So-called 'Oirish' tabloids

Zebra3

Great article in today's Indo. How anyone can buy those rags is beyond me. I remember back in '96 when the north was on the brink of civil war, The S*n put a small article on page 11 about how the RUC had to remove IRA supporters from a road to allow a march down it. Totally ignoring all the Unionist violence.

Two-faced tabloids sneer at film success but not in Irish editions

DANIEL MCCONNELL

TWO British newspapers gave their readers in Britain and Ireland very different versions of their feelings towards the success of Ken Loach's new Irish film The Wind That Shakes the Barley which won the prestigious Palme D'Or at Cannes.

The Sun and the Daily Mail newspapers both last week hypocritically feigned delight at the "Irish success", in their editions in Ireland, while in their British editions the film was rubbished and derided as "anti-British" propaganda.

The Sun and the Daily Mail, which both have a long history of virulent anti-Irishness, devoted pages of positive coverage to the film's success in their Irish editions - but true to their real beliefs savaged Loach and the "pro-IRA" film on their home territory.

On Tuesday, the "Irish" Sun ran a double-page spread entitled 'Cillian's men give Brits a tanning in Cannes', celebrating a victory for the movie's "no-holds barred" depiction of the Black 'n' Tans who "subjected Irish citizens to horrific violence for years".


The article's author Harry Macadam laid into the Loach project, deriding it and saying, "a brutally anti-British film has won the movie world's top prize outside the Oscars. Veteran director Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley has a plot designed to drag the reputation of our nation through the mud."

The article criticises the British National Lottery's support of "Loach's biased ideas" to the tune of €795,000. The Sun piece also quoted from the Independent's movie critic John Walsh who said at times the movie "comes across like a recruiting campaign for the IRA".

It also contains non-attributed quotes from "American reviewers", who described the movie as "dull and pedestrian". It concludes with an additional comment from the author who said: "All in all, a must-not-see."

Elsewhere, the Daily Mail, which, in its Irish edition, has taken to referring to the Irish as "us" in its stories and headlines, revealed to its real heartland - the English middle classes - its true prejudices.

Under a story headlined 'Lottery cash funded Loach's anti-British film' - which did not appear in Ireland - the paper reported that "a film part-funded by the National Lottery that depicts the British 'oppression' of Ireland has won the top award at the Cannes Film Festival".

The paper added: "Loach's film is sure to attract controversy over the sympathetic way it portrays the IRA as freedom fighters and the British Army as violent oppressors."

While its British readers were also being asked, "Why DOES Ken Loach loathe his country so much?" the Mail's Irish readers were being shown a front page picture of star Orla Fitzgerald under a headline: 'The golden girl who conquered Cannes'.

Needless to say, the picture of a beaming Orla did not appear in the Mail's British editions.

In the London Times, Michael Gove questioned how British people could cheer for a director who portrays British soldiers as "sub-human mercenaries burning thatched cottages, torturing by using pliers to rip out toenails and committing extreme violence against women".

Perhaps then, it comes as no surprise to find that just 30 British cinemas have ordered prints of the film, which means that most British cinemagoers will not get to make up their own minds.

Dyr

"Hello Mr Kettle? I have a Mr Pot from the Independant on the line regarding colour schemes, can you take the call?"

whyamihere?

haha

Nedermeyer

it's absolutely outrageous. i've just sent an e-mail to harry mc adam telling him how very strongly i feel on the matter. never before have i heard such utter drivel.

DublinWriter

The Sun. The Daily Mail. Well, there you go.

Interestingly, people in Liverpool still actively boycott The Sun, almost 20 years after the Hillsborough incident. Fair play to them.

Blisterman

How can we get everyone else to do that?

mysteria

Whle I'm in total agreement with most of what you say, the fact is that Irish tabloids employ Irish journalists who in a lot of cases are better writers than the Broadsheet writers who eagerly devour the much-maligned tabloids for stories to re-write and print as their own. There is an ongoing campaign by the British to suppress any mention of their atrocities, past and present. A few years ago a movie was made in Mexico, I think it was called "One Man's Army" starring Tom Berenger and Dublin actor Luke Hayden. It told the story of a group of Irish soldiers who left the British Army to join the Mexicans in their fight against the British, there is a memorial to the Irish heroes in Mexico. But it was not allowed to be shown this side of the pond, never released. So while tabloids are trashed regularly, in my opinion broadsheets aren't squeaky clean either and make their money by subjecting us to entire pages of " in-depth interviews" with airheads and bimbos who are in the "public eye", their only claim to fame usually being that they are seen with/engaged to/or "an item" with another airhead, bimbo or mega-rich/famous person.

lodgepole

mysteria wrote:

I think it was called "One Man's Army" starring Tom Berenger and Dublin actor Luke Hayden.

One Man's Hero. I'd never heard of it, I may try to dig it up somewhere now.

According to the IMDB it was released here in August of 1999. I don't remember it.

mysteria

Lodgepole wrote:

One Man's Hero. I'd never heard of it, I may try to dig it up somewhere now.

According to the IMDB it was released here in August of 1999. I don't remember it.

I'm quite sure it was never released, despite what IMDB claim, as I know an actor who was in it and he was very disappointed, had to order the DVD from the US. Sorry, off topic I know.

Shewhomustbe...

mysteria wrote:

Whle I'm in total agreement with most of what you say, the fact is that Irish tabloids employ Irish journalists who in a lot of cases are better writers than the Broadsheet writers who eagerly devour the much-maligned tabloids for stories to re-write and print as their own. There is an ongoing campaign by the British to suppress any mention of their atrocities, past and present. A few years ago a movie was made in Mexico, I think it was called "One Man's Army" starring Tom Berenger and Dublin actor Luke Hayden. It told the story of a group of Irish soldiers who left the British Army to join the Mexicans in their fight against the British, there is a memorial to the Irish heroes in Mexico. But it was not allowed to be shown this side of the pond, never released. So while tabloids are trashed regularly, in my opinion broadsheets aren't squeaky clean either and make their money by subjecting us to entire pages of " in-depth interviews" with airheads and bimbos who are in the "public eye", their only claim to fame usually being that they are seen with/engaged to/or "an item" with another airhead, bimbo or mega-rich/famous person.

The film is One Man's Hero
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/630571889X/qid=1149420178/sr=1-67/ref=sr_1_67/104-2863893-2458306?s=dvd&v=glance&n=130

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120775/

Wibbs

mysteria wrote:

I'm quite sure it was never released, despite what IMDB claim, as I know an actor who was in it and he was very disappointed, had to order the DVD from the US. Sorry, off topic I know.

Funny enough it was on TG4(AFAIR) a while back. It's ok ish as a film. Not great, but at least it highlighted a little known episode for those who saw it.

A Dub in Glasgo

This is nothing new regarding the different editions of these English papers. It is the same issue with the Scottish editions of these papers (when compared to the English editions). What makes me laugh though is the Independent highlighting this issue because the papers are in competition when the Indo probably agrees with the English editions view of the film.

constitutionus

am i the only one who thinks the idea of a so called quallity news paper doing an article on what is basically the competition reeks of bad journalism? i mean its not as if theres nothing going on in the world.
and as to the "typical" activities of the daily mail its been the market what, two months? hardly a long and established paper is it (crap too by the way, panders way to much to scaremongering. would rather read the sun and thats saying something:D ) personally i think the indo is just ****ing itself because crap though they are the tabloids are eating big time into their market. not to mention not exaclty covering themselve in glory in regards to their coverage of certain issues in the past year

lodgepole

constitutionus wrote:

am i the only one who thinks the idea of a so called quallity news paper doing an article on what is basically the competition reeks of bad journalism? i mean its not as if theres nothing going on in the world.

Ordinarily i'd agree. I never thought i'd defend the Indo, but I do think the story has some relevance and is worthy of reporting to some degree. The bad press that the film has been getting in Britain has effected how many theatres are showing it, will effect its box office and will likely effect the likelyhood of similarly themed films being funded.

Sky News often report on the BBC and ITV which I hate. The presenters always have this annoying little snigger when they do too, it's in very bad taste. When ITV's digital news station **** down they made some comment about how nobody would want to watch ITV while Sky was still around.

zuma

IMDB wrote:

Plot Summary for
One Man's Hero (1999)

"One Man's Hero" tells the little-known story of the "St. Patrick's Brigade" or "San Patricios," a group of Irish immigrants who deserted to Mexico after encountering religious and ethnic prejudice in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. The plot centers around the personal story of John Riley, an Irishman who had been a seargent in the American Army who leads the brigade, as he leads his men in battle and struggles with authorities on both sides of the border.

Exactly what has this film got to do with the British?

nlgbbbblth

Zebra3 wrote:

Great article in today's Indo. How anyone can buy those rags is beyond me.

Those papers are for losers.

A familiar reason given by Irish people for not supporting the England soccer team is 'we'll never hear the end of it'. That's not a valid reason as we can easily avoid the English media. Perversely it's usually the same moronic sheep that buy the Sun, the Mail and the Mirror over here that complain about the English press. Why buy it if that's the case? Why not buy the Irish Times?

A Dub in Glasgo

nlgbbbblth wrote:

Why not buy the Irish Times?

Doesn't the Irish Times get the majority of their football stories from The Guardian? The Indo gets most of their football stories from the English Independent & the Telegraph.

nlgbbbblth

A Dub in Glasgo wrote:

Doesn't the Irish Times get the majority of their football stories from The Guardian? The Indo gets most of their football stories from the English Independent & the Telegraph.

Yes you are correct. Most of the Irish Times football reporting says 'The Guardian Service' underneath the column.

However The Guardian's style of reporting is relatively restrained and not very jingoistic. The red-top tabloids and The Daily Mail / Express are the biggest offenders in this regard - yet these are the papers that sell lots of copies over here.

darkman2

nlgbbbblth wrote:

Those papers are for losers.

A familiar reason given by Irish people for not supporting the England soccer team is 'we'll never hear the end of it'. That's not a valid reason as we can easily avoid the English media. Perversely it's usually the same moronic sheep that buy the Sun, the Mail and the Mirror over here that complain about the English press. Why buy it if that's the case? Why not buy the Irish Times?

Well I dont read any of them, I only read Irish broadsheets but I can tell you something, the Daily Mail is by far the most Anti Irish paper in England. Some of the stuff on Ireland in the last 20 years has been downright ugly and was actually racist. Dosnt supprise me about this in the slightest. Sure the British Media slated Micheal Collins aswell for being 'IRA Propaganda'. Obviously the true colours are beginning to emerge now (along with the trash that was written about 1916 recently), the sheer begrudgery that they are still not able to hack the fact that we no longer under their monarchy. Were only Irish....according to the Daily Mail 'the land of the pig and the potatoe'. F**k them and this thread only tries to justify the rubbish.

lostexpectation

yeah the Daily ireland were reveling in this story all week, It amusing when the broadsheets report on a sotry by reporting/sneering about what been written about it in the tabloids thus leaving their slate clean?

DOLEMAN

I don't see what the problem is.

The article is saying the UK versions say one thing, and the Irish ones another. The writer doesn't seem to have a problem with their anti-IRA views, rather that they say the opposite in their Irish editions.

Well... duh! One version is for the UK market and one for Ireland!

If Ireland played England in a soccer match, would we really want the same story in both versions of the papers? Of course not. One would be written with Irish people in mind and the other with English in mind.

It's what their readership expects. They have to write their articles with their readership in mind.

Also, people always forget that newspapers are entertainment. They have nothing to do with being a public service or something like that. Stop expecting them to have high morals/be unbiased etc.

Hydroquinone

darkman2 wrote:

Well I dont read any of them, I only read Irish broadsheets but I can tell you something, the Daily Mail is by far the most Anti Irish paper in England.

The Daily Mail does not discriminate - it hates all foreigners equally. Its target demographic is theat segment of xenophobic white Middle England who think they are too highbrow to read The Sun.

Quite why it is sold in Ireland I have no idea. Anyone in Ireland who buys it must want their head examined. And as for that Mail on Sunday-lite - what's it called -Ireland on Sunday? What a an absolute abomination of a rag that is.

whiskeyman

nlgbbbblth wrote:

A familiar reason given by Irish people for not supporting the England soccer team is 'we'll never hear the end of it'. That's not a valid reason as we can easily avoid the English media.

And we're just as guilty of it anyway.
I counted at least 2 World Cup pullouts in todays papers that had special sections on Irelands success in World Cup 90.
We hark back about that just as bad as the English do about 66.
At least the English have a reason to write about their chances in the upcoming finals!

lostexpectation

Hydroquinone wrote:

The Daily Mail does not discriminate - it hates all foreigners equally. Its target demographic is theat segment of xenophobic white Middle England who think they are too highbrow to read The Sun.

Quite why it is sold in Ireland I have no idea. Anyone in Ireland who buys it must want their head examined. And as for that Mail on Sunday-lite - what's it called -Ireland on Sunday? What a an absolute abomination of a rag that is.

is it just me on has the Ireland On Sunday being sucessfully ignored, or is it still pumping out damaging trash to to its audience.

nlgbbbblth

whiskeyman wrote:

And we're just as guilty of it anyway.
I counted at least 2 World Cup pullouts in todays papers that had special sections on Irelands success in World Cup 90.
We hark back about that just as bad as the English do about 66.
At least the English have a reason to write about their chances in the upcoming finals!

Also
What about Munster ramming the 1978 victory over the All Blacks touring side down our throats?

A book
A play

C*nts