile, not a lot seems to have been done in terms of policing security etc., my only surprise with the story is that its taken so long for the a march like the one mentioned to be organised. you seem more pre-occupied with limericks image then the fact its dangerous to walk thru the UL campus on your own at night.

Amazotheamazing

Invincible, not to be sensational but the fact that only 100 people turned up indicates that most students don't feel the need to protest about things. I agree UL could be safer but assualts happen in every college, last year in NUIG a girl was assaulted outside the library at 3 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. Thats not to excuse the behaviour of the assualters or the college, but I'm surprised that this gets front page treatment, after all 100 people is not a considerable number from a student cohort of 14,000. I've started a thread on the Ul board so please give me your assessment of the situation. Do you feel more frightened walking through UL than you would in Limerick or Cork? Fair's fair, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

radioman

The Leader has always jumped on sensationalist stuff. It doesn't even have to be true to get in huge bold black print on the front page.

natter

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Invincible, not to be sensational but the fact that only 100 people turned up indicates that most students don't feel the need to protest about things.

For any kind of non alcoholic gathering in UL getting 100 people to turn out is a fair achievement. All you hear the Students Union going on bout these days is student apathy. The vast majority of students don't a damn about fixing problems or protesting or Student Unions AGM's even though these issues are should be important to them.

This isn't an unfounded statement, I am a student in UL and no I wasn't at that protest but I still wouldn't walk around campus on my own at night. In saying that I wouldn't walk anywhere on my own at night anymore... Thats the type of country we live in. But I think the fact that there's been no improvement in security or provision of street lights/cameras etc in certain areas that has caused this protest.

chubba1984

I'm a 4th year UL student and must say I've never seen anything that would convince me that Castletroy is more unsafe then anywhere else. I have no problem walking around campus or the wider area on my own at nite, although I know quite a few people who wouldn't for one reason or another.

I saw the Leader and read the article on reading the headline. It was similar to Articles constantly appearing in An Focal (ULSU newspaper) in terms of highlighting certain incidents. The ULSU have a vested interest in producing stories like this as they feel a Garda presence in Castletroy is needed (I would certainly agree that a population of 14,000 needs to be policed and protected etc.).