Paul Dunbar - Get Over It

jimd2

Just heard Paul Dunbar from Count Me Out on radio 1 on moaning about the coverage of the abdication / resignation of Pope Benedict. He was saying that RTE in particular spent too long and dedicated too many journalists to the topic.

Well Paul, whether you like it or not there are many people in this country that are interested in this story and also the outcome whether they like or support Pope Benedict or not. I would not be a particular supporter of him or the previous pope but it never struck me that the coverage was too much.

In the UK which is not a predominantly Catholic country there was also major coverage especially on ITV and SKY News. Remember the coverage on Princess Diana's death?

Message to Paul, pick your battles to fight. This is not one of them imo. Areas such as speed of transfer of schools away from the church and the amount of religious education in schools are more worthy of your time and efforts.

SebBerkovich

I'm utterly sick of news story after news story about some old dude who should have retired before he started the job.

So i can easily see Paul Dunbar's point of view on this.

GCU Flexible Demeanour

Paul who? Pope what?

Although I do agree that the coverage of Diana's death was excessive. What was all that about?

eviltwin

It was the lead story on RTE the last few days, more important than the cuts to the mobility allowance. That was a far bigger story and should have been given the same attention imo. And what is it with RTE sending so many staff to Rome to cover it.

swampgas

It's not so much the amount of coverage that bothers me as the bordering-on-reverential tones used. You'd think the fact that this man had a key role in covering up clerical child abuse in Ireland might temper the sycophancy a little. I find it nauseating.

robindch

eviltwin wrote: »

[...] what is it with RTE sending so many staff to Rome to cover it.

Rome is nice, cheap and nearby, so it fits the RTE News travel budget.

sbsquarepants

eviltwin wrote: »

It was the lead story on RTE the last few days, more important than the cuts to the mobility allowance. That was a far bigger story and should have been given the same attention imo. And what is it with RTE sending so many staff to Rome to cover it.

I'm not sure you'd make all that great a news editor. Mobility cuts are terrible i'll grant you, but as a news story it's hardly up there with a pope resigning now is it?
As for RTE sending staff to cover it, you are familiar with RTE aren't you? Tax payers money is a bottomless pit, spend spend spend - look at their "stars" wages if you don't believe me. When's the last time you seen any "talent" poached from RTE for say the BBC or SKY. Even TV3 won't bloody have them!

Brian Shanahan

jimd2 wrote: »

Just heard Paul Dunbar from Count Me Out on radio 1 on moaning about the coverage of the abdication / resignation of Pope Benedict. He was saying that RTE in particular spent too long and dedicated too many journalists to the topic.

The only time Josef Ratzinger would deserve the media coverage he is currently getting was if he was being arraigned for the crimes he committed in the whole child sex abuse scandal he was so busy covering up as head of the Inquisition.

Front page coverage on the day he announced his resignation, and front page coverage on the announcment of Pope Cover-Up of Sex Abuse III is all this story deserves.

Kidchameleon

The fact that people are in here talking about the pope would suggest that it is more news worthy that you are letting on.

Dades

I've no problem with the news coverage. It's what they do. Anything for a change from European economics. Quite looking forward to the media circus of the conclave, actually.

I work on the basis that the next channel is only a click away.

Brian Shanahan

Kidchameleon wrote: »

The fact that people are in here talking about the pope would suggest that it is more news worthy that you are letting on.

I'm sorry but do you not understand how media works?

Most newspapers, tv news and radio go, not based on the actual importance of a story, but based on a couple of factors:
1) Is it cheap, e.g. we don't have to fly far away, and if it is foreign can we get local media to do most of the work, can we get talking heads on for next to nothing?
2) Is it easy to talk about?
3) What way does the owner want us to report this (e.g. every article in the Times, the Sun and every "news" story on Sky is for the glorification of Rupert Murdoch, every article in the Mail praises fascism, and every bit of news on the BBC is sympathetic to government figures, because of the licence fees)?
4) Does it agree with everybody else (herd mentality is big in media)?
5) What is the government's line on this (you'll see very little in news media these days which the government is against, e.g. there is little mention of how the US is funding Al-Qaeda in Syria)?

Generally those five questions relegate the truly newsworthy things to minor stringer paragraphs on page 94, if we're lucky, and prioritise pictures of 14 year old girls who "show curves beyond their years" (a regular phrase of the Mail).

ShooterSF

RTE still have a news show? Who knew? I don't have saorview or sky or upc so I don't care. Id imagine their demographic is skewed towards elderly rosary bead keepers and it makes sense for them to cater to them.

Still OP it's strange to post it here, maybe the ranting and raving forum?

jimd2

ShooterSF wrote: »

RTE still have a news show? Who knew? I don't have saorview or sky or upc so I don't care. Id imagine their demographic is skewed towards elderly rosary bead keepers and it makes sense for them to cater to them.

Still OP it's strange to post it here, maybe the ranting and raving forum?

Not sure of your logic my friend. It is not me who is ranting and raving. I was just saying that in my opinion the coverage was not excessive especially, as you so elegantly put it, that a substantial part of the demographic that watch the RTE News would be interested in it.

Of course, by your logic Paul Dunbar of Count Me Out should have perhaps taken himself to the ranting and raving forum but I would never suggest that myself. If the coverage had gone on for a few days then there would have been some justification in Mr Dunbar's statement and interview but this mornings news had the pope story in 3rd place and this was just the morning after the Pope retired/ abdicated.

I wonder when there were state funerals for politicians, when Princess Diana died, when Madeleine McCann went missing etc etc all events that got similar coverage was Mr Dunbar on his high horse. Methinks not.

jimd2

Dades wrote: »

I've no problem with the news coverage. It's what they do. Anything for a change from European economics. Quite looking forward to the media circus of the conclave, actually.

I work on the basis that the next channel is only a click away.

I agree, well put.

Hotblack Desiato

There's been a lot of coverage of the pope story, but nothing from Dunbar's point of view until now. News coverage should be able to accommodate more than one POV on a topic. 'Get over it'

Gbear

It does feel a bit like they're overdoing it.

I was thinking, as I was driving home from work one evening - what sort of person actually listens to this ****e?

I mean I understand the grannies of Ireland all tuning in for Six One or the nine o'clock news but do young professionals driving home from work give a ****e?

I'd say it's a resounding "no" in most cases.
Perhaps they don't tend to tune into RTE1 anyway?

fisgon

jimd2 wrote: »

Just heard Paul Dunbar from Count Me Out on radio 1 on moaning about the coverage of the abdication / resignation of Pope Benedict. He was saying that RTE in particular spent too long and dedicated too many journalists to the topic.

Didn't hear Paul Dunbar, and have never actually heard of him, but I was thinking the exact same thing as he apparently expressed this week. Listening to RTE radio (I rarely watch RTE tv) was like being transported back in time to the seventies or eighties, and to a country that was in thrall to a dominant, all-encompassing church. They wouldn't have given that much attention to a US presidential election, something that actually matters to this country and the world.

RTE really are stuck in a vision of a country that doesn't actually exist anymore, a country that is utterly preoccupied with the internal political machinations of the catholic church. They don't seem to have grasped that this is a society where large numbers of people, the majority in fact, have left behind the kind of slavishly obedient catholicism of our parents and grandparents. They don't seem to get it that huge numbers of people don't actually care about Ratzinger, or his successor.

ShooterSF

jimd2 wrote: »

Not sure of your logic my friend. It is not me who is ranting and raving. I was just saying that in my opinion the coverage was not excessive especially, as you so elegantly put it, that a substantial part of the demographic that watch the RTE News would be interested in it.

I know but why are you telling us, if you get me? I didn't even know who Paul Dunbar was and while I'd like to hear what he said before passing comment, I don't really care.

If you are asking what other atheists think of the national broadcaster devoting large amounts of coverage to auld Joey's retirement (assuming they are) I don't really care is the answer. I'd hope they had the integrity to not gloss over the child rape issue he oversaw and in general wouldn't be biased but it's similar to how I'd hope Fox news is going to one day become unbiased. But even if they don't I'll still just not watch either and not care.

ShooterSF

... And it could be worse. At least he is not outside RTE studios protesting

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/03/01/meanwhile-on-nutley-lane/

General Relativity

It's not like all this news coverage is blocking quality programming on RTE.

FouxDaFaFa

I understand the interest and expect coverage, it is a significant news story. What I didn't like was, for about a week, it was on the news every day. Pope's last time saying mass. Pope's last time greeting people. Last time in the pope-mobile. Last time blowing his nose.

It was/is excessive.

fisgon

ShooterSF wrote: »

... And it could be worse. At least he is not outside RTE studios protesting

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/03/01/meanwhile-on-nutley-lane/

Worth reading just for the comments after.

Peregrinus

Celebrity culture, folks. Get used to it. Google News currently offers me links to 238 stories about Taylor Swift and Harry Styles and their tragic breakup, and to 493 stories about Justin Bieber, and I suggest this tells us something about contemporary news values. Benny combines celebrity-level name recognition with good photo ops, the opportunity to air conspiracy theories and even some degree of plausibly genuine newsworthiness. What's in there for a 21st-century journalist not to like? More than 4.000 journalists have been accredited to cover the conclave, they're all going to produce copy and much of it is going to end up on newsprint or airwaves near you. Brace yourselves!

On the bright side, it does seem to have pushed Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas (who?) down the page a bit. Google only knows about 16 stories concerning them.

Tim Robbins

robindch wrote: »

Rome is nice, cheap and nearby, so it fits the RTE News travel budget.

They are hoping to stay over there for the Rugby on the 16th March.