Dermot Keyes doesn't take kindly to internet forums

MitchKoobski

The Munster Express, page 10, 'Keyes Side' column by Dermot Keyes this week. He writes about the Penrose Lane incident, and praises the guards (they did a great job) but then blasts a certain internet forum with a 16 page discussion on the matter. I'll agree with him on his point that he couldn't give his official news report without all the facts until he saw fit, but that's all. Obviously with it being a paper I can't link to the article, so I'll give ya a few select quotes here.

"An information vacuum inevitably leads to an absence of facts and the creation of fibs, exaggerations and downright lies, and that's exactly what happened during this particular episode."

"The nature of the initial media response didn't go down well with those contributors to several internet message boards, one of whom branded our efforts as "disgraceful".

You're a reporter in Waterford, you give updates to your story as it progresses. If you wait until the next day, yer gonna fall behind.

"And who among us wouldn't want the sensationalist coverage of such a stand-off? Sadly, quite a few given that there were 16 pages devoted to last week's incident (by noon on Thursday) on one website that shall not be afford the oxygen of branded publicity in this column.

Wonder what forum that could be?

That so many web users on a variety of forums felt what was going on in the heart of the city represented some form of comedic entertainment was pretty appaling.

I think I can speak for everyone here when I saw it was a big news story in Waterford, and this forum provided up to the minute details from the incident as it progressed. It wasn't there as our night's entertainment.

G'way out of it Dermot. This forum was the best place for information last Tuesday, and you won't find anyone here that's gonna take sick pleasure from a sick man having a stand-off with the gardaí. It was up-to-the-minute news and images as we got em.

ziedth

Hi Dermot!!

*Waves

on one website that shall not be afford the oxygen of branded publicity in this column.

Is by far my favourite bit.

MitchKoobski

The Munster will take our stories and then complain, but at least The News and Star likes us!

super_furry

People like him are terrified that they're being rendered obsolete. Who needs to wait on a newspaper to tell you about things that happened yesterday when you can discuss what's happening now on the internet.

Print media is dying and dinosaurs like that oul lad are on their way out.

ziedth

MitchKoobski wrote: »

The Munster will take our stories and then complain, but at least The News and Star likes us!

What did we ever do to them I wonder? Like such an uncalled for attack because one poster seemingly refered to their coverage as disgraceful. I always enjoyed reading the munster. I certainly won't be buying it again (I love the moral highground)

Given how quickly that thread moved I may have missed a few posts but I certainly didn't see(and I wouldn't allow) anyone to make a mockery of the poor man. there may have been a number of jokes but nothing major. we didn't allow any names and we had a big chat about weather we should leave the you tube clip up.

As soon as the situation was resolved the thread was closed and we closed another thread today that wished to discuss it.

Beerholder

To be honest I didn't even know that there was a Waterford City Forum on here until someone sent me a link to that thread last week.

I didn't agree with alot of the stuff that was said in the thread and didn't like that people were having a laugh about a serious incident, but it's a public forum, and anyone logging on here knows that.

If you're not willing to accept that don't log on IMO.

seanybiker

Never heard if him.
He only works for a local paper anyways so his opinion doesn't count. Maybe someday if he gets to work in a proper paper we might take his opinion but then again maybe not.

ziedth

I just read the whole thread with the deleted posts and IMHO there is only one or two posts that flirt with the line a little bit as a joke and the "worst" joke was when the standoff was over. there was certainly nobody taking the piss out of him.

Some of the you tube comments were awful but that has nothing to do with us.

dayshah

As usual, Waterford Whispers is the best for local news.

http://www.waterfordwhispersnews.com/article.php?id=325

Finnbar01

Dead tree press.

old gregg

crikey I was out of the country for nearly a fortnight and have no idea what any of this is about , suppose I'd better go to page 2 of the forum to be informed

deisedave

Well in my opinion if you air your dirty laundry in public, your open for the mick to be taken out of you

seanybiker

dayshah wrote: »

As usual, Waterford Whispers is the best for local news.

http://www.waterfordwhispersnews.com/article.php?id=325

chap that does that site is a legend. Hilarious fella. Sound out aswell. Videos are gonna rule

Beerholder

deisedave wrote: »

Well in my opinion if you air your dirty laundry in public, your open for the mick to be taken out of you

No.

Not if the person in question is suffering from a mental illness or having some kind of breakdown...people should have a bit of sensitivity.

seanybiker

Beerholder wrote: »

No.

Not if the person in question is suffering from a mental illness or having some kind of breakdown...people should have a bit of sensitivity.

didn't know he was suffering from anything.
Anyways I'm sure this thread be locked if we get into a debate about your man so ...............

Beerholder

seanybiker wrote: »

didn't know he was suffering from anything.
Anyways I'm sure this thread be locked if we get into a debate about your man so ...............

No I didn't say he was Seany, my point was that people should think before taking the piss.

ziedth

Exactly Seany. No need to discuss the chap. This is about the article.

seanybiker

Beerholder wrote: »

No I didn't say he was Seany, my point was that people should think before taking the piss.

Ah I get ya now. Don't think there was anything to bad anyways.

Beerholder

seanybiker wrote: »

Ah I get ya now. Don't think there was anything to bad anyways.

Yeah I think you're right thank God.

seanybiker

Wonder how many of us be quoted in your mans article next week. Hello Mam

ziedth

I'm just amazed by it to be honest. It's hard to get the general tone from Mitch's quotes but it just seems crazy to have a pop at us.

seanybiker

ziedth wrote: »

I'm just amazed by it to be honest. It's hard to get the general tone from Mitch's quotes but it just seems crazy to have a pop at us.

He's probably just looking for a reaction from us so he will have something to type about

abouttobebanned

As usual with lazy-ass print journalists...Mr Keyes was just bored and wanted something to write about.

In my opinion, if he had a creative bone in his body he would have seen that the real story was how the story grew so many arms and legs after about 20 minutes. And Facebook was more at fault for this than Boards.

Also, if someone gets on a roof and starts acting the maggot, as long as nobody is hurt, people are always going to start looking for the comic relief, wherever you are.

Mr Keyes, if you're reading this, and I know you are...How about asking Mr. O Connor, the man sitting across from you there, if you can write some stories that might actually enlighten your readers.

Daysha

MitchKoobski wrote: »

You're a reporter in Waterford, you give updates to your story as it progresses. If you wait until the next day, yer gonna fall behind.

He works for a weekly newspaper, it's not his job to give updates on the story as it progresses. His only job is to have the story as best he can for the next edition, he didn't even have to be down there if he didn't want to. Up to date info is the job of RTE and WLR.

super_furry wrote: »

People like him are terrified that they're being rendered obsolete. Who needs to wait on a newspaper to tell you about things that happened yesterday when you can discuss what's happening now on the internet.

Print media is dying and dinosaurs like that oul lad are on their way out.

Certain types of print media is dying. Of all the different formats (national tabloid/broadsheets, evenings etc) local print is the safest of all of them. Certainly for the time being.

seanybiker wrote: »

Never heard if him.
He only works for a local paper anyways so his opinion doesn't count. Maybe someday if he gets to work in a proper paper we might take his opinion but then again maybe not.

If you want to disregard the opinion of every single journalist who works or started working in their local paper, you'll be at it for a while.

Also opinion columns keep many papers ticking over, the Independent for example has steamrolled the Irish Times in readership figures in the last few years because of this change of direction.

seanybiker

Its not just local ones. I don't really care for any journalists opinions. Rather have me own opinion and see where it goes from there

MitchKoobski

Daysha wrote: »

He works for a weekly newspaper, it's not his job to give updates on the story as it progresses. His only job is to have the story as best he can for the next edition, he didn't even have to be down there if he didn't want to. Up to date info is the job of RTE and WLR.

Fair enough, but from reading the article I got the impression he was annoyed that the story broke, developed and pretty much finished here. He was relying purely on what the Gardaí at the scene were telling him.

"Look at it this way: How often has one looked at a 24-hour news coverage of a 'talking head' reporter standing outside a potential crimescene while there is nothing going on?
How often have we seen reporters on location repeating the same details every 15 minutes, i.e. delivering news that isn't new?
Is that what Irish media consumers want our industry to morph into, a morass of speculation amidst the absence of cold, hard, undisputed facts? I sincerely hope not."

From reading the piece it seems to me like he was going to write an article on the incident but when the forums had all the information before the papers he got annoyed.
There was a stand-off between an armed man and the gardaí in Waterford City. People wanted updates and information as soon as it came in, and they got it here from the people who were there. The next day the majority of the papers had just a few words on the story and that was it.
The users here provided information as it came along, they provided images of the scene and videos. Dermot, it seems, would rather we keep quiet and wait for the news to report it with cold hard gardaí approved facts.

MitchKoobski

None of us were in any doubt that the Gardaí did a great job, so I'll give ye he last three sentences of the article.

"Sections of the the media and public alike tend to jump up and down incandescantly when the force makes a cock-up. Isn't it funny how the same such individuals have precious little to say when our Gardaí commendably fulfil their duties in resolve often tense and potentially threatening situations?

Waterford's finest (with assistance from Cork) did their jobs well last midweek. And that's a statement that no online gob****e hiding behind the veil of anonymity can even attempt to counter-argue."

ziedth

I'm hoping he wasn't referring to us with that but I'm beginning to think he didn't read the thread so who knows.

The Gardaí weren't remotely mentioned in a bad light AFAIK.

MitchKoobski

I just don't know of any other forum that had a 16-page discussion on the matter.

dayshah

MitchKoobski wrote: »

I just don't know of any other forum that had a 16-page discussion on the matter.

There was the Youtube video and also facebook. Not quite 16 pages, but we didn't have the web exclusive.

AdMMM

I would imagine the only reason he didn't name us was because of the chance that Boards.ie would take legal action against him.

Now that would have been a turn for the books!

MitchKoobski

Well we can't confirm unless Dermot himself tells us, but at least we know his opinions of forums in general.

ziedth

I'm sorry dayshah but you can't seriously think that he meant anyone but us. Facebook doesn't have "pages" and you tube had nowhere near 16.

jhegarty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNp1F-F3OoI

Sully

He actually has a point, but that's kinda the way internet forums are. The quality of discussions and stuff is down to the site and those who work on it. Boards.ie Waterford Forum is one of the few Waterford based discussion forums that have lasted, and for a reason. I personally have always felt that the quality of discussions here were much better and I guess that reason is down to the Guidelines moderators are told to enforce and hence resulting in a very successful site and business adventure.

Some of the ****e in that thread and ones in the past were disgraceful. I think the right call was made locking it and the one today, because all people do is speculate and start naming names that have no connection with it at all. At least one of those YouTube videos was removed, and they don't remove videos lightly.

Perhaps more of an effort could have been made at the time to keep the heat from boiling over, which it did, but everyone learns and it will improve in the event of a similar thread being created.

Digital Media comes with a price, sadly, and that will never change. Its how its controlled is where the balance is.

Sully

AdMMM wrote: »

I would imagine the only reason he didn't name us was because of the chance that Boards.ie would take legal action against him.

Now that would have been a turn for the books!

May not want to give us the attention. All publicity is good publicity as the saying goes, and plugging us will see loads flocking onto the site. Only those who use it often, will have an idea who he is on about.

BTID and MadBlaa would have been FAR worse, if they were still about, at reporting this story.

mecco

AdMMM wrote: »

I would imagine the only reason he didn't name us was because of the chance that Boards.ie would take legal action against him.

Now that would have been a turn for the books!

A cynic might wonder if he didnt name them for fear of the site being even more peoples source of info the next time around? And the print media being even more of an afterthought.

But hey, there is no cynical people around here

ziedth

As much as the article is after grinding me gears I'd appreciate if we didn't go down the abuse line. Cheers

takola

Do not post abuse about anyone on the site. We are held responsible for everything you say, and you will also be held responsible, so be civil. If you can't do that, go tell a family member or neighbour instead.

Flyin Irishman

takola wrote: »

Do not post abuse about anyone on the site. We are held responsible for everything you say, and you will also be held responsible, so be civil. If you can't do that, go tell a family member or neighbour instead.

My neighbour is pretty pissed that I knocked on his door at 10 to 1 to bitch about the local media's view on internet forums....:(

takola

Flyin Irishman wrote: »

My neighbour is pretty pissed that I knocked on his door at 10 to 1 to bitch about the local media's view on internet forums....:(

Well feel free to let me him send me a PM of complaint. Everyone else is doing it.

AdMMM

Wait, so he's allowed call us gob****es but we're not allowed call him a gob****e? Which if I was to call him, I'd take full responsibility for.

takola

AdMMM wrote: »

Wait, so he's allowed call us gob****es but we're not allowed call him a gob****e? Which if I was to call him, I'd take full responsibility for.

Exactly. Feel free to say such to your mates, or whoever, but on boards.ie, you can't because he can get us into trouble, and in doing so, can get you into trouble. It's all clearly laid out in the terms and agreement you agree to when you sign up.

BlueBaron

16 pages?? lol Keyes you n00b

change the setting to 40 per page maaaaaaan

Flyin Irishman

AdMMM wrote: »

Wait, so he's allowed call us gob****es but we're not allowed call him a gob****e? Which if I was to call him, I'd take full responsibility for.

He didnt call us gob****es, he called "certain internet forums'" members as gob****es


Completely off topic and unrelated, Do you know what Local newspaper I hate? The ******* *******!!!

ziedth

AdMMM wrote: »

Wait, so he's allowed call us gob****es but we're not allowed call him a gob****e? Which if I was to call him, I'd take full responsibility for.

I wouldn't like to see us sink to name calling anyway. You know?

seanybiker

ziedth wrote: »

I wouldn't like to see us sink to name calling anyway. You know?

We would never do that. Not to the people in news and star who love us.

BlueBaron

Flyin Irishman wrote: »

He didnt call us gob****es, he called "certain internet forums'" members as gob****es


Completely off topic and unrelated, Do you know what Local newspaper I hate? The ******* *******!!!

God i really hate that newspaper aswell, full of gob****es!!!

nkay1985

This attitude just smacks of someone in the media being left behind and feeling slightly bitter about it. There will always be a place for newspapers as they can provide in-depth reviews of news and events but it's no longer good enough to simply point out the rough details of what happened as that'll have been done, as the event unfolds, online. With the advent of smartphones, it's almost guaranteed that if something noteworthy happens, it'll be posted somewhere online very quickly.

Simply put: If I need to find out about something that's happening in Waterford, I'll use this forum; if I need to find out about something that happened in Waterford, I'll get a local paper (although I'm less likely to get The Munster Express all of a sudden).

daenerysstormborn3

Thankfully the stand-off didn't turn ugly and public safety didn't become an issue but this was the only place that had information about the location of the stand-off which i'm sure members of the public, dermot keyes included, would've been very grateful for had there been a less positive outcome and the area needed to be avoided.

No doubt in my mind he's talking about our forum. Maybe he does feel left behind but that is the nature of the internet forum. A forum like ours with high traffic moves fast that in turn creates more traffic.

If you're reading this week dermot and looking for more material for your column, jog on!

ziedth

So I finally read the article (I didn't buy the paper) and I'm just astounded at how uncalled for the whole thing is. I can't see what our little forum did to piss this guy off, like generally we are what? 25/30 regular posters and allot of lurkers who get I'd imagine allot of info off the forum. We're not exactly going to change the world with our discussions.

I for one will be buying the news and star from now on. At least they like us.

One final point I'd like to touch on before I don't give this a second thought Is he mentions that we gave "sensationalist coverage" of the incident. When? I'll agree that some of the jokes (although IMO fine) did come close to the line of being bad taste that thread from what I can see was pretty much accurate. The only time it was mentioned about shots being fired was when it seemingly went up on WLR and rest seemed to be accurate up to the minute account of what was going on.

So I wish the paper well as I do with any local business and I hope they trade successfully forever but I'm now a news and star man.