Media blackout on Maire Whelan controversy (FF demand her resignation)

2wsxcde3

The Maire Whelan controversy today, Thursday 22nd June 2017, reached a new peak. FF today demanded her resignation, yet the media is not reporting this fact.

• RTE1 didn't cover it on the one o clock news.
• TV3 didn't cover it on the 5:30 news
• Prime Time did a 5 minute segment on the controversy but oddly never mentioned the fact at all that FF today called for Maire Whelans resignation.
• TV3s Vincent Browne show made no reference to FF demanding her resignation.

The only media outlet that reported it on Thursday was the Irish Examiner who reported it at 10:17am: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/latest-fianna-fail-calls-on-maire-whelan-to-resign-from-appeals-court-794648.html

Is the media deliberately not reporting on this as they are in the Leo camp (the first gay Taoiseach) and hoping that if they don't give the story oxygen in the media, the story might go away?

Now that FF have called for Maire Whelans resignation, the collapse of the government looks almost inevitable, yet the media is pretending like nothing is happening.

2wsxcde3

2wsxcde3 wrote: »

The Maire Whelan controversy today, Thursday 22nd June 2017, reached a new peak. FF today demanded her resignation, yet the media is not reporting this fact.

• RTE1 didn't cover it on the one o clock news.
• TV3 didn't cover it on the 5:30 news
• Prime Time did a 5 minute segment on the controversy but oddly never mentioned the fact at all that FF today called for Maire Whelans resignation.
• TV3s Vincent Browne show made no reference to FF demanding her resignation.

The only media outlet that reported it on Thursday was the Irish Examiner who reported it at 10:17am: http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/latest-fianna-fail-calls-on-maire-whelan-to-resign-from-appeals-court-794648.html

Is the media deliberately not reporting on this as they are in the Leo camp (the first gay Taoiseach) and hoping that if they don't give the story oxygen in the media, the story might go away?

Now that FF have called for Maire Whelans resignation, the collapse of the government looks almost inevitable, yet the media is pretending like nothing is happening.

You've cited one media source, which is a bit vague as it said "Fianna Fail has called on former Attorney General Máire Whelan to resign from her new role as Appeals Court judge and be forced to re-apply for it.". No mention of a particular member calling for the resignation.

Perhaps the media is waiting for a second source until it reports it?

2wsxcde3

Deleted User wrote: »

You've cited one media source, which is a bit vague as it said "Fianna Fail has called on former Attorney General Máire Whelan to resign from her new role as Appeals Court judge and be forced to re-apply for it.". No mention of a particular member calling for the resignation.

Perhaps the media is waiting for a second source until it reports it?

The Irish Examiner are a reputable source. As soon as I saw that story, I said to myself things have now boiled over and the government could collapse. I think other media outlets thought the same thing and decided not to run with the story to avoid giving things oxygen. Then the Irish Examiner couldn't pull the story they had already posted at 10:17am and are now left as the only source who went with the story (as they should have done as it is the medias job to inform the public of what is going on).

If FF are demanding her resignation, they have called into question the integrity of a sitting judge. She either HAS to resign now, or Leo has to back her up. This story hasn't gone away, its just got a whole lot more heated.

Peregrinus

2wsxcde3 wrote: »

The Irish Examiner are a reputable source . . .

Perhaps a bit less reputable now; the headline is inaccurate.

The headline says "Fianna Fáil calls on Máire Whelan to resign from Appeals Court". But the report below reports "Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on Jobs Niall Collins" as saying "I think at this stage, in order to protect the independence of the courts and our judiciary, Máire Whelan should resign". It's phrased as a thought, not a demand and, more importantly, Collins doesn't speak, and doesn't claim to speak, for the party on this matter.

If you want to spin this as a media cover-up, you can spin it as you do, or you can spin it as the media giving Fianna Fail an easy ride by not showing up internal divisions/poor party discipline/poor message control. Or you could just accept that different news editors might reasonably take a different view of the significance of Niall Collins's personal thoughts on this matter.

This story will become more newsworthy if Collins's call is echoed by Michael Martin or Jim O'Callaghan. Until then, conspiracy theories are premature.

johnnyskeleton

Mod note:

Transferred to The News and Media forum and closed pending the mods there accepting the thread.