Is the Irish Independent a tabloid newspaper?

lufties

Hi all,
As of late I have noticed the independent newspaper(online) has become merely a 'goss' tabloid. I'd say 70per cent of the front page is stories about celebrities and 'socialites', that poor girl in peru has been front page news every day for the last week, seems a bit much when there is so much other things going in Ireland and worldwide. Its a shame really that it has gone this way.

Nodin

lufties wrote: »

Hi all,
As of late I have noticed the independent newspaper(online) has become merely a 'goss' tabloid. I'd say 70per cent of the front page is stories about celebrities and 'socialites', that poor girl in peru has been front page news every day for the last week, seems a bit much when there is so much other things going in Ireland and worldwide. Its a shame really that it has gone this way.

It was never good, but the last 10-15 years have seen a major dive.

KingOfFairview

Yeah, its a lot closer to the star than the times

Lollipops23

lufties wrote: »

Hi all,
As of late I have noticed the independent newspaper(online) has become merely a 'goss' tabloid. I'd say 70per cent of the front page is stories about celebrities and 'socialites', that poor girl in peru has been front page news every day for the last week, seems a bit much when there is so much other things going in Ireland and worldwide. Its a shame really that it has gone this way.

Eh, no sympathy for her tbh.

The Indo has gone downmarket over the last few years though.

snubbleste

Does anyone care?
Who actually buys the out of date once it is printed paper?

lufties

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Eh, no sympathy for her tbh.

The Indo has gone downmarket over the last few years though.

I find the articles about that 'celebrity' solicitor particularly hilarious, kinda seems like that fella is holding on to his other half by getting her in the paper.

pauliebdub

Yes I think it has become a lot more tabloidy in the past few years. It competes for market with the Daily Mail so has tried to emulate it a lot more, especially since it launched an Irish edition a few years back.

Real Life

is there any decent newspaper to be got anymore?

AnonoBoy

I wouldn't even use it as toilet paper.

Although then again, I wouldn't use any newspaper as toilet paper. It'd be extremely uncomfortable.

Peregrine

Yeah the Independent is effectively a tabloid newspaper.

But in saying that, the quality of all newspapers has gone seriously downhill, including the Irish Times.

If I was buying the print version, I'd still buy the Times though. Online, I use a variety of sources including Times.

Richard Hillman

Its very trashy to be honest. I find the Irish Times report the news in a factual manner whilst the Indo is more opinion and spin based.

tomatosauce34

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Its very trashy to be honest. I find the Irish Times report the news in a factual manner whilst the Indo is more opinion and spin based.

I agree. Irish Times and the Irish Examiner are the only decent papers left in this country. The Times(UK) isn't bad either.

Pang

It's just full of Z list, Irish 'celebrities' and articles about Amy Huberman's shoes.

lufties

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Its very trashy to be honest. I find the Irish Times report the news in a factual manner whilst the Indo is more opinion and spin based.

thats exactly why i generally dont bother with it, last week there was an article about another property boom, pure propaganda and spin.

Tramps Like Us

Real Life wrote: »

is there any decent newspaper to be got anymore?

Sunday Business Post. But its all a bit up in the air atm

Peregrine

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I wouldn't even use it as toilet paper.

Although then again, I wouldn't use any newspaper as toilet paper. It'd be extremely uncomfortable.

And it's already full of shite anyway.

My name is URL

It's literally a tabloid now (as well as figuratively) since they done away with the broadsheet format

Just look at the description on Wiki

Political Alignment -

• Fianna Fáil
• Populist
• Conservative
• Right-wing
• Anti-Sinn Féin

Civil-War obsessed maniacs

Il Trap

Its dreadful these days. And that Niamh Horan clown has to be one of the worst pretenders in Irish journalism. She's mad for embelishing ridiculous non-stories like the Slane girl thing and the two rugby lads that both shagged some bird they met in coppers. This kind of crap is somehow newsworthy these days!!?

Toby Take a Bow

Il Trap wrote: »

Its dreadful these days. And that Niamh Horan clown has to be one of the worst pretenders in Irish journalism. She's mad for embelishing ridiculous non-stories like the Slane girl thing and the two rugby lads that both shagged some bird they met in coppers. This kind of crap is somehow newsworthy these days!!?

Definitely a tabloid nowadays. Where I work we have to sort through the daily newspapers and the Indo appears to be striving to outdo itself day to day with its celebrity 'headlines' and photos.

Having said that, I can't think of any worthy Irish newspapers anymore, and have long stopped buying The Irish Times (the mishaps over the last couple of years have done away with any notion of them being the 'paper of record' as well as a general decline in their journalism).

As for any decent newspapers, I still buy the Guardian (although I'm well aware of its faults and that it's not to everyone's tastes).

Billy86

It's got Kevin Myers writing for it, that's enough awfulness to not even bother questioning if it is tabloid or not, and just avoid the whole thing.

Elbaston

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I wouldn't even use it as toilet paper.

Although then again, I wouldn't use any newspaper as toilet paper. It'd be extremely uncomfortable.

You need to crumple it up a few times, dampen it under the tap and give it a bit of a microwaving (preferably pre-poo).

Desperate times...

pauliebdub

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Its very trashy to be honest. I find the Irish Times report the news in a factual manner whilst the Indo is more opinion and spin based.

I find you never get a complete story when reading the Irish Times, they are too worried about upsetting or stigmatising the people or groups they are writing about. Some of the columnists inhabit la la land.

Nodin

lufties wrote: »

thats exactly why i generally dont bother with it, last week there was an article about another property boom, pure propaganda and spin.

...this week there's articles about IBIZA. Because apparently stuff goes on there....

....then theres the yearly "Irish people and Sex" special....the ever popular "IRISH TEENS AND SEX" focus......

Nodin

pauliebdub wrote: »

I find you never get a complete story when reading the Irish Times, they are too worried about upsetting or stigmatising the people or groups they are writing about. Some of the columnists inhabit la la land.

....for instance.............

joeperry

Irish Independent has this property story today trying to promote another bubble and there was a load of comments at the bottom from people telling the true story and now the comments are all gone.

http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/huge-dublin-property-surge-sparks-frenetic-bids-29525685.html

imme

The Indo has been a tabloid for about the past 15 years.


They recently signed Paul Williams, they've reached the Tabloid pinnacle.

Galaxie

Nodin wrote: »

....for instance.............

John Waters?

The Indo is muck though.

Nodin

Galaxie wrote: »

John Waters?.

He doesn't worry about stigmatising people (women, people who don't come out with a conservative version of hippy mumbo jumbo).

Galaxie

Nodin wrote: »

He doesn't worry about stigmatising people (women, people who don't come out with a conservative version of hippy mumbo jumbo).

Ah, I thought you were asking about the ones in la la land.

Taco Chips

Its a tabloid rag masquerading as a broadsheet to satiate the middle class who otherwise wouldn't want to be caught with a red top. Full of trashy celebrity, pop culture and 'opinion' pieces only there to stir controversy.

The Times is a superior paper, if only they would axe that deranged John Waters from his regular column.

mikemac1

Got the Examiner a few times, now and again they do a pick a subject and spend 3 days on it. Super writing.

Though for the rest of it I thought I was reading a Cork local paper!

Nodin

mikemac1 wrote: »

Got the Examiner a few times, now and again they do a pick a subject and spend 3 days on it. Super writing.

Though for the rest of it I thought I was reading a Cork local paper!

.....my brain still refers to it as "The Cork Examiner".

KingOfFairview

Does it still have that guy Ian something? One of these 'I tell it like it is' wankpockets?

Nodin

KingOfFairview wrote: »

Does it still have that guy Ian something? One of these 'I tell it like it is' wankpockets?

......yep. It and the Sindo have a fair few untalented "tell it like it is" merchants between them.

Duckworth_Luas

KingOfFairview wrote: »

Does it still have that guy Ian something? One of these 'I tell it like it is' wankpockets?

This lardarse?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tgWDHwmn8

marketty

KingOfFairview wrote: »

Does it still have that guy Ian something? One of these 'I tell it like it is' wankpockets?

Aw lord he's some dose

crockholm

When I'm around I buy the Indo (Mon-Sat),the opinion segments tend to have writers from different points of veiw, Martina Devlin and David Quinn etc.

Sindo makes the eyes bleed and I stick to the Sunday Times.

Ireland is too small a market to cater exclusively to one political ideology.

KingOfFairview

Nodin wrote: »

......yep. It and the Sindo have a fair few untalented "tell it like it is" merchants between them.

Duckworth_Luas wrote: »

This lardarse?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tgWDHwmn8

marketty wrote: »

Aw lord he's some dose

That's the one. Anyone who's job is to tell it like it is, in plain speaking, without mincing their words, with no heed to political correctness, who calls a spade a spade etc is basically someone paid to say things other people are too intelligent to say.

Richard Littlejohn, Barbara Ellen, Jeremy Clarkson etc.

Femme_Fatale

KingOfFairview wrote: »

That's the one. Anyone who's job is to tell it like it is, in plain speaking, without mincing their words, with no heed to political correctness, who calls a spade a spade etc is basically someone paid to say things other people are too intelligent to say.

Richard Littlejohn, Barbara Ellen, Jeremy Clarkson etc.

The only people worse than those c***s are the people who admire them for "shooting from the lip".
Are you maybe referring to Mary Ellen Synon rather than Barbara Ellen though? Apologies if not. Wasn't aware of Barbara being one of those type gimps however.

languagenerd

I know everyone's saying it's been going downhill for ages, but I think it's taken a massive dive in the last two years alone. The amount of "celeb" gossip, pointless real life stories ("It's taboo to admit it, but I have a favourite child" and "I lost half my body weight!" spring to mind) and biased articles has hugely increased even since 2010/2011. Getting rid of the "broadsheet" edition and revamping the website to look like the Mail shows that they're not even pretending anymore...

Never liked the Sunday one (badly laid-out and full of non-stories) but I used to like the regular one...

marketty

The Indo is absolutely a tabloid, no question about it. The times is a decent paper and hopefully stays that way. My ideal definition of a 'proper' paper would be:
No more than 2 pages of sports coverage, unless there is a seriously unique event like Ireland winning the World Cup or Shergar reaching the Wimbledon final.
Absolutely no reference to any living celebrity unless they are up on a murder charge or accidentally cure cancer.
Not one column inch to be given over to fashion/homeware/lifestyle crap, aka 'women's interest'. Sexist, vapid, scutter.

O and it should be really big,bigger than a broadsheet. Like bedsheet big.

Billy86

I don't get the appeal in having the papers so large mind. Just makes they tedious to turn the page on, and awkward to carry around. but I gave up on physical newspapers a long, long time ago.

Busted Flat.

lufties wrote: »

Hi all,
As of late I have noticed the independent newspaper(online) has become merely a 'goss' tabloid. I'd say 70per cent of the front page is stories about celebrities and 'socialites', that poor girl in peru has been front page news every day for the last week, seems a bit much when there is so much other things going in Ireland and worldwide. Its a shame really that it has gone this way.

How could anyone consider that rag a newspaper, as for it's sister paper the Herald, jaysus the clowns that write for that rag, right wing loolaghs, especially the retired clowns from other professions. (if you get my drift)

KingOfFairview

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

The only people worse than those c***s are the people who admire them for "shooting from the lip".
Are you maybe referring to Mary Ellen Synon rather than Barbara Ellen though? Apologies if not. Wasn't aware of Barbara being one of those type gimps however.

Barbara Ellen is utterly unhinged. She's the misandrist equivalent of Littlejohn. Says provocative crap to garner clicks on the Guardian. Here's her latest piece, where, oddly - she's is sticking up for women. she even sticks up for female paedophiles sometimes.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/peru-women-drugs-press-badgers

Femme_Fatale

KingOfFairview wrote: »

Barbara Ellen is utterly unhinged. She's the misandrist equivalent of Littlejohn. Says provocative crap to garner clicks on the Guardian. Here's her latest piece, where, oddly - she's is sticking up for women. she even sticks up for female paedophiles sometimes.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/peru-women-drugs-press-badgers

Ah ok, I'm not familiar with her other than when she wrote for NME or Melody Maker years ago. Thankfully. Thought she seemed a bit of a hag back then.

Annasopra

Real Life wrote: »

is there any decent newspaper to be got anymore?

The Irish Examiner improved a lot and isn't bad - The Guardian and the UK Independent are good papers too

Nodin

languagenerd wrote: »

I know everyone's saying it's been going downhill for ages, but I think it's taken a massive dive in the last two years alone. The amount of "celeb" gossip, pointless real life stories ("It's taboo to admit it, but I have a favourite child" and "I lost half my body weight!" spring to mind) and biased articles has hugely increased even since 2010/2011. Getting rid of the "broadsheet" edition and revamping the website to look like the Mail shows that they're not even pretending anymore...

Never liked the Sunday one (badly laid-out and full of non-stories) but I used to like the regular one...

...it should be pointed out that it was never that good. I remember 25 years ago or so it was staunchly FG. Might as well have had the party logo on the front page.

Sh1tbag OToole

Its like the Daily Fail for people who like to think they are intelligent.

Its the metro herald for people too posh to go on the dart.

Mr_Spaceman

lufties wrote: »

Hi all,
As of late I have noticed the independent newspaper(online) has become merely a 'goss' tabloid. I'd say 70per cent of the front page is stories about celebrities and 'socialites', that poor girl in peru has been front page news every day for the last week, seems a bit much when there is so much other things going in Ireland and worldwide. Its a shame really that it has gone this way.

Not sure what to make of the Indo these days (apart from it being significantly inferior to the Irish Times), but what's with all the "that poor girl in Peru" pish? She was caught bang to rights smuggling cocaine FFS!

Means Of Escape

KingOfFairview wrote: »

That's the one. Anyone who's job is to tell it like it is, in plain speaking, without mincing their words, with no heed to political correctness, who calls a spade a spade etc is basically someone paid to say things other people are too intelligent to say.

Richard Littlejohn, Barbara Ellen, Jeremy Clarkson etc.

What a crock

Kermit.de.frog

Just reading an Irish independent article about a "crazed gunman"

No-one was injured in this incident and the gunman left the pub but as he walked out, he fired back at the premises and a doorman was hit.

The doorman who is aged 45 and originally from Co Carlow was taken to St Vincent's University Hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening.

The standard of writing in the Indo is getting shoddier by the month. I do think it is definitely a tabloid newspaper but even other tabloids have less errors.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/crazed-gunman-opens-fire-on-dancers-in-pub-30339551.html