Media - Name and Shame

Silentcorner

I think it is about time we started a dedicated thread to the shameful Irish media treatment of this city.

What prompted me to start this thread was when I returned from town I couldn't get any reports on the event I had just experienced, with no mention on the main evening news on RTE, I turned to the Indo and not only was there no mention of the event either there was a Limerick related story. See below

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gangland-threat-women-enjoy-gay-pride-parade-30567132.html

This "news organisation" cannot go a week/10 days (sometimes multiple stories over the same period)without some mention of gangland Limerick, I have been watching it since the start of the year, to see what would get more coverage, the Dundons or Limerick City of Culture...the Dundons are winning on that score hands down.

Barry Duggan (the reporter, is a Limerick man for the record) I have read at least 3 gangland related stories on this website over the last 10 days.

A quick search online turned up the following

http://www.sundayworld.com/search?q=dundon there are over 6 stories related to Gangland Limerick over the last two weeks alone...

http://www.irishmirror.ie/search/simple.do?destinationSectionId=5991&publicationName=irishmirror&sortString=publishdate&sortOrder=desc&sectionId=5988&articleTypes=+news+opinion+advice&pageNumber=1&pageLength=5&searchString=Dundon

6 stories over the last month.

There hasn't been a serious gangland incident in this city since Jan 2011.

This has to stop.

The above website's would have hundreds of thousands of visitors every day.

I didn't want to start this but where else can the people of this city turn to.

washman3

Don't expect that pathetic bunch in RTE to have a good news story about Limerick. They are far too busy at the moment cheerleading a property bubble in south Dublin and claiming it as a 'national success' for the government.
Even had the equally pathetic Joan Burton on LLS last night. Their fascination with the Labour Party is mind-boggling. Maybe a TV licence fee increase is about to be approved, thus leading to a pay increase for their Golden Circle.
Tens of thousands in the city yesterday and today and barely a word about it.
Shameful.!!

michael999999

washman3 wrote: »

Don't expect that pathetic bunch in RTE to have a good news story about Limerick. They are far too busy at the moment cheerleading a property bubble in south Dublin and claiming it as a 'national success' for the government.
Even had the equally pathetic Joan Burton on LLS last night. Their fascination with the Labour Party is mind-boggling. Maybe a TV licence fee increase is about to be approved, thus leading to a pay increase for their Golden Circle.
Tens of thousands in the city yesterday and today and barely a word about it.
Shameful.!!

Interesting post considering Willie Fianna fail o dea is still topping the polls in limerick!

washman3

michael999999 wrote: »

Interesting post considering Willie Fianna fail o dea is still topping the polls in limerick!

That's mainly a personal vote rather than a FF vote. If Willie decided not to run next time round FF would only receive a fraction of that vote.

Poxyshamrock

RTE covered the giant on the lunchtime, 6.1 and 9 o'clock news on Friday. I wouldn't expect them to cover it again.

The Irish Times
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/25-foot-giant-grandmother-runs-amok-on-limerick-streets-1.1919334

Irish Independent
http://m.independent.ie/photos/giant-granny-brings-gullivers-travels-to-limerick-30565003.html

The Irish Mirror
http://www.irishmirror.ie/whats-on/arts-culture-news/giant-granny-stops-limerick-traffic-4172204

Frankly, I think you're being quite negative in looking for negatives about the event.

vkid

Not sure what the OP was expecting but I think it has got some very good coverage. RTE, I would imagine will cover her leaving the city today. Also, the Sunday Independent this piece today

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/feefifofum-giant-captivates-150000strong-crowd-30567394.html

Swiper the fox

Exactly, this isn't the Queen or the Pope, RTE are not going to report her every move. There was more than adequate coverage right across the media on friday and hopefully her departure will be reported also.

juneg

Edited: I have just looked back on player at Friday's six one news on RTE Player and Granny was one of the Headline items, It can be seen at 45:17 as the final novelty item. Hope it might be on again tonight
A lot of time would have to be allocated to Tipp and Kilkenny supporters as this is the All Ireland final weekend.

http://www.rte.ie/player/ie/show/10320905/

Silentcorner

There was a reason I didn't even name the event I was at (as obvious as it may of seemed) I didn't have a huge problem with the coverage.

If the event was on in Cork or Waterford it would have gotten the same treatment.

The reason I started the thread was because of the volume of gangland Limerick stories that have appeared in the last month, which in my opinion is beyond ridiculous, 12 different stories in the last month alone, on sites with combined readerships of over 1,000,000 Irish readers.

The idea was that we could post links to this ongoing assault on the city, maybe then people can make up their own minds whether the coverage is warranted or not.

Kess73

To be honest I think living in Limerick means that local people pick up on the negative articles about Limerick and skim over the ones about other cities.

I would be in Galway and Cork every week, and the latter in particular seems to get a similar amount of negative press (something that seems to have a similar effect on some locals as this thread suggests it has on Limerick locals)



And the exact same list of papers gets mentioned if you ask a Cork person about all the gangland articles and what not.

The Sunday World, The Independent, The Mirror, and various other red tops all get named. And yes I did include the Independent in with the red tops because it really is well on the way to becoming one in terms of quality of content.


When it comes to tabloids or tabloids that pretend to be broadsheets, one simple fact always needs to be kept in mind. They do not look to publish the truth, they look to publish what they think will cause their paper to be bought, which in turn will attract advertising revenue.


I do understand folks getting annoyed by blatant attempts by the media to generate hits at the expense of certain cities, and I do think that it is morally wrong for any publisher to do business in such a manner, but then again take a look at tabloid sales here in Limerick. There is obviously an audience for the kind of tattle that those papers sell, and Limerick is no different to any other Irish city or town in terms of having folk that lap that kind of thing up.

Silentcorner

Kess to be fair, they are now reporting on what an ex ganster's ex girlfriend is getting up to of a Saturday afternoon. I don't think the treatment of Cork compares to that of Stab City....the coverage I outlined is only the tip of the iceberg, if you can show me 12 similar stories on gangland Cork over the same period I might agree with you...

I do understand that we are sensitive here in Limerick, but ask yourself why? For me it is because I am aware of the very real economic cost of all that. You are a businessman, could your business sustain 12 negative stories about your business, I think not. We are up against probably 30 years of this nonsense.

Kess73

I am not saying that Limerick does not receive a disproportionate amount of negative media attention, imho of course, but I genuinely do not think that Limerick is in anyway unique in that respect. Bad news sells papers, and BS sells even more units.

I'm from Liverpool so I know well the impact a negative media campaign can have on the image of a city, and as someone who is directly involoved with the HJC and who lost family at Hillsborough, I am very keenly aware of what sort of long term damage media lies can do.


But everytime a copy of the Sunday World, The Star or whatever paper you might chose to name gets sold here in Limerick, that only helps to reinforce the view that what they are pedalling sells and that Limerick people are amongst those who buy what those papers have to say.


.

CatFromHue

The Dundons are a big story, one of the biggest countrywide for a good while now.

Right up there with Gilligan but there's more aspects (and people) to them so they'll be covered more.

Pure Mule

I used to buy the Sunday Independent but stopped years ago after an account by a script writer I would have known of a handbag snatch in the city which I thought portrayed a view that pandered to sensationalism and stereotyping.

Silentcorner

Pure Mule wrote: »

I used to buy the Sunday Independent but stopped years ago after an account by a script writer I would have known of a handbag snatch in the city which I thought portrayed a view that pandered to sensationalism and stereotyping.

I used to buy Pheonix magazine, but I found their excessive use of the citys nickname Stab City to be in poor taste. To be honest when media outlets use the term they therefore allow everyone else to use it. I miss the magazine but last January it went way overboard with it.

Silentcorner

Same headline that appeared on the Indo Sat night is now headline on the Sunday World.

http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/detectives-follow-super-witness-april-collins-into-pink-club

Over 1,000,000 million readers of these websites.

Like I said in my OP I didn't want to start this thread, hopefully it will die a death, but this is Limerick Gangland story no 13 in the last few weeks. Ridiculous.

wired117

Media campaign in Ireland is to look down on limerick, every wk some nonsense inflated story. It really is pathetic when so many positives in Limerick.

wired117

Another nonsense one front page of business section. http://m.independent.ie/business/world/libya-earns-millions-thanks-to-limerick-companys-oil-find-30584823.html

zombieHanalei

Silentcorner wrote: »

Same headline that appeared on the Indo Sat night is now headline on the Sunday World.

http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/detectives-follow-super-witness-april-collins-into-pink-club

Over 1,000,000 million readers of these websites.

Like I said in my OP I didn't want to start this thread, hopefully it will die a death, but this is Limerick Gangland story no 13 in the last few weeks. Ridiculous.

Unfortunately, the papers are only interested in writing/printing stories that people are actually interested in, red top newspapers are absolute trash but they thrive because a lot of people love trash. I don't like what they're doing but I don't blame them, only giving people what they want. End of the day all that matters to them is shifting papers in the shops and ad revenue from drawing visitors to their web pages.

Silentcorner

zombieHanalei wrote: »

Unfortunately, the papers are only interested in writing/printing stories that people are actually interested in, red top newspapers are absolute trash but they thrive because a lot of people love trash. I don't like what they're doing but I don't blame them, only giving people what they want. End of the day all that matters to them is shifting papers in the shops and ad revenue from drawing visitors to their web pages.

I am aware of how the media operates, and you are right the red tops (plus the Indo are trash). But that does not excuse the fact that they are purposely pursuing a damaging narrative toward this city. 13 gangland related stories in the space of a few weeks, in a city that hasn't recorded a serious gangland incident in nearly 4 years is excessive, they are purposely ignoring serious gangland issues in other cities particularly Dublin (Dublin is always going to have the most serious issues on account of the fact that it is by a distance the largest city).

A poster mentioned the Dundons being a big story, but they have been made the big story, I never heard of Christopher Zambra until he was murdered earlier in the year, this guy would have been tabloid gold, extremely violent, an ex footballer and an aspiring musician, but nobody knew of him...our criminals are national household names....they even (pathetically)got a mention in the following report.

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/crime/mob-boss-christopher-zambras-final-3522597

This feeds that ugly nickname we were given, it prevents the cities other facets (culture,business,sport,politics,history) from entering the national conscious, Irish people associate this city with one ugly facet only, they have then projected that illusion onto people all over this world. The cost of that nickname cannot be quantified, because no city in the world has had to recover from such a damaging disgusting name, that name even to this day is used by media outlets. The purpose of this thread, I hope, is to highlight that continuing assault.

Lady Chatterton

I really like this article by Billy Keane, not all hacks have bad things to say about Limerick.


I particularly like the last paragraph

This is the story of a city that has fought back from the abyss. The city of Roy Collins, who was murdered by violent men. His family fled for their own safety but came home because Limerick was a city worth fighting for.

But Limerick is as safe for the visitor as any other city in Ireland. The welcome, though, exceeds all others.

I can think of no better place for the playing of a big game.

It is us who should be grateful. Than you Limerick for having us.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/billy-keane/limerick-deserves-this-game-its-a-sporting-city-worth-fighting-for-30548260.html

Silentcorner

MrsD007 wrote: »

I really like this article by Billy Keane, not all hacks have bad things to say about Limerick.


I particularly like the last paragraph



http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/billy-keane/limerick-deserves-this-game-its-a-sporting-city-worth-fighting-for-30548260.html

The columnists have been a little kinder to the city in recent months, I will say that, (http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/david-mcwilliams/limerick-has-a-spring-in-its-step-and-riches-await-the-people-who-tap-into-its-potential-30189863.htm0l) and every little helps, but as the headline in the Indo last Saturday evening suggests, they are not done with us yet. There is no other way of putting this, but there is a very peculiar relationship between this city and the national press, this city has paid a massive price for that relationship.

Iranoutofideas

One thing I have witnessed is that any time a gang related story about Limerick appears in these papers they fly off the shelves...in Limerick. Certain sections of society here loves this image.

Silentcorner

Iranoutofideas wrote: »

One thing I have witnessed is that any time a gang related story about Limerick appears in these papers they fly off the shelves...in Limerick. Certain sections of society here loves this image.

And that is another issue, what damage has it done to the Limerick people who read/believe this stuff. This has been a narrative that has existed since the 80s, that is a long long time. The image problem this city suffers from is also a self image problem.

What impact does it have on the communities that are constantly highlighted, it is hard enough to keep young fellas on the straight and narrow without having to compete with the glamour of media notoriety.

Everyone across the city and country knows Moyross for a couple of high profile incidents, but how many know that the estate is also home to a British and Irish Lion and two members of an international rock band?

steveon

Silentcorner wrote: »

I think it is about time we started a dedicated thread to the shameful Irish media treatment of this city.

What prompted me to start this thread was when I returned from town I couldn't get any reports on the event I had just experienced, with no mention on the main evening news on RTE, I turned to the Indo and not only was there no mention of the event either there was a Limerick related story. See below

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gangland-threat-women-enjoy-gay-pride-parade-30567132.html

This "news organisation" cannot go a week/10 days (sometimes multiple stories over the same period)without some mention of gangland Limerick, I have been watching it since the start of the year, to see what would get more coverage, the Dundons or Limerick City of Culture...the Dundons are winning on that score hands down.

Barry Duggan (the reporter, is a Limerick man for the record) I have read at least 3 gangland related stories on this website over the last 10 days.

A quick search online turned up the following

http://www.sundayworld.com/search?q=dundon there are over 6 stories related to Gangland Limerick over the last two weeks alone...

http://www.irishmirror.ie/search/simple.do?destinationSectionId=5991&publicationName=irishmirror&sortString=publishdate&sortOrder=desc&sectionId=5988&articleTypes=+news+opinion+advice&pageNumber=1&pageLength=5&searchString=Dundon

6 stories over the last month.

There hasn't been a serious gangland incident in this city since Jan 2011.

This has to stop.

The above website's would have hundreds of thousands of visitors every day.

I didn't want to start this but where else can the people of this city turn to.

Barry Duggan is himself a Limerick man I went to school with him, Rte cherish the day when they can slag off Limerick and never ever show anything good bout our great city...

chicorytip

It can be a sign of maturity in a human being to tolerate jokes made at one's own expense.

Silentcorner

chicorytip wrote: »

It can be a sign of maturity in a human being to tolerate jokes made at one's own expense.

If you ever have/know a kid who is being bullied in school you should repeat that mantra to them.

That statement is highly offensive, not only have we no right to reject a damaging and insulting nickname, we lack the maturity to see the humour in it?

It can be a sign of stupidity to completely lack the intellect to realise when one is causing offence?

chicorytip

It is hardly appropriate to compare instances of bullying whether in school,at home or in the workplace which are, no doubt, traumatic for the sufferers ,with a perceived bias in the national media against an entire geographical region.No such prejudice exists and it's about time for those who claim otherwise - attention seeking local politicians in particular- to overcome their "persecution" complex.

wired117

Blatantly obvious that a prejudice exists, we havent collectively imagined it. It is just so normal for Limerick to be harrangued in the media that it has become sadly normal

Silentcorner

chicorytip wrote: »

It is hardly appropriate to compare instances of bullying whether in school,at home or in the workplace which are, no doubt, traumatic for the sufferers ,with a perceived bias in the national media against an entire geographical region.No such prejudice exists and it's about time for those who claim otherwise - attention seeking local politicians in particular- to overcome their "persecution" complex.

I assure you I have no persecution complex, I have a massive problem with the blatant media narrative that is doing damage to the city. To that end, I have linked 13 instances in the last number of weeks, of gangland stories that have no business being in the news cycle. I mean, look at the content, they are not even reporting crimes, because that all stopped 4 years ago!!! You on the other hand have just dismissed this is an inability to have a sense of humour about it!!!

The tabloids keep the narrative boiling over, the likes of RTE will chip in from time to time also, as have the Irish Times, and the radio talk shows.

I think it is entirely appropriate to compare that process with the instances of bullying. The results are very similar.

vkid

The only way this will change is if it hits the media outlets in their pockets. Thats very hard to do.
You would have to see a sustained drop in sales or viewer/listenership figures from the region for anything to happen.

BTW the local media are often just as bad imo. Its not just the Dublin/Cork crowd, who get their stories from local sources as much as anywhere else.

A campaign encouraging people not to buy/listen/watch offending media could possibly work, but for that to get any traction..it would be difficult.

Silentcorner

Thankfully the pace of the gangland limerick stories appear to be slowing down, this is the only one this week

http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/news/liam-keane-in-protective-custody-after-running-up-drugs-bill-in-prison

I also had the pleasure of watching Limerick described as a kip on the Late Late Show again.

All these seem harmless enough on their own, but it is the consistency that does the damage.

seachto7

who said Limk was a kip?

Swiper the fox

seachto7 wrote: »

who said Limk was a kip?

Nidgey said it to some brasser

seachto7

In real life or in Love/Hate?

Totally Tropical

I wonder will the media outlets that can't stop printing negative stories about Limerick report this piece of news regarding the city of Limerick with the same relish enthusiasm and gusto?

http://www.limerickpost.ie/2014/09/26/limerick-is-a-safe-haven-for-tourists/

LIMERICK is one of the safest places in Ireland for tourists, according to the Irish Tourist Assistance Service (ITAS) which recorded only three incidents of crimes against visitors to the city last year.

This is in contrast to the 336 criminal incidents involving visitors to Dublin during the same period.

Limerick Mayor Michael Sheehan said that this was “a further endorsement of the feel good factor in Limerick.These figures are genuine because any tourist who is a victim of crime will report it as they’re bound to feel isolated.

Referring to the “collective cooperation that exists in the city”, the mayor said that this positive thinking was reflected in the freedom tourists enjoyed as they walk the streets.

“They feel safe, comfortable and are confident to recommend Limerick as a destination. These figures are not just going to spread nationwide but this is a positivity that will go global.

“Things like this is likely to encourage more visitors to come in the remaining few months of the City of Culture celebrations so I welcome that”, he added.

Since its formation 20 years, almost 13,000 people have been assisted by the ITAS which is the only dedicated service of its kind in Europe.

Limerick Garda Chief superintendent Dave Sheahan said the ITAS figures were a further indicator of where the city has come from and the direction it is headed.

“These figures support the statistics given to the Minister for Justice on her recent visit to the city. We always avoid complacency, but this report goes a long way to show how much the landscape of crime in the city has changed and in terms of policing our streets.

Tourism Minister Paschal Donohoe said that: “Irish people are world renowned for our hospitality and welcome. While many things have changed throughout those 20 years, our welcome for overseas visitors is now as friendly as ever.

“Visitors are assured of a truly memorable holiday and research has shown the vast majority of our overseas visitors are more than happy to recommend Ireland as a holiday destination.

“However, for a very small percentage of tourists who become victims of crime while visiting Ireland, it is reassuring to know that the Irish Tourist Assistance Service is available year-round to offer immediate support and assistance free of charge.

Outside of Dublin, the main tourist centres in Wicklow, Clare, Kerrry and Galway all recorded higher incidents of crimes against visitors, according to the ITAS 2013 annual report.

Meantime, the services provided to tourists who become victims of crime was one of the items discussed on the agenda of the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality this week.

Committee Chairman David Stanton TD said: “While Ireland is generally regarded as a safe destination for tourists and crimes against tourists remain low by international standards, unfortunately a number of tourists become victims of crime every year.

Nationally, Mr Staunton said that “last year saw an increase in the number of tourists seeking assistance from the service, the majority of whom had been victims of theft.

“For a tourist, the trauma of being a victim of crime can be compounded by language, culture and legal differences. The Irish Tourist Assistance Service acts as a base where problems facing a tourist can be addressed promptly with the view to getting holiday plans back on track”, he said.

Silentcorner

Not a chance Totally Tropical.

They are however keeping yesterdays incident on Parteen in the main news, RTE just carried a news item about a court appearance tomorrow, which they will no doubt cover too. I have no complaints with that tho, I do wonder what is happening with yesterdays gangland hit in Dublin in which one was shot dead and another was injured in broad daylight, along with the Tiger kidnapping where shots were fired and a man was arrested, when is he appearing in court? Or what about the state of the guy who was critically injured in Dublin city centre yesterday, is he still alive? Do they have a suspect?....They seem selective in what stories to broadcast/print.

jmch81

Silentcorner wrote: »

Not a chance Totally Tropical.

They are however keeping yesterdays incident on Parteen in the main news, RTE just carried a news item about a court appearance tomorrow, which they will no doubt cover too. I have no complaints with that tho, I do wonder what is happening with yesterdays gangland hit in Dublin in which one was shot dead and another was injured in broad daylight, along with the Tiger kidnapping where shots were fired and a man was arrested, when is he appearing in court? Or what about the state of the guy who was critically injured in Dublin city centre yesterday, is he still alive? Do they have a suspect?....They seem selective in what stories to broadcast/print.

When the RTE website put up the Parteen crash first they had Limerick in the headline.

I think part of the reason it was carried as it could of happened to anyone, people can relate to it and therefore are more interested. RTE News viewers don't relate to gangland hits.

My thoughts are with the injured men.

zulutango

If we're talking about naming and shaming, then Barry Duggan stands out as one of the main culprits. He made a name for himself by talking up every negative incident that happened in Limerick and generally presenting the city as the dysfunctional poor relation of Irish towns. He then moved on to the Irish Independent and they were only too happy to print the salacious rubbish he was coming up with. There are literally hundreds of great people working (usually for nothing) on all kinds of positive projects that are making the city a great place to live and who are doing their damndest to show what the city is really like, but then there's Barry Duggan and his ilk actively working against them so that they can sell newspapers.

Make no mistake about it, this false narrative that is widespread in the local and national media about the city is massively damaging, not only to the city and the welfare of the people living in it, but to that of the wider Midwest also. It's been reported that major industries have opted not to set up in Limerick because of the reputation.

It really is something that must be effectively tackled, and the OP deserves kudos for articulating the issue so well. It's something that the Limerick Marketing Company should have a strategy to deal with but unfortunately we have heard precious little from them since they were set up more than a year ago (they don't even have a website).

myshirt

Barry Duggan should be absolutely ashamed of himself.

But the way I see it is that there is nothing free in this world except for the grace of god. We must pay for everything, one way or another. That includes Barry Duggan. He too will have to answer to his maker in time and atone for his sins.

CatFromHue

I think you're underestimating the interest in the story as two innocent people, Carroll and Geoghegan, were shot. There was also the bouncer in the Trinity Rooms shot too.

Apart from all the internal gangland stuff the above is massive, as far as I know it hasn't happened anywhere else.

You can say the media went above or are targeting Limerick but there is a story here so what do you expect?

Also most of the recent stories are of the bad guys being locked up!!

zulutango

CatFromHue wrote: »

I think you're underestimating the interest in the story as two innocent people, Carroll and Geoghegan, were shot. There was also the bouncer in the Trinity Rooms shot too.

Apart from all the internal gangland stuff the above is massive, as far as I know it hasn't happened anywhere else.

Sadly, all over Ireland innocent people have been murdered in gangland feuds. That's not to say that there wasn't a very serious issue in Limerick a number of years ago, because there was. But it wasn't unique to this city by any means. There hasn't been anything of note for a long time now and indeed Limerick is one of the safest large towns or cities in the country. Yet, the reportage would have you believe otherwise because the media report every single detail about the lives of the criminals and keep it in the national consciousness that this is a rough town. The kinder elements of the media will say how lovely a place it is in spite of the terrible things going on here. I don't know which is worse, to be honest, but both perpetuate the notion that Limerick is not a great place to go to.

CatFromHue wrote: »

You can say the media went above or are targeting Limerick but there is a story here so what do you expect?

Also most of the recent stories are of the bad guys being locked up!!

That's the thing though. There actually isn't a story and there hasn't been for the last number of years but the media has the whole country thinking there is, and that the city is a no go area. It's crippling both the city and the wider region.

I'm working on a job just outside the city. Most of the workers who are not from the city are commuting more than an hour to the place, and the others are reluctantly renting accomodation in the suburbs. Suggest to them that they go into the city centre on an evening and they look at you as if you've two heads. The notion that they might stay a weekend and enjoy the place is anethema to them. This attitude to the city all comes back to that false narrative about Limerick that is hammered home daily by national media organisations, and quite often by local media too.

black & white

zulutango wrote: »

If we're talking about naming and shaming, then Barry Duggan stands out as one of the main culprits. He made a name for himself by talking up every negative incident that happened in Limerick and generally presenting the city as the dysfunctional poor relation of Irish towns. He then moved on to the Irish Independent and they were only too happy to print the salacious rubbish he was coming up with. There are literally hundreds of great people working (usually for nothing) on all kinds of positive projects that are making the city a great place to live and who are doing their damndest to show what the city is really like, but then there's Barry Duggan and his ilk actively working against them so that they can sell newspapers.

Make no mistake about it, this false narrative that is widespread in the local and national media about the city is massively damaging, not only to the city and the welfare of the people living in it, but to that of the wider Midwest also. It's been reported that major industries have opted not to set up in Limerick because of the reputation.

It really is something that must be effectively tackled, and the OP deserves kudos for articulating the issue so well. It's something that the Limerick Marketing Company should have a strategy to deal with but unfortunately we have heard precious little from them since they were set up more than a year ago (they don't even have a website).

Just one example, last week about 200,000 people over three days went to the Ploughing Championships and it was wall-to-wall on every TV, newspaper and radio station in the country - even the Loyav Loyan broadcast from it. A few weeks prior to that 200,000 people over three days came to Limerick to see Granny and the same media outlets barely mentioned it.

grimbergen

zulutango wrote: »

If we're talking about naming and shaming, then Barry Duggan stands out as one of the main culprits. He made a name for himself by talking up every negative incident that happened in Limerick and generally presenting the city as the dysfunctional poor relation of Irish towns. He then moved on to the Irish Independent and they were only too happy to print the salacious rubbish he was coming up with. There are literally hundreds of great people working (usually for nothing) on all kinds of positive projects that are making the city a great place to live and who are doing their damndest to show what the city is really like, but then there's Barry Duggan and his ilk actively working against them so that they can sell newspapers.

Make no mistake about it, this false narrative that is widespread in the local and national media about the city is massively damaging, not only to the city and the welfare of the people living in it, but to that of the wider Midwest also. It's been reported that major industries have opted not to set up in Limerick because of the reputation.

It really is something that must be effectively tackled, and the OP deserves kudos for articulating the issue so well. It's something that the Limerick Marketing Company should have a strategy to deal with but unfortunately we have heard precious little from them since they were set up more than a year ago (they don't even have a website).

Could not agree more. The sickening part is that he's from Limerick.

seachto7

The Dublin based media have been reporting the crimes committed in Dublin the last few weeks.

Have any of you rang up or emailed one of the national papers and told them about the report in the LImerick Post article?

You can ring up their newsdesks anytime.

They all have correspondents in Limerick or the mid west. The Irish Times have a lady in Limerick covering stories from the mid west.

Have any of you gotten in touch with her to see what the story is?

The report is "old news" now so may not be newsworthy for a national, but if any of them haven't run with it, it might be worth a shot.

I'm sure Newstalk or Today FM would only be too happy to run with this report, if they have not already.

Looks like it's old news already though

http://www.thejournal.ie/visitors-to-ireland-theft-from-cars-1608023-Aug2014/

Silentcorner

seachto7 wrote: »

The Dublin based media have been reporting the crimes committed in Dublin the last few weeks.

Have any of you rang up or emailed one of the national papers and told them about the report in the LImerick Post article?

You can ring up their newsdesks anytime.

They all have correspondents in Limerick or the mid west. The Irish Times have a lady in Limerick covering stories from the mid west.

Have any of you gotten in touch with her to see what the story is?

The report is "old news" now so may not be newsworthy for a national, but if any of them haven't run with it, it might be worth a shot.

I'm sure Newstalk or Today FM would only be too happy to run with this report, if they have not already.

Looks like it's old news already though

http://www.thejournal.ie/visitors-to-ireland-theft-from-cars-1608023-Aug2014/

The ONLY way to get that into the news cycle is through well established PR firms, you don't just ring up a journalist and ask for them to print a good PR piece, the ITAS would have a PR firm who would have circulated this report to all media outlets nationwide,(tailoring them for local press), because they need the profile as much as Limerick does.

Newpapers get calls from all kind of nutjobs every day over all kinds of matters, they have a well oiled system to keep those nutjobs from getting through to anyone thus wasting their time, if I or anyone rang a National media outlet asking for a good Limerick PR piece to appear, you would fall into that nutjob category. Newspapers/Newstalk/Today FM all operate in the same way, it is a very tight/close circle, which is why a well established PR firm is required...

zulutango

Silentcorner wrote: »

The ONLY way to get that into the news cycle is through well established PR firms, you don't just ring up a journalist and ask for them to print a good PR piece, the ITAS would have a PR firm who would have circulated this report to all media outlets nationwide,(tailoring them for local press), because they need the profile as much as Limerick does.

Newpapers get calls from all kind of nutjobs every day over all kinds of matters, they have a well oiled system to keep those nutjobs from getting through to anyone thus wasting their time, if I or anyone rang a National media outlet asking for a good Limerick PR piece to appear, you would fall into that nutjob category. Newspapers/Newstalk/Today FM all operate in the same way, it is a very tight/close circle, which is why a well established PR firm is required...

ah yes ... The Limerick Marketing Company.

Anybody know where they're based, what they do, what their budget is, how they spend it? Who do they employ? Are those people qualified and experienced marketing professionals? From the outset the whole thing looks like a scam.

The direct promotion of Limerick City has been abysmal over the years. Setting the place up as a rugby and fashion city is embarrassing, amateur, not clever and limited.

seachto7

Silentcorner wrote: »

The ONLY way to get that into the news cycle is through well established PR firms, you don't just ring up a journalist and ask for them to print a good PR piece, the ITAS would have a PR firm who would have circulated this report to all media outlets nationwide,(tailoring them for local press), because they need the profile as much as Limerick does.

Newpapers get calls from all kind of nutjobs every day over all kinds of matters, they have a well oiled system to keep those nutjobs from getting through to anyone thus wasting their time, if I or anyone rang a National media outlet asking for a good Limerick PR piece to appear, you would fall into that nutjob category. Newspapers/Newstalk/Today FM all operate in the same way, it is a very tight/close circle, which is why a well established PR firm is required...

I would disagree with you here. There are ways and means. There are letters pages in the nationals.

You don't have to ring up and rant and rave either.

I know, having just done a placement with a national, that it's not that difficult to get through, as I heard it done beside me every day.

Why not get in touch with the local journos and ask them why they didn't cover it?

Only yesterday, Matt Cooper read out a complaint from a listener who said there was too much coverage of Cork related activities.

Silentcorner

seachto7 wrote: »

I would disagree with you here. There are ways and means. There are letters pages in the nationals.

You don't have to ring up and rant and rave either.

I know, having just done a placement with a national, that it's not that difficult to get through, as I heard it done beside me every day.

Why not get in touch with the local journos and ask them why they didn't cover it?

Only yesterday, Matt Cooper read out a complaint from a listener who said there was too much coverage of Cork related activities.

Placing an advert is completely different from placing a pr piece, completely different.

Local journos do not have a say on what is printed/published/broadcast, the editors/producers do.

You are misunderstanding the issue a bit here, if you get defensive, you are losing the argument, even if you don't realise it...Limerick people have been trying this for years and years and years...if you are explaining you are losing (a well know PR mantra)....the reason for this thread is to highlight the continuing narrative that is severely damaging the image of the city, and morale of limerick citizens....

I am trying to highlight the peculiar relationship Limerick has with the National press, a relationship that has an come at a huge cost to the city.

I'll give you two examples of how subtle the narrative is.

A number of months ago, Bobby Kerr brought his Newstalk show to the Strand Hotel, in an effort to "big up the city" (his own words he used before they went live)...the piece lasted over an hour, toward the end of which, he asked the question..."Is it safe to come here?"....now by asking that question he destroyed all the previous positive content (he knows full well what he did)...we were now on the defensive....mission accomplished from the producers. Very callous from Bobby Kerr who spends a lot of time in Limerick, he knows perfectly well the city is safe.

The producers of the late late show decided to include a clip (that caused controversy at the time) of Limerick being called a kip on Love/Hate, they had four seasons of clips to choose from they chose that one, it was deliberate and crass.

Complaining actually does more damage, believe or not, the producers know that full well, for them it is win win.

By the way, the Limerick issue is only one of many different examples of how manipulative Irish media can be, but this thread is dedicated to one that affects all Limerick people whether they realise it or not.

Iranoutofideas

Doesn't Bobby Kerr own Insomnia in Easons? Why would he be deliberately trying to undermine both his own interests as well as his own show on Limerick? Sorry but that sounds like pure paranoia. It's a legitimate question. What matters is the answer he got, which hopefully pointed out that he himself felt it was safe to open a business here.

Silentcorner

Iranoutofideas wrote: »

Doesn't Bobby Kerr own Insomnia in Easons? Why would he be deliberately trying to undermine both his own interests as well as his own show on Limerick? Sorry but that sounds like pure paranoia. It's a legitimate question. What matters is the answer he got, which hopefully pointed out that he himself felt it was safe to open a business here.

It always does sound like paranoia, that is why it is win win for the producers. I have no idea why he asked that question, the producers could have insisted on it, I do not recollect the exact answer, but that is exactly my point on how subtle it is....we all know how the city is perceived by a lot of people...any question that reinforces that perception is damaging, it takes many forms but always has the same impact....keep repeating and keep repeating and keep repeating and people do not question it.

If I am paranoid then it is all in my head, then nobody associates Limerick with criminality or social problems or being a kip etc etc...but we all know the opposite is the case.