The Irish Motoring Press

Paddy@CIRL

I'm sure we can all agree that often enough, the Irish motoring industry with regards to journalism leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, I can probably count on both hands the number of journalists in this country that are worthy of the title.

I can't stress enough how irritating I find it to read an Irish road test of a new car, and immediately realise it's just the manufacturer's press release with a few words changed around. That's neither informative nor journalism. When I want to read a review, I want honest feedback. I want the good with the bad and most importantly I want to know that the review relates to the Irish market and everything this entails: accurate pricing, accurate vehicle specification for the Irish consumer etc.

As a photographer, it always - read: ALWAYS - annoys me when I read an Irish road test and see photographs of an English or foreign registered car (first drives not included). It just screams at me that neither the publication or the manufacturer care enough about the Irish market to even bother registering / displaying an actual example of what you can buy in the showrooms here. The market here is small but that doesn't mean it should be treated as such. Our money is just as good as anyone else's, right?

Earlier this year, I made a decision to go fully freelance and commit myself to the Irish industry. I won't lie, it's not been easy. In fact, it's been really quite difficult so far and I still find myself relying on work from beyond these shores. However, I've learned more about how the industry here works in three months, than I have in the past ten years. On a positive note, I've also found that there are others out there who don't think the standard is good enough here and that both the potential consumers and motoring enthusiasts amongst the general public deserve better. That is, to a standard that would be highly regarded anywhere in else the world and not just the regurgitated mess we're often fed by certain so-called journalists.

I seen a couple of tweets earlier promoting the launch of what claims to be the first Irish iOS motoring publication from CompleteCar.ie. I certainly don't remember there ever being another one in the past, so I'll have to take their word for it. It's going to be a monthly thing, it's cheap (€1.69) and it features as much original content as they can fit into it. Whilst it's not perfect, it really excites me. Sure the likes of Car or EVO offer a better product at this particular moment in time, but that's not what interests me. What makes me extraordinarily happy is that here is a group of Irish journalists, trying their damnedest and doing something different to the rest of their competitors. They should be applauded for this alone.

The fact that this is probably the best motoring publication I've seen here is irrelevant. For the first time, it looks like this minuscule industry actually has a bright future. An industry that previously I had absolutely no belief or faith in.

Am I alone in this regard?


---

Before someone jumps on me for advertising here, I'm not involved with this. Well, not directly. (Full disclosure: I provided photos for an Irish road test of the new Mercedes GLA way back and happen to know some of the people involved)

Mods, if you feel this is inappropriate, please remove it and accept my apologies.

ba_barabus

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

Am I alone in this regard?

No.

I'll keep this short. I actively avoid reading Irish motoring coverage in papers and magazines as the standard is so poor / it's clearly a press release / it's written by a Z-List Irish celeb with no knowledge / the grammar, knowledge and advice is shocking or finally it's all of the above.

I heard a motoring journalist speak during the week on an local radio station and had to turn it off as it was pure bar stool advice and it was boiling my piss listening to it.

If it improves I'm happy to read it again but every time I dip back into it I find the same poorly written and edited crap.

(That's not a dig at you Paddy btw but more the written press)

Eric Cartman

Having worked in Irish print media for the past 6 years I always hate seeing this , automotive and technology news tends to have it most frequently, reviews are 99% of the time washed press releases or uk reviews from sister publications / copy agencies.

The only thing journalists ever seem to add to an irish review is how much the car costs to tax, then change the pricing.

Even with the reviews washed from uk papers or agencies, most of them have to fit into a few pars on a page and unfortunately in what constitutes an irish review, the paragraph about the cars performance always gets chopped to try and copyfit the paragrahs about fuel economy , co2 levels and pricing in their entirety.

Similar woth the photos, generic wash from agencies , usually of a german / french or uk registered car.

Its nice to see somebody else whos sick of it.

BMJD

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

As a photographer, it always - read: ALWAYS - annoys me when I read an Irish road test and see photographs of an English or foreign registered car (first drives not included). It just screams at me that neither the publication or the manufacturer care enough about the Irish market to even bother registering / displaying an actual example of what you can buy in the showrooms here.

as a slight aside to that, it makes me do a little lol when I see the British motoring press using pics of Opels with Vauxhall badges badly photoshopped onto them

jimgoose

Do we even have an Irish Motoring Press?? Aside from some clodhopper wittering on about CO2 in a column about the latest Kia Vagina in the Times motoring supplement?

MetzgerMeister

TheNextGear is my favourite Irish motoring publication. It's probably the only one where the reviews are as honest as they can be.

R.O.R

What about http://www.autocultureireland.com/ ? Free monthly e-zine

Read a good few of the reviews/articles in the first 2 magazines, and thought it's quite a decent read.

chicorytip

The Irish Times motoring supplement
can be , on occasion, both interesting and
informative. Mc Aleer and Briscoe, for example,are both knowledgeable and
enthusiastic.

Paddy@CIRL

ba_barabus wrote: »

No.

I'll keep this short. I actively avoid reading Irish motoring coverage in papers and magazines as the standard is so poor / it's clearly a press release / it's written by a Z-List Irish celeb with no knowledge / the grammar, knowledge and advice is shocking or finally it's all of the above.

I heard a motoring journalist speak during the week on an local radio station and had to turn it off as it was pure bar stool advice and it was boiling my piss listening to it.

If it improves I'm happy to read it again but every time I dip back into it I find the same poorly written and edited crap.

(That's not a dig at you Paddy btw but more the written press)

One of the things I've learned going form working with an enthusiast reader base to a general population one, is that you have to completely change your tone and approach. Previously, I would have joined you in smashing the pieces but now I see why they have to dumb it down so much even if some of the 'advice' is a little bit off.

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Having worked in Irish print media for the past 6 years I always hate seeing this , automotive and technology news tends to have it most frequently, reviews are 99% of the time washed press releases or uk reviews from sister publications / copy agencies.

The only thing journalists ever seem to add to an irish review is how much the car costs to tax, then change the pricing.

Even with the reviews washed from uk papers or agencies, most of them have to fit into a few pars on a page and unfortunately in what constitutes an irish review, the paragraph about the cars performance always gets chopped to try and copyfit the paragrahs about fuel economy , co2 levels and pricing in their entirety.

Similar woth the photos, generic wash from agencies , usually of a german / french or uk registered car.

Its nice to see somebody else whos sick of it.

Those 'journalists' are still abound in plenty of numbers, unfortunately. However, there is a good base of people trying to make a change here. I was really impressed with the CompleteCar crew's approach. They're not just their to pay lip service to the manufacturers either.

BMJD wrote: »

as a slight aside to that, it makes me do a little lol when I see the British motoring press using pics of Opels with Vauxhall badges badly photoshopped onto them

It's even worse when they flip the image horizontally to make it look like a RHD car, but forget to change everything else.

jimgoose wrote: »

Do we even have an Irish Motoring Press?? Aside from some clodhopper wittering on about CO2 in a column about the latest Kia Vagina in the Times motoring supplement?

We do and there are some really good people involved. As enthusiasts though, we're an absolute minority so they're always going to have to tailor to the larger population. You can generally identify the good from the bad journalists pretty easily IMO.

MetzgerMeister wrote: »

TheNextGear is my favourite Irish motoring publication. It's probably the only one where the reviews are as honest as they can be.

I love Bob. Think he's with the Irish Independent now?

R.O.R wrote: »

What about http://www.autocultureireland.com/ ? Free monthly e-zine

Read a good few of the reviews/articles in the first 2 magazines, and thought it's quite a decent read.

Yup, whilst it's essentially a PDF of a print magazine, it's great to see people having a proper go at things. Passion above all else.

chicorytip wrote: »

The Irish Times motoring supplement
can be , on occasion, both interesting and
informative. Mc Aleer and Briscoe, for example,are both knowledgeable and
enthusiastic.

Absolutely, it's a joy to read something of decent quality here. They're not alone either and it's becoming more common place. I've seen articles in the past and I'm convinced that the reviewer hasn't even seen the car or completely missed the point of a particular car. One that stands out was a gentleman reviewing a GT86 and saying that you wouldn't get much shopping in the boot, and not in a lame Irish humour sort of way either.

ba_barabus

I assume what you're hinting at is that they won't get the cars again if they tell the truth about what they feel. I can see your point however about moving from enthusiast to professional.

Paddy@CIRL

ba_barabus wrote: »

I assume what you're hinting at is that they won't get the cars again if they tell the truth about what they feel. I can see your point however about moving from enthusiast to professional.

I've not come across anything like that so far - not to say it doesn't happen (Ferrari / Chris Harris) - but rather that they dumb down the information so much, that it becomes either useless or irrelevant to an enthusiast.

ba_barabus

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

I've not come across anything like that so far - not to say it doesn't happen (Ferrari / Chris Harris) - but rather that they dumb down the information so much, that it becomes either useless or irrelevant to an enthusiast.

I see what you mean now. Its a pity alright. I must start reading more of the Irish stuff as a few places have been mentioned here and as said above Bob is quiet good. When you're out of the habit of doing it it doesn't enter you're mind to search it out.

quadrifoglio verde

I thought that the 4c review that flavin did in the indo was utter ****e. The people who read the motoring section of any newspaper are going to be enthusiasts. Likewise the people who read the sports section are going to be into sports. You don't find too many chicks into gossip reading the sports pages.
There target market isn't the person who drives the paddy spec model, it's the person who cares about bhp, handling, 0-60 etc.
Compare flavins to that of Harris and you'll see what I mean

ba_barabus

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

I thought that the 4c review that flavin did in the indo was utter ****e. The people who read the motoring section of any news

Can you post a link?

quadrifoglio verde

ba_barabus wrote: »

Can you post a link?

http://m.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-news/video-loud-noises-as-alfa-romeo-bring-the-big-guns-to-ireland-30412310.html

It's so understated and mentions very little about it. This is a halo car. Compare it to harris's review or even that of Clarksons and you'll see what I mean. Theirs would make me go out and test drive one, flavins would make me think next.

Paddy@CIRL

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

I thought that the 4c review that flavin did in the indo was utter ****e. The people who read the motoring section of any newspaper are going to be enthusiasts. Likewise the people who read the sports section are going to be into sports. You don't find too many chicks into gossip reading the sports pages.
There target market isn't the person who drives the paddy spec model, it's the person who cares about bhp, handling, 0-60 etc.
Compare flavins to that of Harris and you'll see what I mean

That wasn't a review of the 4C though, more an overview that Alfa Romeo are still alive here - and elsewhere. I like Bob's passion. He gives a sh*t. I don't think it's fair to compare anyone to Clarkson or Harris to be honest, as they're probably the two best on-camera motoring journalists out there.

I don't agree with you at all with regards to only enthusiasts read the motoring section. Lots of people rely on papers and in particular online sites to research their next car buy. The more localised the content, the more relevant it is to the consumer. At the end of the day, this industry is about selling cars.

quadrifoglio verde

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

That wasn't a review of the 4C though, more an overview that Alfa Romeo are still alive here - and elsewhere. I like Bob's passion. He gives a sh*t. I don't think it's fair to compare anyone to Clarkson or Harris to be honest, as they're probably the two best on-camera motoring journalists out there.

I don't agree with you at all with regards to only enthusiasts read the motoring section. Lots of people rely on papers and in particular online sites to research their next car buy. The more localised the content, the more relevant it is to the consumer. At the end of the day, this industry is about selling cars.

Not trying to be smart, but does this not fall into what you mentioned in your op?
It just reads like a four year old saying oh alfa are still here and I got to drive a 4c and it was fun and they have a city car and a 5 door hatch as well.
If that is the standard of one of our leading motor journalists in this country, no wonder are motor press is in the gutter.
When I read a review I want to read about the cars performance and how it makes the driver feel, which is why I rarely read irish reviews. Compare that to enthusiast magazines, or websites like speedhunters or petrolicious and it gets me giddy inside.

With regards to clarkson and Harris I'm on about their written reviews if cars as opposed to there on camera ones. Compare flavins to this.
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=47&i=28496

There's no comparison....and therein lies the problem.

Paddy@CIRL

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

Not trying to be smart, but does this not fall into what you mentioned in your op?
It just reads like a four year old saying oh alfa are still here and I got to drive a 4c and it was fun and they have a city car and a 5 door hatch as well.
If that is the standard of one of our leading motor journalists in this country, no wonder are motor press is in the gutter.
When I read a review I want to read about the cars performance and how it makes the driver feel, which is why I rarely read irish reviews. Compare that to enthusiast magazines, or websites like speedhunters or petrolicious and it gets me giddy inside.

With regards to clarkson and Harris I'm on about their written reviews if cars as opposed to there on camera ones. Compare flavins to this.
http://www.pistonheads.com/doc.asp?c=47&i=28496

There's no comparison....and therein lies the problem.

Apologies, that's not what I was getting at (can you see why I stick to taking pictures? ). I would consider that a fluff piece and would hold off judgement of his reviewing abilities until he actually reviews the car in-depth. I got a pretty good idea of the car from the video, which is Bob's forte IMO.

Again, Clarkson / Harris, best in the world. I would hate to be compared to Darren Heath or Sean Klingelhoefer as like the aforementioned, they're are truly special talents. That's not to say I'm not going to give it a go to catch up with them mind.

Also, Speedhunters schmeedhunters

Big Nasty

There's plenty of good motor journalists in this country. The problem is the market is so small here they're restricted in what they say. The journalist might think a particular car is poor and write a review saying so but the editor won't publish it because they'll wipe out there advertising revenue from that manufacturer / distributor for years.

Hence you never see a bad car review in an Irish publication.

quadrifoglio verde

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

Apologies, that's not what I was getting at (can you see why I stick to taking pictures? ). I would consider that a fluff piece and would hold off judgement of his reviewing abilities until he actually reviews the car in-depth. I got a pretty good idea of the car from the video, which is Bob's forte IMO.

Again, Clarkson / Harris, best in the world. I would hate to be compared to Darren Heath or Sean Klingelhoefer as like the aforementioned, they're are truly special talents. That's not to say I'm not going to give it a go to catch up with them mind.

Also, Speedhunters schmeedhunters

That's what I'm trying to get at though, he should be aiming for the best. Mobile his video reviews are ok, the indo can't broadcast them to their print readers and this is where he should be aiming.


To be honest though paddy, I don't think you've anything to worry about photos wise. You're feckin unreal when it comes to car photography. Although I do wonder would your car look as well if I took the photos

Paddy@CIRL

quadrifoglio verde wrote: »

To be honest though paddy, I don't think you've anything to worry about photos wise. You're feckin unreal when it comes to car photography. Although I do wonder would your car look as well if I took the photos

It's actually a 1992 Corolla CE90, but don't tell anyone. I just choose to drop the C.

quadrifoglio verde

Paddy@CIRL wrote: »

It's actually a 1992 Corolla CE90, but don't tell anyone. I just choose to drop the C.

Having seen what some can do with photoshop to models, I'd say you could give that a go :pac:

dr.fuzzenstein

BMJD wrote: »

as a slight aside to that, it makes me do a little lol when I see the British motoring press using pics of Opels with Vauxhall badges badly photoshopped onto them

Vauxhall has got the be the greatest laugh in the motoring world. Import Opels and pay a guy to prize off the Opel badge and stick a Vauxhall one on it. or maybe not even that.

colm_mcm

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Vauxhall has got the be the greatest laugh in the motoring world. Import Opels and pay a guy to prize off the Opel badge and stick a Vauxhall one on it. or maybe not even that.

To be fair, Ellesmere Port is building the current and next generation Astra and exporting them to Ireland as Opels.

PaulieC

Paddy, I'm taking a car this weekend for this very reason - so the manufacturer can use and Irish car for press purposes. Any tips from the master on taking the photos ?

PaulieC

Photos here for anyone interested

It's a VW Golf SV, so no need to get excited

oldsmokey

Anybody have the misfortune to read Moroney in the Farmers Journal?./.how he keeps down a job is beyond me...if the thing doesn't do 80 mpg and capable of pulling a load of bullocks up a mountain then he nails it...and I won't even start on that pity who writes for the Irish Examiner, Declan Colley...press release rehash city...

colm_mcm

This basically

http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/07/31/roy-lanchester-on-the-mitsubishi-mirage/

dr.fuzzenstein

colm_mcm wrote: »

This basically

http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/07/31/roy-lanchester-on-the-mitsubishi-mirage/

That has to be a pisstake. He wets his pants over a boggo spec car and uses the word excellent about 5 times. Someone get that man a thesaurus.

ba_barabus

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

That has to be a pisstake. He wets his pants over a boggo spec car and uses rhe word excellent about 5 times.

SNIFF PETROL IS A SERIOUS WEBSITE

Leonard Hofstadter

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

That has to be a pisstake. He wets his pants over a boggo spec car and uses the word excellent about 5 times. Someone get that man a thesaurus.

I agree. Surely not even the people who designed the car could get that excited over it?

dr.fuzzenstein

ba_barabus wrote: »

SNIFF PETROL IS A SERIOUS WEBSITE

I had a look around and I get what you're saying.

ba_barabus

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

I had a look around and I get what you're saying.

I thought everyone had gone mad there

dr.fuzzenstein

ba_barabus wrote: »

I thought everyone had gone mad there

Just reading the Mirage article I did indeed look like exactly what you would expect from the Irish motoring press. Till I saw articles about the Hamilton Theme Park and the Sebastian Kettle...

coylemj

What really annoys me with new car launches is that the journalists will go out to some exotic location like Monte Carlo and then they will 'review' the top model in the range because it was 'the only model available'. I'm talking here about something like a Merc. C-class where you know that >90% of the cars that will be sold in Ireland will be C180s but the review will be of a C250 with all the bells and whistles so the journalist will write a review of a car which is almost twice the price of the model your average Irish punter will be considering, complete farce.

Journalists in general are cognizant of a principle which says that accepting gifts or hospitality from a person, company or political party you will be writing about is liable to skew your objectivity and so say all of us. Trouble is that when it comes to cars, that principle is completely ignored.

HandsomeDan

.

bspoke

The thing you have to remember about the swanky Monte Carlo launches is that they are not just Irish launches but pan-European so the manufacturers are going to lay on cars suitable to the journalists arriving. As some markets (Germany/UK etc) are much bigger than Ireland's they are primarily tailored for them.

At the Merc C-Class launch (as it was mentioned) there was only two C180s or C200s that 14 UK journos and 5 Irish ones had to fight over.

As for being swayed by the fancy hotels/food/gifts what have you - sure, at first, but then it becomes monotonous, you forget what country you are in or even what the hotel is like. The car becomes the only focus.
It's like going out to dinner in fancy restaurants every day for a month - nice but you soon begin to crave a home cooked roast dinner and the laughter of your kids.

Full disclosure: motoring journalist for Completecar.ie - the site mentioned in OP