who is Niamh Horan?

Fuinseog

What is her background?

She writes for the Sindo, an attractive blonde who looks as if she is fresh out of school.

a woman of great talent or just a pretty face?

She does not appear to have a Wikipedia entry, maybe because she has yet to make her mark.

Raging_Ninja

After a quick google:

Niamh Horan: Katy's death didn't change a thing
The model's untimely death didn't change a thing, it just scared people off their C-game for a while, says Niamh Horan
Sunday November 08 2009

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/niamh-horan-katys-death-didnt-change-a-thing-1937120.html

Just a 'pretty' face.

Fuinseog

Raging_Ninja wrote: »

After a quick google:



http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/niamh-horan-katys-death-didnt-change-a-thing-1937120.html

Just a 'pretty' face.

what of her credentials. I found nothing on google. she appeared from nowhere about four years ago. I will never forget her article on puff daddy or one of those guys when his team invited her back to party and she was horrified when they meant something else by it, rather like the girl invited up to the bedroom and then discovering there is no stamp collection.

she has yet or break into TV or maybe she has been on the afternoon show.

Meastro

MAJ student DCU-has annoyed a lot of celebs along the way by not walking on eggshells around touchy subjects...Bibi Baskin, Chris de burgh, Keith Duffy, the late G Ryan etc. I'm sure you'll be able to see all the hate if u just google her.

Corsendonk

Meastro wrote: »

MAJ student DCU-has annoyed a lot of celebs along the way by not walking on eggshells around touchy subjects...Bibi Baskin, Chris de burgh, Keith Duffy, the late G Ryan etc. I'm sure you'll be able to see all the hate if u just google her.

Yes they look a powerful bunch to get on the wrong side:eek:, Ireland use to be the Isle of Saints and Scholars, now it appears to be the Isle of Models and Z List celebs if you read the output of the Sindo and Herald and most of the journalists of Niamh Horan standard specialise in reporting on that select group of modern Ireland.

Its quite amazing the number of good looking female journalists working for the Indo stable of papers and how they seem to end up in photo ops in tight fitting jerseys or in the papers photo shoots. Veronica Guerin wouldn't have a chance nowadays.

Fuinseog

Meastro wrote: »

MAJ student DCU-has annoyed a lot of celebs along the way by not walking on eggshells around touchy subjects...Bibi Baskin, Chris de burgh, Keith Duffy, the late G Ryan etc. I'm sure you'll be able to see all the hate if u just google her.

I have read some of those interviews. she did not do her homework and maybe they felt irritated by one so young (is she 21 yet?) asking deeply personal questions. I mean some of these people are thrice her age and are hardly likely to entertain her ham-fisted scheming.

kevin99

Just look at all the young female Political Correspondents working for national newspapers. Why are there no male pol corrs?
How many of them are over 30?
And what experience do they have covering politics, economics, local government before being thrust into the heavy weight jungle of pol correspondent?
They are there cost they are female and will hopefully attract readers and viewers.
When do any of them break an exclusive political story? Never.
Why? Because they all hunt in the same pack, socialise together and are afraid to thinkfor themselves.
My God what experience of journalism and Irelandinc. do they have to become political commentators?
RTE's David D Power and David McCullough have 20 years journalism experience under their belts before they became pol corrs.
Irish Times' Stephen Collins is the same. He worked with the Irish Press group, Sunday Tribune before moving to the IT.
Michael O'Regan, Parliamentar Reporter of the Irish Times has been in Leinster House since the mid 80s.
In the good old days of covering the Dail and Seanad young reporters would have to serve their apprenticeship. That meant being part of the 'take' system in the Dail press gallery under the stern sterwardship of Ned Murphy RIP. You had to have shorthand and be very accurate in writing copy.
These days they get transcripts of what was said. All they have to do is rewrite them and put whatever slant their media paymasters want.

Corsendonk

kevin99 wrote: »

Just look at all the young female Political Correspondents working for national newspapers. Why are there no male pol corrs?
How many of them are over 30?
And what experience do they have covering politics, economics, local government before being thrust into the heavy weight jungle of pol correspondent?
They are there cost they are female and will hopefully attract readers and viewers.
When do any of them break an exclusive political story? Never.
Why? Because they all hunt in the same pack, socialise together and are afraid to thinkfor themselves.
My God what experience of journalism and Irelandinc. do they have to become political commentators?
RTE's David D Power and David McCullough have 20 years journalism experience under their belts before they became pol corrs.
Irish Times' Stephen Collins is the same. He worked with the Irish Press group, Sunday Tribune before moving to the IT.
Michael O'Regan, Parliamentar Reporter of the Irish Times has been in Leinster House since the mid 80s.
In the good old days of covering the Dail and Seanad young reporters would have to serve their apprenticeship. That meant being part of the 'take' system in the Dail press gallery under the stern sterwardship of Ned Murphy RIP. You had to have shorthand and be very accurate in writing copy.
These days they get transcripts of what was said. All they have to do is rewrite them and put whatever slant their media paymasters want.

Fiach Kelly Irish Independent, last time I heard he was male.

kevin99

Corsendonk wrote: »

Fiach Kelly Irish Independent, last time I heard he was male.

And so he is. But where did all the 20 something female pol corrs come from? Or is is some marketing ploy by their editors.

You're probably too young to remember political journalism in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

mr_edge_to_you

I see she has another award winning level article in today's paper about women's rugby.

She had another humdinger this year where she was hounding Timothy Dalton because he was renting a house in Terenure from someone involved in the GSOc antics.

silverdolphin

According to her linkedin profile, she attended Newbridge College (which is known to be a fee-paying school), before doing a Bachelor in Arts at UCD, then a masters in journalism at DCU. She's living proof that money may buy you an education (not that she's very intelligent), but not a decent personality. I don't think the rugby article really reflects her views, she's being paid to write this s*h*i*t,* and debase herself publicly by Tony O'Reilly. There was an interview on the Saturday Night Show with Sinéad O'Connor, where she was discussing feminism and Sinéad spoke about female journalists who are bullied by male editors and she referred to one journalist who was at her house crying telling Sinéad that she needed a story or she would be fired. I don't know if Sinéad was referring to Horan, but it's interesting and maybe Horan is going to these extreme lengths for fear of losing her job. I'm not defending the woman, I don't think she should be a journalist as she's ruined her credibility.

Raspberry Fileds

silverdolphin wrote: »

According to her linkedin profile, she attended Newbridge College (which is known to be a fee-paying school), before doing a Bachelor in Arts at UCD, then a masters in journalism at DCU. She's living proof that money may buy you an education (not that she's very intelligent), but not a decent personality. I don't think the rugby article really reflects her views, she's being paid to write this s*h*i*t,* and debase herself publicly by Tony O'Reilly. There was an interview on the Saturday Night Show with Sinéad O'Connor, where she was discussing feminism and Sinéad spoke about female journalists who are bullied by male editors and she referred to one journalist who was at her house crying telling Sinéad that she needed a story or she would be fired. I don't know if Sinéad was referring to Horan, but it's interesting and maybe Horan is going to these extreme lengths for fear of losing her job. I'm not defending the woman, I don't think she should be a journalist as she's ruined her credibility.

Newbridge College is known to be a not-especially-prestigious fee-paying school; Arts is the largest third level course in the country which had a points range of 340-575 (ie wide spectrum of intellects; some exceptional) last year, and which has several impressive alumni; DCU's is the pre-eminent Journalism course in the country. It is unfounded to say that money was responsible for her education and tasteless to insult her personality as that poster did.

That said...I don't like her newspaper and anything that I've read of hers. Most recently, I read her "exclusive" about the antics of school-leavers in "Shagaluf" (I've only heard parents call it that). It was sensationalist and moralising, and it belonged in a tabloid. I'm sure she has a talent for the type of journalism she does, but I'll reserve my esteem for others.

Two things that might interest:


She was the journalist who came to national attention when she was supposedly chased by Tom McFeely with a smashed bottle out of an Algarvian bar: Double blow for brave reporter under attack | Irish Independent


She appeared on Shane Coleman's Sunday Newstalk programme alongside arch-feminist Una Mullally whom she had had a Twitter altercation with a year previously: Is the media dumbing down society? | Newstalk. She doesn't come across very impressively, IMO, with this in particular standing out: "I'm a woman of many hats ... I can put my hand to anything."

Edit: I should probably say that that quote of Horan's that I gave reads worse out of context; basically, she was saying that she can juggle serious and frivolous journalism.

RabbleRouser2k

I know I may come across as a a bit dim, but I read that cocaine article, and it's well written.
But as others have said, she's got to pay bills. And unfortunately, editors demand stupid stories.
But the Tom McFeely story shows her to be someone who is a bit dim. Taking a picture of him with her phone, when he was a known violent person. Then asking him questions...when the guy had drink taken and lowered inhibitions (it is a pub, and most people get a bit fearless when drunk, not violent, but fearless) and then getting chased out of a pub...only to come back and do the same the following week, where he again got violent and knocked a photographer to the ground (her gender, I feel, is irrelevant, but the paper felt it should be) was rather foolish. Not brave, foolish. And from a legal standpoint, the guy can claim harassment, and thus get her in alot of trouble.
And while I cannot stand Una Mullaly, she has a point. Why do certain journalists have to resort to some egregiously idiotic newstories (and Mullaly has done more than one of these stories from time to time, tho not laden with sexism as many others are).

Raspberry Fileds

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

I know I may come across as a a bit dim, but I read that cocaine article, and it's well written.
But as others have said, she's got to pay bills. And unfortunately, editors demand stupid stories.
But the Tom McFeely story shows her to be someone who is a bit dim. Taking a picture of him with her phone, when he was a known violent person. Then asking him questions...when the guy had drink taken and lowered inhibitions (it is a pub, and most people get a bit fearless when drunk, not violent, but fearless) and then getting chased out of a pub...only to come back and do the same the following week, where he again got violent and knocked a photographer to the ground (her gender, I feel, is irrelevant, but the paper felt it should be) was rather foolish. Not brave, foolish. And from a legal standpoint, the guy can claim harassment, and thus get her in alot of trouble.
And while I cannot stand Una Mullaly, she has a point. Why do certain journalists have to resort to some egregiously idiotic newstories (and Mullaly has done more than one of these stories from time to time, tho not laden with sexism as many others are).

Not sure I agree with you about the cocaine article - there's not one appealing turn-of-phrase. And, as well as questioning the authenticity of her anecdotes, I wonder how she can draw from them that the whole of "Society" is "cocked off their tits". However, I have read one or two of her other articles and she clearly has some writing talent - i.e. I'd say she got an A in LC English.

RabbleRouser2k

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

Not sure I agree with you about the cocaine article - there's not one appealing turn-of-phrase. And, as well as questioning the authenticity of her anecdotes, I wonder how she can draw from them that the whole of "Society" is "cocked off their tits". However, I have read one or two of her other articles and she clearly has some writing talent - i.e. I'd say she got an A in LC English.

The problem is that naming and shaming gets people sued, even if they are telling the truth. And one wonders, if these allegations are true, why she did not whip out her phone and film any of them snorting a line or two. She did it with McFeely years later, might have been useful to practice her photography skills years earlier.
Yeah, I guess it does have that element of 'Everybody's taking cocaine' or that Justine Delaney Wilson book from a number of years ago, 'High Soceity' that eventually got pulped because there was more fiction inherent in the thing than there was truth.
A number of journalists called Justine Wilson on her BS, as noted cocaine users, such as Ian O'Doherty. And O'Doherty had the unrepentant 'No one can tell me what not to take, it's my body' and 'You can't get good coke in Dublin' as the reason he stopped taking it, but it came across as pretty childish the way he ranted about it (it was on the Late Late show, so it was not the written word where things can be misconstrued).
But then a few months later Katy French was dead, and a few years after that, Gerry Ryan was dead, both from Cocaine, and both had a serious problem with the drug. And people got quiet about criticising cocaine and hard drugs. Probably because a number of RTE folks got quiet because one of their 'respected' colleagues had duped them for years. Unfortunately, sensationalist journos prefer to scandalise and exaggerate stories about drug use rather than tackling the issues.

silverdolphin

"It is unfounded to say that money was responsible for her education and tasteless to insult her personality as that poster did. "

According to the Newbridge College website, the fees are €3,800; (not a lot of parents can afford to pay €3,800 for their children's education each year). University is also expensive, so without money she wouldn't have an education. The way she has looked down on obese people in the past and recently negatively stereotyped female rugby players has been insulting and tasteless.

Raspberry Fileds

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

The problem is that naming and shaming gets people sued, even if they are telling the truth. And one wonders, if these allegations are true, why she did not whip out her phone and film any of them snorting a line or two. She did it with McFeely years later, might have been useful to practice her photography skills years earlier.
Yeah, I guess it does have that element of 'Everybody's taking cocaine' or that Justine Delaney Wilson book from a number of years ago, 'High Soceity' that eventually got pulped because there was more fiction inherent in the thing than there was truth.
A number of journalists called Justine Wilson on her BS, as noted cocaine users, such as Ian O'Doherty. And O'Doherty had the unrepentant 'No one can tell me what not to take, it's my body' and 'You can't get good coke in Dublin' as the reason he stopped taking it, but it came across as pretty childish the way he ranted about it (it was on the Late Late show, so it was not the written word where things can be misconstrued).
But then a few months later Katy French was dead, and a few years after that, Gerry Ryan was dead, both from Cocaine, and both had a serious problem with the drug. And people got quiet about criticising cocaine and hard drugs. Probably because a number of RTE folks got quiet because one of their 'respected' colleagues had duped them for years. Unfortunately, sensationalist journos prefer to scandalise and exaggerate stories about drug use rather than tackling the issues.

I'm not in the mood to read the article again, but I don't think she ever saw actual drug-taking!

The last line is worth critiquing. "You're photoshopped images may fool people on our screens or in the pages of society magazines. But in reality, the only person you're fooling is yourself." Where to start? How about with the stray comma in the first word? Then to the ill-placed clause "on our screens or in the pages of society magazines", because by having it before "may fool people" it reads as: it may fool people who are on our screens. Last, in effect, she's said: such-and-such may fool people, but in reality it's only fooling someone else.

silverdolphin wrote: »

"It is unfounded to say that money was responsible for her education and tasteless to insult her personality as that poster did. "

According to the Newbridge College website, the fees are €3,800; (not a lot of parents can afford to pay €3,800 for their children's education each year). University is also expensive, so without money she wouldn't have an education. The way she has looked down on obese people in the past and recently negatively stereotyped female rugby players has been insulting and tasteless.

I still don't know how that is evidence of her education having been bought. Also, that amount represents around ten percent of the average salary. True, a lot of people couldn't afford that. But, equally, a lot, by making some sacrifices, could (NB school fees are tax deductible).

RabbleRouser2k

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

I'm not in the mood to read the article again, but I don't think she ever saw actual drug-taking!

The last line is worth critiquing. "You're photoshopped images may fool people on our screens or in the pages of society magazines. But in reality, the only person you're fooling is yourself." Where to start? How about with the stray comma in the first word? Then to the ill-placed clause "on our screens or in the pages of society magazines", because by having it before "may fool people" it reads as: it may fool people who are on our screens. Last, in effect, she's said: such-and-such may fool people, but in reality it's only fooling someone else.




I still don't know how that is evidence of her education having been bought. Also, that amount represents around ten percent of the average salary. True, a lot of people couldn't afford that. But, equally, a lot, by making some sacrifices, could (NB school fees are tax deductible).

Okay, yeah, I apologise. She lacks writing ability (Also might I add that the editor was a lazy sod for not proof reading the piece). And I also apologise with what I wrote previously. When I noted she pulled out her phone to take a picture of McFeely, it wasn't to photograph him snorting cocaine, but rather there was a warrant out for his arrest, so she felt snapping a picture of him, for whatever reason, was a clever thing to do. But if she wanted to corroborate her story about the cocaine, she could have filmed them, or followed one or two into the toilets to see them, snorting a line or two. The McFeely incident was dumb, but the cocaine allegations would hold more weight if she could back it up...and as many high profile celebrities have discovered (Kate Moss for one) it's pretty easy to sneakily film someone snorting cocaine.

jmcc

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Okay, yeah, I apologise. She lacks writing ability (Also might I add that the editor was a lazy sod for not proof reading the piece).

It is generally the job of the sub-editor to pick up the errors and correct them. IN&M got rid of, or outsourced, that part of its business. She's young, female and pretty. That means she has three problems with respect to Irish print journalism. No doubt she is seen as a threat by some of the hacks who are not so young and not able to rely on their looks for getting someone to talk for a story. A few years ago she managed to track down the incompetent Brian Cowen when he buggered off on his caravan holiday as the country's economy was being banjaxed. The wafflers in the Irish media managed not to do this and thought that Cowen was "the master of his brief". Hunting down Cowen showed a rare killer instinct for the story that is quite lacking in most Irish churnalists.

The McFeely incident was dumb, but the cocaine allegations would hold more weight if she could back it up...and as many high profile celebrities have discovered (Kate Moss for one) it's pretty easy to sneakily film someone snorting cocaine.

The difference between the Sindo and other publications is that the Sindo relies upon access to and free "content" from these zelebrities. Catching them in in the act, (effectively committing a crime), would be an unnecessary complication and would cut the Sindo off from the free or cheap copy on which it depends.

Regards...jmcc

jmcc

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

The last line is worth critiquing. "You're photoshopped images may fool people on our screens or in the pages of society magazines. But in reality, the only person you're fooling is yourself." Where to start? How about with the stray comma in the first word?

That is, I believe, what is commonly referred to by journalists and others as an apostrophe rather than a comma.

Regards...jmcc

s8n

Why are you signing off your posts ?

evolving_doors

silverdolphin wrote: »

"It is unfounded to say that money was responsible for her education and tasteless to insult her personality as that poster did. "

According to the Newbridge College website, the fees are €3,800; (not a lot of parents can afford to pay €3,800 for their children's education each year). University is also expensive, so without money she wouldn't have an education. The way she has looked down on obese people in the past and recently negatively stereotyped female rugby players has been insulting and tasteless.

€3,800, Meh.. Ive seen people in disadvantaged areas spend more on bookies/pub/foreign holidays.
Sure not a lot of people can afford it, but considering a lot pay creche fees on average 10k a year its a pretty good baby sitting service.

If she's young then give her a chance I say, that door stepping the james bond guy was just rude. Also the Sinead O Connor debate wasnt that bad for a novice who's used to putting thoughts onto pape. But hey, she's getting herself out there and people are talking so good luck to her. At least she's making her mistakes now unlike the Justine Wilson lady who should have know better.

In some ways it looks like she'll go and find the story herself. There is the argument that older political journos just get fed the spin and accept it as journalism thinking they got insider knowledge.

Raspberry Fileds

Her article, mentioned a few posts earlier, has picked up an awful lot of negative attention.

Women’s rugby deserves better than lazy and damaging stereotypes | thescore.ie

This Article Is Exactly What Irish Women’s Rugby Could Do Without | balls.ie

It begins: "As I bent over with a blonde's hand slipping around the top of my thigh, I pondered how there are worse ways to burn 
calories on a sleepy Thursday evening. Now usually I'd make someone buy me dinner before getting into this position."

It's clearly an appalling piece. But...I don't think the negative attention is all warranted. One thing in particular was the line, "Before we all get carried away, let me shatter your misconceptions about
 women in the sport. These are not butch, masculine, beer-swilling, men-hating women." Cue indignant denials. But, I'm sure that is the perception of a lot of people, and I know a few women who play rugby who make that exact point. Horan was crass in how she made it, but it's valid. As much as people may dislike it, pieces like this are much more likely to increase participation in women's rugby than ones which focus on the gruelling training regime and other purely-sporting topics.

There are two competing challenges to making women's sport mainstream: increasing coverage of elite sport and increasing participation at grassroots. Both types of coverage will be needed to achieve those.


**Correcting a few things from my previous posts in this thread: private school fees aren't tax deductible; and I had meant to draw attention to a "stray" apostrophe (thanks to jmcc for highlighting that one).

miroslavklose

jmcc wrote: »

She's young, female and pretty. That means she has three problems with respect to Irish print journalism.

Hahahaha you're joking, right?

coylemj

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

I'm not in the mood to read the article again, but I don't think she ever saw actual drug-taking!

Maybe you should have read it again ....

I've sat through a conversation with a man who sniffed his way through our chat more times than I actually blinked

silverdolphin

"No doubt she is seen as a threat by some of the hacks who are not so young and not able to rely on their looks for getting someone to talk for a story."

Don't want to argue with you. Isn't it kind of demeaning to journalists to suggest that some of them rely on their looks to secure an interview? A wannabe journalist who is good-looking, but has no social skills may find interviewing tough. My first thoughts when I read the adjectives "butch, beer-swilling, men-hating" were "Who thinks that?" "Where did that come out of?"

jmcc

silverdolphin wrote: »

Don't want to argue with you. Isn't it kind of demeaning to journalists to suggest that some of them rely on their looks to secure an interview?

No. Journalists who have to get an interview for an article may have to use any advantage to get it. It is not relying on their looks but rather using them. It is elementary psychology and it often works.

Regards...jmcc

jmcc

s8n wrote: »

Why are you signing off your posts ?

Because I've forgotten most of the Morse Code.

Regards...jmcc

Raspberry Fileds

coylemj wrote: »

Maybe you should have read it again ....

I've sat through a conversation with a man who sniffed his way through our chat more times than I actually blinked

I infer from that that he sniffled throughout. One tends to snort cocaine rather than sniff it.

jmcc

Raspberry Fileds wrote: »

I infer from that that he sniffled throughout. One tends to snort cocaine rather than sniff it.

One of the side-effects of cocaine use is, according to Wikipedia, a chronically runny nose.

Regards...jmcc

Raspberry Fileds

jmcc wrote: »

One of the side-effects of cocaine use is, according to Wikipedia, a chronically runny nose.

Regards...jmcc

As is it of hay fever.