Charlie Weston Is The New George Lee

HBC08

https://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/energy-giveaways-wiped-out-as-october-price-hikes-expected-to-add-600-to-household-bills-42031505.html

I've noticed this for a while now.

Charlie Weston absolutely loves the misery and will try to spin anything as negatively as possible to generate anger/fear clicks.

Take the above article as an example,the €600 energy credit is going to be "wiped",cue lots more emotive language and scaring people.

When you break it down the energy credit will cover about half of the energy prices hikes.Nobody ever said it would cover all or most of it or the state would be bankrupt, it's obviously not a great situation but most people understand this.

Charlie going for the doomsday angle on every story is very similar to the merchant of doom himself George Lee during Covid.It doesn't affect me as I can see the numbers and have a decent understanding of the situation but for more suggestible /vulnerable/not in a great place mentally/older people etc this constant stream of fear and negatively from RTE/the Indo is really damaging.Then in the next article they'll be on about mental health,the hypocrisy is disgusting.

Deiselurker

I've heard him on the radio a few times and he is a bit miserable all right and always giving out about something.

elacsap

There's only one George Lee!

Remember him during the Celtic Tiger

Then he switched to the Environment - Climate Change

But the inexorable concerns of Climate Change weren't being taken seriously enough or happening quick enough - so thank God, he thought as he switched horses, for Covid. Not only did he love all the ensuing misery, but he demonstrated what shortness of breath looks like, as he rushed to get all the misery out.

Presumably, now that Covid has calmed down, he'll be back to Climate Change - no doubt hoping that things come to a boil prompto.

Of course, I exaggerate.....a little.

Point taken about Weston.........a low-grade hack

dxhound2005

It's the same in the North. Radio Ulster led their afternoon news bulletins on 30 Sept with a report about the Ardoyne Advice Centre. The manager of the centre broke down in tears during an interview. It is also the same on the other BBC stations I listen to.

If find the trick is when something is "really damaging", as per the OP, to not let it damage me.

'People will die if they don't get help'

Staff at the Ardoyne Association Advice Centre in north Belfast have been taking calls about energy bills from people who are in "sheer panic and fear" ahead of price increases.

The advice centre's manager, Elaine Burn, said that some of the people she has been speaking to are distraught.

"People have been doing their very best to put in additional top ups and most people around here would be using top-up services," she told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.

"The poor people who pay [by] direct debit are going to face the hit right away."

She said a lack of information on when people will receive a £400 energy support discount has left them "frustrated, angry and upset".

"We thought it was scary during Covid and what people had to live through," she said.

"This is beyond that now. This is lives and people's lives matter and people will die if they do not get the help that's required."

handlemaster

The misery gets the clicks.. doom scrolling is an issue... dont forget the endless stories on homelessness spun to the max.... little mary living with her parents at the age of 21 is homeless etc etc

dxhound2005

Take consolation from the fact that radio listening and newspaper reading are very much minority activities. The people who would get damaged by these opinion pieces, probably didn't hear or read them.

Much worse is at large in the new sorts of media, which are not regulated to the same degree. This is where people were actually damaged by being fed conspiracy theories about things like vaccines.

BrianD3

I don't see a whole lot wrong with that article - if energy bills increase by 1200 (on top of previous increases) and the state pays 600, given that many people live paycheque to paycheque or close to it, what are they going to do? Also, the average person is pretty stupid. Their eyes glaze over when they hear about percentage increases, unit prices, standing charges, estimated bills etc. They won't be able to work out what their next energy bill will be so won't know until it arrives. Weston may be providing a public service here.

There's no doubt that the media love a good crisis and scaring people. However I think cost of living articles aren't really comparable to the scary Covid and climate change stories based on worst case scenarios/flawed computer models/crystal balls which tap into deeply held human fears about infectious disease, fires and floods.

elperello

So the OP agrees that Charlie Weston has got his facts right but doesn't want him to communicate them to the public in case it upsets some people.

Jizique

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058265572/charlie-weston-is-the-new-george-lee

Charlie has been this way for 25 years, I blame the editor for allowing crap like this to be printed on the front page.

El Gato De Negocios

He's a sensationalist gombeen.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688148#Comment_119688148

Sigh,

My whole point....is the way it communicated.Emotive language and words,an overall panicked vibe,sensationalist.

I guess a headline saying " the government energy credit will cover half of expected hikes over the next year" wouldn't get as many clicks.

Unlike Covid where a lot of the fear was very real in the beginning and nobody could speak with any certainty,in this case it boils down to energy costs are going to double,this will cover half,plan for that as best you can and we'll reassess in a year.If you can afford that over a year (albeit a pain in the hole,it might involve watching your usage,getting on the best plan,getting creative etc) then grumble away and do it.If an extra €600 is going to mean you can't eat then start thinking about getting onto your welfare officer for special payments etc.Of course this is far from ideal but almost everyone (almost) has some sort of option here.There is no need for complete and utter panic stoked by fear merchant's like Charlie Weston.

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688155#Comment_119688155

Funnily enough I used to enjoy him on the radio up til recently when he had good advice on lesser known issues that everybody might not have been as clued in on.Fir example what to do when your flight is cancelled etc

cheese sandwich

More like George Lee is the new Charlie Weston…

Weston has been peddling his tedious “we’re all being screwed” schtick for at least ten years now

Weston writes absolute lies.

The credit will be "eaten up" - i.e. it pays that much of the bills? The whole purpose of it?

And an increase of €1,200 - for whom? Per what? If your bill was 200 for the same period last year, it's not going to be 1200, because that's a 500% increase. There is no 500% increase.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688248#Comment_119688248

I see little wrong with the content of the article, maybe if I wrote it I'd have changed a few things but I didn't so taking it in context he made a pretty good fist of it.

The headline very likely wasn't written by Charlie but it attracts the readers attention which is it's purpose.

Maybe the Indo is not for you.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688547#Comment_119688547

Calling an established journalist a liar is a slippery slope.

There are no lies in that article.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688961#Comment_119688961

Plenty of idle speculation based on figures he plucked out of his arse though. As usual.

The reason for the speculation is clear too. The indo had been doing it for years. A tabloid rag

HBC08

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688956#Comment_119688956

Thanks,

You made exactly the same points as me except you see little wrong in it.

Glad we could agree 👍

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688961#Comment_119688961

A slippery slope to what?

Oh journalists - slaves to truth. I worked for years in energy, he writes absolute clueless bollix about it. As do numerous journalists in fairness though.

Where's the average bill doubling to 2000 coming from? There was no 100% price increase.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119689422#Comment_119689422

If you don't trust the fourth estate who do you trust for news ?

I take your point about frustration concerning an area of which you have a lot of knowledge.

This is quite common indeed I have had the same experience myself but it's hard to expect a journalist to be as up to speed as someone who specialises in a particular subject.

That figure of 100% refers to 5 increases over 18 months and I believe it is correct.

It says 12 months not 18 months.

The problem with energy bills is that they are not like broadband, phone or TV/streaming service bills which are the same amount every month.

There's the energy efficiency of the property, how often the meter is read, and above all, what the consumption is.

These hikes are dreadful, don't get me wrong (although it's global, not just energy companies price gouging) but the scare tactics regarding average figures (meaningless) - irresponsible reporting. Old people living alone will be terrified to turn on the heating because of hearing about huge bills for families of five, which aren't even relevant to them.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119689422#Comment_119689422

Electric Ireland's price per unit was approx 17 cent in July 2021, 21 cent in November 2021 and with several more increases since then, is now about 40 cent. The standing charge has also increased considerably but by a lower percentage. It's entirely possible that a household's annual bill could increase by 1200 euro or double compared to what it was 18 months ago (18 months was the timeframe mentioned in the article) with recent increases.

Another lazy half truth(as in one a million could actually save anywhere near what he claims) article from Charlie Weston.

I reckon each week Charlie opens his laptop and picks one of his previous articles at random and does a file save as, makes a few minor edits to make it as sensational as possible (alignment to reality not a requirement), slaps a misleading headline and submits straight to the printers as an editor can hardly sign off effectively the same article each week.

https://m.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/how-homeowners-can-save-7000-a-year-as-switcher-savings-double-in-just-six-months/a886024925.html