RTE Populist Journalism

AnFeirmeoir

Saw a bit in the IFJ about RTE's news coverage about the SFP Grants going out to farmers last week. IFA are making a complaint to RTE about it - I have to agree.
The report was a joke... A room full of Cash ready to be sent to farmers (described as the Kids) from The EU (described as Santa). Disgraceful really.
I enjoy a joke with my non farmer mates about the non-tax paying farmers with our hands out, but i expect better from RTE !:mad:

Sharpshooter82

AnFeirmeoir wrote: »

Saw a bit in the IFJ about RTE's news coverage about the SFP Grants going out to farmers last week. IFA are making a complaint to RTE about it - I have to agree.
The report was a joke... A room full of Cash ready to be sent to farmers (described as the Kids) from The EU (described as Santa). Disgraceful really.
I enjoy a joke with my non farmer mates about the non-tax paying farmers with our hands out, but i expect better from RTE !:mad:

it was bad alright

whitebriar

They should do a similar piece on the pile of cash that comes from the licence payers to keep them going :mad:

Rte journo's have some cheek given the outfit they work for made a loss of 70 million euros last year...all paid for by the public.

onyerbikepat

Ya agree. Long gone are the days of quality unbiased journalism. Just look at the Independent.ie website. It's starting to look more and more like a Celebrity Gossip site.

generic2012

Glad I wasn't the only thought that!

J.O. Farmer

I haven't seen the report but I assume it was a light hearted attempt at delivering a good news story as opposed to the usual depressing stuff about the troika, banks and developers.
I personally don't see the problem with the EU being described as santa and the farmers as kids. I'm guessing this was a metaphor. Unless RTE somehow implied that this was greedy farmers screwing the EU out of money for doing nothing then I don't see the problem. If they wanted to imply that the farmers would have been bankers and the EU the Irish government.

whitebriar

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

I haven't seen the report but I assume it was a light hearted attempt at delivering a good news story as opposed to the usual depressing stuff about the troika, banks and developers.
I personally don't see the problem with the EU being described as santa and the farmers as kids. I'm guessing this was a metaphor. Unless RTE somehow implied that this was greedy farmers screwing the EU out of money for doing nothing then I don't see the problem. If they wanted to imply that the farmers would have been bankers and the EU the Irish government.

The problem is Urban people don't use the analysis you have there.

Sfp's or subsidies as imperfect as they are,Should be seen as an incentive for farmers to be doing something most people wouldn't bother with,because usually the market returns don't justify it.

Thats the damage news reports like that do.They deepen urban misunderstandings of what we do.

J.O. Farmer

whitebriar wrote: »

The problem is Urban people don't use the analysis you have there.

Sfp's or subsidies as imperfect as they are,Should be seen as an incentive for farmers to be doing something most people wouldn't bother with,because usually the market returns don't justify it.

Thats the damage news reports like that do.They deepen urban misunderstandings of what we do.

I think your being a little harsh on urban people. Surely they're not all idiots who can't see the story as anything other than a bit of fun. I know some people misunderstand what we do but they're the same people who think milk comes from a bottle and not a cow.
I as a farmer am not worried about those particular idiots as I tthink they're in the minority

MfMan

I was annoyed at the RTE article at the time also. But mostly because it may give the impression to would-be-crooks that farmers would, in the following week, be carrying large amounts of cash in their homes. Attacks and break-ins are common enough in rural areas without adding to their potential with reports such as was carried.

Bactidiaryl

Down with that sort of thing.

delaval

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

I think your being a little harsh on urban people. Surely they're not all idiots who can't see the story as anything other than a bit of fun. I know some people misunderstand what we do but they're the same people who think milk comes from a bottle and not a cow.
I as a farmer am not worried about those particular idiots as I tthink they're in the minority

I was really annoyed at the time, not at the report because that Joe Duffy type BS is all I'd expect from Rte and the Indo.

What pissed me off is the fact that RTE whom I'm forced to contribute to thought it ok to ridicule the very thing that is keeping food on the tables of most farmers and cheap food on the ubanites table.

I have many urban friends and I asked them about the report and they shrugged that they don't expect serious reporting from the Rte news team anymore

slippy wicket

What rte didn't say in that report was that this is money coming from Europe that is spent in towns and villages up and down the country and is a good thing for the rural economy.
What would you expect from an inferior broadcaster that does not have an agricultural correspondent and doesn't look like filling the position any time soon either.

generic2012

slippy wicket wrote: »

What rte didn't say in that report was that this is money coming from Europe that is spent in towns and villages up and down the country and is a good thing for the rural economy.
What would you expect from an inferior broadcaster that does not have an agricultural correspondent and doesn't look like filling the position any time soon either.

There was a lad interviewed during it, think he was with the journal, and he said that there was studies showing that most of the money was spent locally within an 8 mile radius, so I wouldn't go saying that. But the report itself was a hames, I remeber it opened up with your own sayin something like 'farmers will receive €600m before Christmas....this comes after an earlier payment of a previous €600m...) I don't if it's malice or stupidity.

just do it

RTE news is competing in what has become a tough market. Populist stuff sells. Just look at circulation figures for the various newspapers and that tells its own story. At the end of the day it was only a bit of fun. They should do a similar piece on welfare payments for the crack, that would get Joe Duffy's phone lines hopping :rolleyes:

It's up to our representative body the IFA, not RTE, to get an appropriate media image across. Media outlets are cut to the bone at this stage so usually just run what's presented to them. IFA could fill that need.

J.O. Farmer

Why is everyone calling this populus reporting. To the best of my knowledge farmers all over the country are receiving SFP. I cant dispute the figures. Are farmers public hate figures and are people outraged they are receiving this money.
Perhaps RTE shouldn't report on public sector top ups because it seemed to only be senior people who got them.
Also think about it the farmers have to be good little boys and girls to get the SFP and comply with all the rules. Barring a minimum stocking rate the SFP is no longer directly linked to production.
Alternatively maybe ye could go on Joe Duffy and complain then mmaybe the government would start teaching people where food comes from.

nashmach

That is all well and good but at no point was the logic behind the SFP mentioned in the item, it was just portrayed as free money.

It was very poor sensationlist type journalism and typical of RTE now given that they have no dedicated ag journalist.