Update on the Kate Fitzgerald / Irish Times debacle

drg85

Some of you may remember a huge thread a few weeks ago about how the Irish Times utterly smeared a suicide victim who had written for them. It's a messy enough story, but there is now a petition for the Irish Times to issue a clarification or apology. I thought those who were as outraged as I was at the IT's handling of it and mental health in general might want to know and lend their voices to the chorus. You'll find it here -

https://www.change.org/petitions/the-irish-times-appropriate-redress-of-the-kate-fitzgerald-issue

Curiously, once it became public knowledge that a petition was being organised, the Irish Times facebook page locked its wall. Coincidence or what ?

danniemcq

wasn't it the irish times that had article saying internet is ruining paper media?

Think paper media doing a good enough job of ruining itself


edit: link to irish times thread

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056538595

and to the article online
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0203/1224311177168.html

Cianos

signed

drg85

Cheers guys.. I was going to post it in original thread, but is it too much to resurrect that mammoth ?!

hayser

Does anyone have a link to the article where the Irish Times smeared the suicide victim? I vaguely remember hearing about the girl at the time but would like to see the evidence of how the paper reacted.

Acid_Violet

Trust boardsies to keep this kind of important thing going.

Use this facebook link to get your friends to sign: http://www.facebook.com/events/244693798947643/
It's a public event

Here's hoping that people will post this around the place, reignite the interest.

This link has a very good timeline explaining everything that happened if you want to explain it to your friends:

http://www.conorfarrell.com/wordpress/uncategorized/kate-fitzgerald-and-the-irish-times-a-timeline

And coinkydink? I think not at all

rugbug86

hayser wrote: »

Does anyone have a link to the article where the Irish Times smeared the suicide victim? I vaguely remember hearing about the girl at the time but would like to see the evidence of how the paper reacted.

Check the links that Danny posted.

Long story short.

Kate sent article to IT about employers attitude to mental health
IT published article
IT contacted by Kates parents who recognised the pseudoname
IT published a piece about Kates life (in conjunction with her parents)
People made the connection between Kate and her employers
The IT edited the original piece and removed anything negative about the employers
The IT then completely removed the piece
The IT published a piece apologising for any offence caused to the employers and that essentially as Kate was no longer with us, they couldn't verify her stories therefore said there were factual inacuracies.

PHIDIAS

A very disturbing story and shocking display by the Irish Times. They should be held accountable for this, and an explanation is certainly warranted.

billymitchell

Whatever about the Irish Times, whatabout the communication clinic. Surely the must get investigated as well for this.

PHIDIAS

billymitchell wrote: »

Whatever about the Irish Times, whatabout the communication clinic. Surely the must get investigated as well for this.

Yes they absolutely should, but this is a national news paper that seems to have caved under pressure from an outside source. And that is just not good enough nor does it give them any credibility from here on in.

grizzly

broadsheet.ie have brought this up again...

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/08/23/when-you-ask-a-question/