Varadkar, Martin & Ryan walking off a stage together to avoid a journalist. Is this acceptable?

skimpydoo

Society is indeed paying a major price because of the decline in Journalism. How many Journalism students who graduate this year will still be journalists in 10 or 20 years time. Will any of them even retire as journalists?

If they are not going to hold people to account, why are they studying to be journalists?

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121820986#Comment_121820986

It's the opposite of journalism. When the news outlet makes themselves the centre of the story, using misleading editing and headlines that bear no relationship with the actual events as they occurred, it's not journalism it's propaganda

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121820998#Comment_121820998

Everyone has a news source in their pocket now, the mobile.

The trouble is it's telling them what they want to hear not what they need to know.

Worse still many don't know the difference and proudly rely on their "feed".

Having said that it's not all doom and gloom and there is still some good journalism.

As for why they are studying to be journalists it's for all sorts of reasons.

Not all journalism requires holding people to account. There are other areas to be covered apart from politics.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821366#Comment_121821366

I agree with all you said and the MSM should be telling people what they need to know and not what they want to hear.

When you rely on a feed you have to ask yourself how accurate is your feed and does your feed have an agenda?

The journalism I do very very rarely holds people to account and the last time I did this was when I argued that the Digital Age of consent should be 16 and not 13 as the government wanted. I guess I am in an area of journalism that is not too hated or populist.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821072#Comment_121821072

100% : what journalist films his own question at a press conference and uploads it to social media later that evening saying "look at me asking a hard question"? They (Gript) are trying to become the story.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821811#Comment_121821811

But it is a story. They are showing the attitude the government has towards anything considered "conservative" in nature. Which is pretty hilarious given they deny being left-wing.

Ireland must be the only country in the world (outside of communist states) that don't have a conservative party. Which is remarkable given how many countries within Europe have conservative parties at the helm of the government!!

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821880#Comment_121821880

It's not a story if nobody actually heard him ask the question in the first place.... And the reality is, the gript fanbase are the only ones who think it's a story.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821969#Comment_121821969

That should be a massive story. It shows that they only hold themselves accountable to media outlets that they have some level of control over. Them not even waiting for the question shows how much they loathe independent and especially conservative media.

If the guy asked "Why are you burning the constitution with frivilous referendums etc." or some other leading question, then I would understand why they would walk away. But they didn't even wait to hear it.

Homelander

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822037#Comment_121822037

More conspiracy. "They only hold themselves accountable to media they have control over".

That is an absolute farcical statement. Irish Government is one of the most open books in the world. Access to politicians is incredibly straight forward and easy.

I don't even know where this bizarre myth that the media are in bed with them/afraid to ask questions even comes from. I mean without getting too specific they get hauled over the coals semi-regularly by RTE's own state programming on the likes of Prime Time and Radio One, that's not even talking about the likes of Newstalk, Virgin, local radio stations, etc.

I mean they take flak from every direction every day about the state of the rental/housing market, the shambolic healthcare system, etc.

The idea that a question about Catherine Martin having her facts wrong about a referendum that frankly most people aren't that invested in being a massive, Government collapsing bomb they had no choice but to walk away from is actually comical.

Real journalists reporting the real news have a slightly more vested interest in asking about topics the general public care more about - housing, healthcare, the ongoing RTE saga, whatever.

I was at an event recently and RTE's own reporter asked a Minister about the RTE scandal, about how it's a complete mess, and the Government is not coming out of it rosy either, and then moved onto the housing crisis and the latest damning report from some body or another.

But no, they should have been asking if Catherine Martin has her facts straight on the referendum. The burning question of the day that every man, woman, child and dog is talking about, but talk in hushed whispers incase the Gardstapo bundle them away in the middle of the night.

Seriously, take a step back and apply a bit of critical thinking. There's no conspiracy. The Government doesn't buy off every single media outlet in Ireland. Catherine Martin potentially getting something wrong about a referendum is simply just not the hot topic of the day.

Leo, Martin and Ryan walked off because the press event was over, the audio from the video is not the feed audio from the actual event, it's not that deep, and certainly not because they were **** their pants over a relatively unremarkable question shouted out by Ben Scallan off-mike.

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822037#Comment_121822037

Conveniently ignoring that he was speaking into his own microphone and nobody actually heard the question. It's a manufactured controversy.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821880#Comment_121821880

They did no such thing

And Ireland could have a 'conservative party' but every attempt to establish one has failed miserably, not because of state interference, but because nobody voted for them.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822037#Comment_121822037

The press conference was over

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821880#Comment_121821880

Theres plenty of conservative parties in Ireland, they appeal to and get votes from conservative voters.

The reality is theres just a miniscule amount of those voters. I get conspiracy is nicer than reality so blaming government, MSM, 5G, Soros is much easier than realising conservatives aren't speaking for the oft cited "silent majority" but rather a tiny fringe element.

Padraig Mor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121820986#Comment_121820986

"off topic hand grenades" - like asking the leader of the government about government ministers openly spreading incorrect disinformation re a referendum happening in a few weeks? Seems pretty topical to me - especially when no 'platform' media outlet will ask the question.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821366#Comment_121821366

"The trouble is it's telling them what they want to hear not what they need to know."

What an extraordinary arrogant sentence to write... Who are you to decide 'what they need to know'

That the modern Greens for you now - fascists determined to control their narrative.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822701#Comment_121822701

I'm not sure which I should be more annoyed about being called arrogant or being called a green fascist 🙂

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822750#Comment_121822750

Take your pick or both. Your views smack of the current government line stressing the importance of public service broadcasting where of course they can influence the narrative and put their spin on stories. Whilst moaning about social media and how they need to crack down on misinformation.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822818#Comment_121822818

On reflection I have decided to resist getting annoyed and swerve your attack altogether.

Have a nice day.

Sunny Disposition

I don't think Gript would have an audience if the newspapers were resourced like they once were. Haughey despised elements of the press, but not weird offshoots like Gript, he hated people in the Irish Independent and IT who challenged his statements and behaviour.

Varadkar has got stick over the infamous leak, but very little really from the traditional media, it was just social media criticism. And that was a very serious matter.

As I said before, it is inevitable that society suffers from having a weak, underfunded media.

Strazdas

The newspaper landscape in Ireland is nowhere near as bad as what's happening cross channel. Majority of newspaper sales (around 80%) are of right wing newspapers who see their main role as to keep the Conservative Party in power - absolutely riddled with client journalists with personal connections to the Tories (socialise with them all the time, invited to their weddings and parties and so on).

Irish journalists are almost paragons of virtue compared to that shower.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822851#Comment_121822851

I am pretty sure that if the government could ban social media they would. The reason behind my thinking on this is because they can't control or try to control the narrative. Online publications like The Ditch and Gript rely on social media to promote their stories.

Sunny Disposition

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822933#Comment_121822933

UK media is terrible, it's openly biased.

That said our own media is a shadow of what it was, huge levels of cuts over the last 15 years. Its not as ideologically aligned generally, but the Indo has certainly taken a very strong anti public sector stance at times, while the IT has also shown a lot of bias in the last few years on the coverage of certain issues. Twenty years ago I don't think they'd have been caught out by an article from a freelance writer saying fake tan is racist.

There are still good journalists but the level of coverage is far more limited now. Hopefully with more digital subscriptions being bought, it can be reversed.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121822830#Comment_121822830

That's grand. I presume so you stick by your assertions in https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121821366/#Comment_121821366

It's easy to type something without reflecting on the import of what it says, but if you don't qualify it after, one presumes that then this is your view as stated.

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121823093#Comment_121823093

You are aware that probably 99% of the country don't give a sh*t about Ditch or Gript but use social media everyday for other things, also the government have a easy/cheap way to get access to voters etc. To promote themselves.

Why would the government want to ban it just to stop a small minority bit*hing and moaning online? Who actually gives a f**k?

SuperBowserWorld

The government just has to turn the property price dial up to control the population. That and 10 euro pints to show everyone how far we've come.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121824486#Comment_121824486

I don't think it's as high as 99% but I take your point on using social media for other things. A cheap and easy way when it suits them. Leo has openly said that Twitter/X has always been a sewer (which is not true) yet he and the government still use it. If it's always been a sewer why use it?

Clo-Clo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121824749#Comment_121824749

Why did you claim then the government would shut it down?

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121823093#Comment_121823093

Thats called clickbait. Which is their priority and entire business model.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121825109#Comment_121825109

I claimed this because it's harder to control the narrative on platforms like X. One person who is a thorn in the side of RTE and the Government is the fantastic Martin McMahon who has campaigned for years about bogus employment with a major emphasis on RTE. He also co-hosts the excellent

https://tortoiseshack.ie/echo-chamber-ireland-podcasts/

with Tony Groves. Without social media, Martin would not be able to share his insights into bogus employment and other things.

skimpydoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121825218#Comment_121825218

Other media organisations have resorted to clickbait too. Something I can't stand.