Journalism and cycling

Annie get your Run · 22-05-2017 10:14PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Why bother? They clearly thrive on this kind of trolling, so it is not worth engaging with them. Engage with BAI or Eir, and let them engage with Newstalk.

Nothing to loose. In my complaint I mentioned that I'd also advised their show sponsors I would no longer be purchasing their products. Also, someone mentioned somewhere you have to complain to the show before you can do so to the BAI?

ThisRegard · 22-05-2017 10:17PM

When filing an online complaint with the BAI pretty much the first question asks if you're been in touch with the broadcaster about it.

Tomred13 · 22-05-2017 10:18PM

Sent complaint to Newstalk earlier today and just sent complaint to BAI..

robyntmorton · 22-05-2017 10:22PM

Complaint sent to Newstalk, CC'd to BAI:

Dear Sirs,

As a cyclist it is with dismay that I write this email concerning comments made by Paul Williams on Newstalk Breakfast, today, 22 May 2017.

I refer specifically to the following:

"If some cyclist comes up and starts to pull my mirror on my car than me and the cyclist are going to have a serious crash and he won’t have to worry about banging into my car a second time I tell you."

This is at best an idle attempt to stir up controversy, and hence ratings for the show. However, I fear it is more than that. I fear that it is closer to the worst possible explanation - a direct threat to the safety of cyclists on Dublin, and Irish roads.

The majority of cyclists do attempt to cycle in as safe and courteous manner as possible. They want to get where they are going just as much as those in motor vehicles. I know I certainly do. The fact though, that your station allows this kind of inflamatory statement to be broadcast, serves to show that your staff believe that this treatment of cyclists is permissible and condoneable, and provides a platform to the public that it is right to treat cyclists as an obstruction to be driven off the road, a location that we have as much right to be as motorists.

I believe that it is important for Newstalk to distance themselves from these comments, and to both publicly apologise to the cycling population of the country, and censure the staff member concerned, showing that it is wholly inappropriate to use the platform given by the station in such a way. Failure of the company to take appropriate action can only be seen as the company condoning such comments. Discussion and debate is one thing, and should be encouraged. Threatening a large segment of the population is not something that should ever be allowed.

Yours Faithfully,
Robyn Morton

(CC: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland)

Rojo · 22-05-2017 10:22PM

Sent complaint and a few tweets just there. I'm so bloody SICK of people like Williams.

CramCycle · 22-05-2017 11:22PM

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Feel free to join in;

http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057743956

To be honest, I would be surprised if Eir responded there. Particularly looking at some of the less friendly replies. I imagine the thread will be locked by tomorrow.

The reps there only have power to flag it up higher and their responses will be generally neutral or non existent to a thread like that. Would love to be wrong though.

I love Sean nos · 23-05-2017 08:27AM

CramCycle wrote: »

To be honest, I would be surprised if Eir responded there. Particularly looking at some of the less friendly replies. I imagine the thread will be locked by tomorrow.

The reps there only have power to flag it up higher and their responses will be generally neutral or non existent to a thread like that. Would love to be wrong though.

You were right and the thread was locked. The reps were too cowardly to even post an acknowledgement.

magicbastarder · 23-05-2017 09:12AM

I love Sean nos wrote: »

The reps were too cowardly to even post an acknowledgement.

ah here; the thread was posted after 8pm and locked before midnight. they were not online.

CramCycle · 23-05-2017 09:19AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

ah here; the thread was posted after 8pm and locked before midnight. they were not online.

+1 only a few hours old and it was turning into a sh1t show. It wouldn't have stayed open in After Hours the way it was going, certainly nowt to do with the reps.

I love Sean nos · 23-05-2017 09:23AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

ah here; the thread was posted after 8pm and locked before midnight. they were not online.

Didn't notice that. So Boards.ie were too cowardly to let them respond to the question then.

magicbastarder · 23-05-2017 09:29AM

that forum is there to allow people ask questions about their broadband, not submit feedback on eir's sponsorship policy in relation to radio talk shows. i'm not sure what sort of response you expected.

robyntmorton · 23-05-2017 09:30AM

BAI have replied to me already, acknowledging the email I sent yesterday to Newstalk, CC'd to them.

They note that I have made the complaint to Newstalk in the first instance, and that under BAI rules, Newstalk have 21 days to respond before the complaint can be officially referred to BAI.

At least it's a response.

robyntmorton · 23-05-2017 09:33AM

As for the Eir thread - I understand completely why Zaph locked it. It was always likely to go to sh!t very quickly.

I would have been happy to see someone from Eir say they're sending it on to the right people, but c'est la vie.

ThisRegard · 23-05-2017 09:48AM

Weepsie wrote: »

It would be like coming into me at work and giving out about my marketing department. I'd quickly tell you where to go.

To the marketing department?

I love Sean nos · 23-05-2017 09:53AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

that forum is there to allow people ask questions about their broadband, not submit feedback on eir's sponsorship policy in relation to radio talk shows. i'm not sure what sort of response you expected.

Where does it say that?

magicbastarder · 23-05-2017 10:34AM

the bit that says 'customer support'.
this wasn't a customer query.

I love Sean nos · 23-05-2017 10:40AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

the bit that says 'customer support'.
this wasn't a customer query.

I was a potential customer from today when my Vodafone contract expired. Thus it was a valid thread.

Annie get your Run · 23-05-2017 11:54AM

robyntmorton wrote: »

BAI have replied to me already, acknowledging the email I sent yesterday to Newstalk, CC'd to them.

They note that I have made the complaint to Newstalk in the first instance, and that under BAI rules, Newstalk have 21 days to respond before the complaint can be officially referred to BAI.

At least it's a response.

I was just wondering that - so no point in putting in a BAI complaint for 21 days. Have Newstalk even mentioned yesterdays comments anywhere? Presume they will just ignore everything and we will all go away quietly until the next issue arises! I must put a reminder in my calendar for 21 days time!

PaulieC · 23-05-2017 12:49PM

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I was just wondering that - so no point in putting in a BAI complaint for 21 days. Have Newstalk even mentioned yesterdays comments anywhere? Presume they will just ignore everything and we will all go away quietly until the next issue arises! I must put a reminder in my calendar for 21 days time!

YOU can make a complaint directly to them now. The other complainant has to was 21 days as they CC'd Newstalk on the complaint. The waiting period doesn't apply to you.

CramCycle · 23-05-2017 01:48PM

Its funny, but I don't listen to Newstalk Breakfast anymore, mainly because of PW. This is his cycling opinions aside. I don't even believe him, he just is in it for the ratings, I just dislike him as a presenter. If he ever changes his mind or apologises, I won't know unless someone here tells me.

blackwhite · 23-05-2017 02:11PM

CramCycle wrote: »

Its funny, but I don't listen to Newstalk Breakfast anymore, mainly because of PW. This is his cycling opinions aside. I don't even believe him, he just is in it for the ratings, I just dislike him as a presenter. If he ever changes his mind or apologises, I won't know unless someone here tells me.

He's one of the worst "journalists" on the radio at present.

It's a pity; it used be a very good show with Yates and Donoghue, and I find Coleman to be very good as well, but Williams makes it nearly unlistenable.

He seems to be trying to play the cantankerous grump to Coleman's "straight man", similar to what Yates sometimes did with Donoghue. The difference is, where Yates made it obvious that he was often being contrary to wind Chris up, or just in jest, Williams comes across as aggressive, arrogant and obnoxious. Added to that, he's a very poor interviewer, and offers little-to-no valuable analysis into anything.

Unknown Soldier · 23-05-2017 07:40PM

Seen a text sent into NT this morning.

"Considering Paul's comment about harming people/kids who might touch his car, by crashing into them, using a one ton car as a weapon, he's not much different to that evil person in Manchester"

Hope he read it, and it might have clicked.

AndrewJRenko · 23-05-2017 09:11PM

Annie get your Run wrote: »

Nothing to loose. In my complaint I mentioned that I'd also advised their show sponsors I would no longer be purchasing their products. Also, someone mentioned somewhere you have to complain to the show before you can do so to the BAI?

ThisRegard wrote: »

When filing an online complaint with the BAI pretty much the first question asks if you're been in touch with the broadcaster about it.

Apologies, I missed that bit on the BAI site. It's not an unreasonable rule in fairness.

Weepsie wrote: »

Seriously? It's a forum for customer support. They have other channels and better ones for you to register your disdain. That wasn't one that should have been used.

It would be like coming into me at work and giving out about my marketing department. I'd quickly tell you where to go.

If you want to complain, use the right channels.

magicbastarder wrote: »

the bit that says 'customer support'.
this wasn't a customer query.

I am an Eir customer.

Chuchote · 23-05-2017 10:16PM

This thread is already turning into a train wreck

A train wreck? A series of posters said they'd been considering moving to Eir, but would not now because of Eir's sponsorship of Paul Williams and his dangerous statement.

I'd be in the same position. With Virgin at the moment and I discovered yesterday that I couldn't call some Paris phones while in Paris (though I could call Irish mobiles of people who are in Paris). Nor could people in Paris call me from their French landline to my Irish mobile.

So I'm thinking of changing to a company that has a normal concept of what a phone is for. But that certainly won't be Eir as long as they're sponsoring this hate speech. Frankly, I don't care whether the hate speech is directed against blacks, Jews, 'migrants', women, Roma, Travellers or people on bikes - as long as it's fomenting hatred I want nothing to do with it or its sponsors.

Thud · 24-05-2017 08:00AM

Some sort of a retracement from Williams there...no apology. Said he'd never use violence as he's seen it in his dealings with the underworld (you may have heard he was a crime writer!) Also made out he is actually a cyclist

gmacww · 24-05-2017 08:07AM

Thud wrote: »

Some sort of a retracement from Williams there...no apology. Said he'd never use violence as he's seen it in his dealings with the underworld (you may have heard he was a crime writer!) Also made out he is actually a cyclist

Paul Williams is actually a cyclist and does quite a few events/sportives. His comment about is arm is an injury he got from a fall while cycling. He didn't apologise he clarified and to be honest I agree with absolutely everything he said.

check_six · 24-05-2017 08:08AM

Blowhard backs down (sort of). Williams was on just now making a form of apology/clarification regarding his crashing into cyclists comments. He said he really meant to say that he would report someone who hit his wingmirror to the Guards, rather than run them over as he had vaguely implied by saying that he would run them over.

After the clarification he drifted towards ranting about cyclists breaking rules again, but Coleman pointed out that motorists are guilty of rule breaking also, and that there are 'fundamentalists' on both sides giving out about the other.

It was interesting to see that Williams said anything. He wasn't happy to do it, really, but he did make an attempt I suppose. I'd imagine that he was coerced into making the statement by management. Possibly under the pressure contributed by posters here.

24-05-2017 08:08AM

Thud wrote: »

Some sort of a retracement from Williams there...no apology. Said he'd never use violence as he's seen it in his dealings with the underworld (you may have heard he was a crime writer!) Also made out he is actually a cyclist

Yeah a bit of a mea culpa. He mentioned he bust his arm cycling, which was why he was in a sling.

Thud · 24-05-2017 08:18AM

gmacww wrote: »

Paul Williams is actually a cyclist and does quite a few events/sportives. His comment about is arm is an injury he got from a fall while cycling. He didn't apologise he clarified and to be honest I agree with absolutely everything he said.

Clarified is a stretch, backtracked more like.
Most on here will agree withbwhat he said re cyclists/motorists breaking rules.

magicbastarder · 24-05-2017 08:30AM

Thud wrote: »

Said he'd never use violence as he's seen it in his dealings with the underworld

does one have to have had dealings with the underworld to realise Violence Is Bad, mmmkay?

Journalism and cycling

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