It must be silly season on RTE

silverharp

As watching the 9pm news on RTE1 last night and switched off after 5 min, the main story was that murder case in the high court, which although at this stage I am mildly curious about the outcome as they have made a big deal of it, but do I really need to be told the content of every test msg sent. The next story was about the helicopter crash, where they went on to interview some toothless old git who could barely speak English. Given whats going on in US/Iraq shouldn’t this be the lead story? Do they have to lead with a local story short of Nuclear war being declared?

aidan_walsh

silverharp wrote:

Given whats going on in US/Iraq shouldn’t this be the lead story?

Watch an American news channel. Why should someone elses war be given precedence over an Irish news story? But even there I think you'll find that unless something major happens to their troops, a local story will take the heading on those channels as well.

silverharp

aidan_walsh wrote:

Watch an American news channel. Why should someone elses war be given precedence over an Irish news story? But even there I think you'll find that unless something major happens to their troops, a local story will take the heading on those channels as well.

the iraq story was an example and by definition it can't lead everynight but given that news in the region effects oil prices I'd certainly think its important to know when changes are a foot. I just felt that there should be a higher threshold of what constitutes the leading story on the main News and if it's a no news day, then they should pick up on an international story.

blue4ever

silverharp wrote:

I just felt that there should be a higher threshold of what constitutes the leading story on the main News and if it's a no news day, then they should pick up on an international story.

I don’t see the final days of a murder trial (which, due to the twists and turns over the past few years has got the attention of the country) or the death of a pilot in a helicopter crash – ‘a no news day’

Perhaps it is ‘a no news day’ according to your myopic news agenda – Iraq.

CNN is available on NTL if you feel that Iraq should take precedence over the two stories above.

J.S. Pill

silverharp wrote:

As watching the 9pm news on RTE1 last night and switched off after 5 min, the main story was that murder case in the high court, which although at this stage I am mildly curious about the outcome as they have made a big deal of it, but do I really need to be told the content of every test msg sent. The next story was about the helicopter crash, where they went on to interview some toothless old git who could barely speak English. Given whats going on in US/Iraq shouldn’t this be the lead story? Do they have to lead with a local story short of Nuclear war being declared?

When was the last time a murder trial received such attention?? I can think of the Catherine Nevin trial off the top of my head.

I suspect this one is getting so much attention because of the steamy backdrop of events, you know, a bit of the old S E X

Lennoxschips

rte do seem to have an obsession with the ins and outs of murder cases

sometimes it's like watching CSI Dublin

Dave3x

A friend of mine once used a fantastic word to describe Irish news media: parochial.

The fact is that our focus is home news, in the same way that the BBC television news (or Sky News) will often be of little interest to the Irish viewer because of its 'local' content. It's extremely difficult for anyone to compete with Reuters or the PA on international topics.

It's a double-edged sword. Home news should be the focus of Irish media, because it can't be obtained from anywhere else. Unfortuantley, slow news days mean that this focus can, as the OP suggested, get sidetracked onto unimportant topics.

monument

This is a strange thread, can the OP please outline what new event is "going on in "US/Iraq" that would justify having the story as the lead?

Dave3x wrote:

A friend of mine once used a fantastic word to describe Irish news media: parochial.

And the media in for example the US, UK, France, China, Africa etc etc etc is not "parochial"?

Dave3x wrote:

It's a double-edged sword. Home news should be the focus of Irish media, because it can't be obtained from anywhere else. Unfortuantley, slow news days mean that this focus can, as the OP suggested, get sidetracked onto unimportant topics.

Murder and crashes are "unimportant topics"?

billy the squid

A man died in the helicopter crash, and it comes over a week after another aviation crash which was fatal.

silverharp

monument wrote:

This is a strange thread, can the OP please outline what new event is "going on in "US/Iraq" that would justify having the story as the lead?

the Iraq story was the example that came to mind, as it was the day that the US senate voted to bring troops home, but again only an example. The heliocopter story could have led, my issue there was the reporting of it, by def. there are not many facts the day it happened and RTE seemed to be stetching it out.
I guess my big issue was the case in the high court, I felt sorry for the guy (until proven otherwise) as if his case was in the Autumn chances are there would have been some real news and they wouldn't be trying to pick over every bone in the case, the coverage of this case is being hyped up by the tabloids and RTE are jumping on the bandwagon

blue4ever

Its not being hyped up by the ‘tabloids’ (stereotyping again), And its not being ‘hyped up’ – its being covered by all the media. Its obsious that you have little interest in the case – and feel that the public at large should follow your lead – not so- there is huge interest in this case – 10/1 there is a book sitting on a printers hard drive – waiting for a verdict so that they can spill the beans on what wasn’t brought up in court.

Thats why is a lead on the news

silverharp

blue4ever wrote:

Its not being hyped up by the ‘tabloids’ (stereotyping again), And its not being ‘hyped up’ – its being covered by all the media. Its obsious that you have little interest in the case – and feel that the public at large should follow your lead – not so- there is huge interest in this case – 10/1 there is a book sitting on a printers hard drive – waiting for a verdict so that they can spill the beans on what wasn’t brought up in court.

Thats why is a lead on the news

You'll have to remind me why is should be a big story?? (assuming he is guilty) how many spouces have been murdered in Ireland in the last 20 years? what makes this so special?? If he is innocent then you have a genuine mystery

Tom Dunne

Dave3x wrote:

A friend of mine once used a fantastic word to describe Irish news media: parochial.

Try watching some of the local US TV channels for a new definition of parochial. At least RTE recognises the fact there are other states in the EU/countries in the world.

I was living in the US at the time of the Breslan massacre - I remember was mentioned in passing on one or two channels.

blue4ever wrote:

Its not being hyped up by the ‘tabloids’ (stereotyping again), And its not being ‘hyped up’ – its being covered by all the media.

Personally, I do feel there is too much attention being devoted to it and there are too many details in the public domain. I can't help but think this is going to sway the jury one way or the other.

santosubito

tom dunne wrote:

Personally, I do feel there is too much attention being devoted to it and there are too many details in the public domain. I can't help but think this is going to sway the jury one way or the other.

Everything that is in the public domain has already been given to the jury. That's the very nature of court reporting. In fact, the jury have been told more than the public. It stands to reason that the media can't print or publish every word uttered in front of the jury.