nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Child Item

The Irish media hysteria

RunningFlyer

Forgive me for starting a thread if one already exists - I’ve read so many different threads and posts I’ve probably missed the obvious however...

It seems everyone is waiting daily for the 6pm figures to find out the latest cases and deaths situation. It’s scary to see how every single media outlet in this country is putting all their attention on this (yes, gloom sells). Not just RTE, but the other stations and every single paper has the latest on the front page in some form or another.

Contrast this to European media - search any of the national news channels or newspapers and you’ll find its never (usually) the top story. They are over the initial panic and are I guess realise they are in for the long haul with this virus.

People here are only obsessed with three things; deaths, cases and the “R” number. I’m not a Statistician or epidemiologist but a few weeks ago when there was concern and hype raised over the R number increasing beyond 1 on the basis of 20 odd cases or so made me completely lose faith in the strategy of the government/NPHET. 10mins reading about R numbers will prove it’s not an effective measurement with low numbers yet this was peddled across the media.

The fear-mongering of the Irish media is seriously starting to affect the mental health of the population - I’m sure everyone has witnessed it on a personal level either themselves or their friends/family. If you’re get stressed I highly recommend deleting the news apps, distract yourself around 6pm when you know the figures will be released, and try enjoy the last of the long days and sunshine because if the current media narrative continues, it’s going to be a miserable winter.

Ireland needs to evolve from our sheepish culture and learn to think outside the box and make our own opinions of matters. The media need to tone down the hysteria and the government need to realise this virus is here to stay so have to start making some difficult decisions against the ultra-conservative NPHET advice to safeguard the country.

Thoughts?

Find more posts tagged with

Quick Links

Comments

Diarmuid

Nail on the head

“That could be a Level 6,” McConkey says. “I know nobody’s talked about a Level 6, and are probably even shocked to hear Sam talk about Level 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/sam-mcconkey-s-spinal-tap-moment-takes-the-restrictions-debate-to-level-10-1.4375670

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMSV4OteqBE

ShineOn7

suicide_circus wrote: »

RTE's recent "We have the Monopoly on Truth" campaign is particularly creepy.

They said what?!

jackal

This is the usual media feeding frenzy, where they all go nuts about inconsequential personal bull***t that most people on the street couldn't care less about. Plenty of airtime to fill and paper never refused ink. On the Claire Byrne show you could see the glee on the face of the journo that was on directly after Leo's interview, I imagine he was thinking "Yes! We can get weeks out of this."

There are some punters here on boards who seem to equate Tony or Leo with their favourite football team or something. Getting a bit "American Politics" for my liking. MY GUY RIGHT YOUR GUY WRONG, GO TEAM NPHET/GOVT. Its a bit pathetic, Holahan, Varadkar etc all just doing their jobs as best they can.

Rrrrrr2

suicide_circus wrote: »

Tony became a weird kind of messiah/guru figure to a lot of frightened people during the dark days of the initial lockdown.

It was/is utter nonsense. As if he or any of the cast of the Nphet muppet can ever control an endemic respiratory virus.

suicide_circus

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Great post from Mollser in the daily thread

Don't give RTE TV views, don't use their horrible Player and don't give their website clicks

RTE's recent "We have the Monopoly on Truth" campaign is particularly creepy.

suicide_circus

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Turned over to tv3 and they're pushing the same made up bs of leo bad mouthing Tony.

Tony became a weird kind of messiah/guru figure to a lot of frightened people during the dark days of the initial lockdown.

suicide_circus

supremenovice wrote: »

The way people have been talking about the Leo Varadker interview with Claire Byrne has been blown way out of proportion. I watched it live and what he said was very reasonable. Lets recap some of the 'vitriol' spewing from the Tanaiste. "was not thought through...should not have happened.. landed on us a surprise"
I mean, that all sounds reasonable enough to me. Some journalists going on as if he drove a bus over Tony. Seriously? A lot of the rhetoric in the media is about how NPHET are effectively the Government. But when the Tanaiste blows that out of the water, the narrative turns to how disrespectul they are to NPHET? A lot in the media, RTE included, are gaslighters. Claire Byrne was shocking last night, immediately jumping in with how shes losing confidence in the CMO. If Leo was kind to Tony Holohan, she'd attack Leo for letting Tony off the hook.

Anyone who though Leo's Claire Byrne interview contained any vitriol doesn't know what vitrol is.

virginmediapls

beggars_bush wrote: »

Love reading about all the covid deniers on boards

And glad i will probably never meet any of you

There really is a weird echo chamber of eejits here who claim Covid-19 causes no harm whatsoever, and Tony Holohan has actually killed more people than the disease.

It's kind of like thejournal.ie comments section a few years ago now.

Assetbacked

Rrrrrr2 wrote: »

They’re in rude health -
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/rte-expects-loss-of-32m-as-coronavirus-hits-ad-revenues-39471184.html

Good enough for them.

beggars_bush

Love reading about all the covid deniers on boards

And glad i will probably never meet any of you

zerosugarbuzz

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Turned over to tv3 and they're pushing the same made up bs of leo bad mouthing Tony.

You’d have to wonder why, big pharmaceutical companies with big pockets maybe? To buy advertising...

Un1corn

Just want to disagree with the OP. The biggest news here in Germany is Corona. It's in all the papers everyday. This is the biggest news story in Germany since world war 2. It is bigger than the reunification and collapse of the Soviet Union and East Germany according to Merkel. We are witnessing something remarkable for better or worse and it's the media's duty to bring it to us.

Sonic the Shaghog

Ya cause they are all devastated we aren't in lockdown so they can ramp up the fear, generate all those lovely clicks while people are at home. After fawning over Tony and hes been disrespected if there was a lockdown they'd be running pieces about the devastating job losses etc

They are as bad as the Daily Mail who were partly responsible for whipping up the UK population into hysteria for weeks demanding a Spanish/italian style lockdown. However they were lockdowned with a single week and then the articles changed to a tone of did the government overreact going into lockdown, then even had the sheer audacity to start trying to whip up people about the "Draconian" lockdown and free the people to save the economy or they were all doomed from job losses

It's not news or proper journalism from any of them anymore they'll spin news in whatever way will generate the clicks or even downright invent a narrative until enough people buy into it

Montage of Feck

Turned over to tv3 and they're pushing the same made up bs of leo bad mouthing Tony.

NIMAN

Jinglejangle69 wrote: »

But we're continously told by opposition supporters and water protestor that RTE and the government are in cahoots.

Or something

When you read some threads on Boards you have those who think that rte are the mouthpiece or propaganda wing of the government, yet there are others who think they are really anti-gov.

I suppose it depends what you want to see.

Jinglejangle69

supremenovice wrote: »

The way people have been talking about the Leo Varadker interview with Claire Byrne has been blown way out of proportion. I watched it live and what he said was very reasonable. Lets recap some of the 'vitriol' spewing from the Tanaiste. "was not thought through...should not have happened.. landed on us a surprise"
I mean, that all sounds reasonable enough to me. Some journalists going on as if he drove a bus over Tony. Seriously? A lot of the rhetoric in the media is about how NPHET are effectively the Government. But when the Tanaiste blows that out of the water, the narrative turns to how disrespectul they are to NPHET? A lot in the media, RTE included, are gaslighters.

But we're continously told by opposition supporters and water protestor that RTE and the government are in cahoots.

Or something

supremenovice

The way people have been talking about the Leo Varadker interview with Claire Byrne has been blown way out of proportion. I watched it live and what he said was very reasonable. Lets recap some of the 'vitriol' spewing from the Tanaiste. "was not thought through...should not have happened.. landed on us a surprise"
I mean, that all sounds reasonable enough to me. Some journalists going on as if he drove a bus over Tony. Seriously? A lot of the rhetoric in the media is about how NPHET are effectively the Government. But when the Tanaiste blows that out of the water, the narrative turns to how disrespectul they are to NPHET? A lot in the media, RTE included, are gaslighters. Claire Byrne was shocking last night, immediately jumping in with how shes losing confidence in the CMO. If Leo was kind to Tony Holohan, she'd attack Leo for letting Tony off the hook.

ShineOn7

TexasTornado wrote: »

RTE are fantastic. Most watched and respected news source in the country. Long may they reign

You're not even trying anymore

large.595a49e5c89fb_DontFeedtheTrolls.gif.cb3d7ea7b471cf83997cccc0bd27c79a.gif

Rrrrrr2

TexasTornado wrote: »

RTE are fantastic. Most watched and respected news source in the country. Long may they reign

They’re in rude health -
https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/rte-expects-loss-of-32m-as-coronavirus-hits-ad-revenues-39471184.html

TexasTornado

RTE are fantastic. Most watched and respected news source in the country. Long may they reign

Rrrrrr2

Course R Glynns wife is in rte- so go figure

Rrrrrr2

Was watching rte news first time in a while. It really is a shameless Nphet mouth piece. Trying to create some kind of imaginary narrative that there is mass criticism of the Tanaiste- you would hardly get it on Pravda. I’m so glad I never pay that corrupt TV licence and never will and happily RTEs finances continue to get worse.
I feel sorry for the aul biddies that follow this obsolete station as gospel

alentejo

I know several people who have just given up watching the news and current affairs. Its just too much!

I

ShineOn7

GazzaL wrote: »

I'm surprised anyone still pays attention to RTE. I stopped about 6 months ago.

You'd be surprised

Just see the daily thread when there's Covid related programming

GazzaL

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Great post from Mollser in the daily thread

Don't give RTE TV views, don't use their horrible Player and don't give their website clicks

I'm surprised anyone still pays attention to RTE. I stopped about 6 months ago.

ShineOn7

Great post from Mollser in the daily thread

RTE are remarkable, actually shameless. Absolutely lashing the government for not following the NPHET and not going to level 5. Then turn around and do a section on all the businesses around the country that will be devestated by going to level 3 all because of the govt.

They're a shambles, and completely oblivious to the fact that it was a RTE journo who leaked the thing causing this omni shambles

Also George completely ignoring the Dublin #'s coming down, now choosing to refer to the 14 day rate not coming down - picking and choosing stats to suit his doom laden narrative.

RTE, they're not good for the oul mental health!

Don't give RTE TV views, don't use their horrible Player and don't give their website clicks

4068ac1elhodqr

More maths for the panic stricken:

Obesity (25-27% of you lot {in the nicest possible way, of course), presents 200% more risk of cov-atality.
Heard on the radio today that obesity also applies a negative factor of x2/3 of any future vaccine received being effective (might already stand at 50% typically for anyone, not factoring weight etc)

(Self-imposed^) Obesity is closely related to diabitiesT2 (sugar, junk foods), and cancers, cardio disease and so on.
^ The only exception would be specific medications such as steroids which produce extra weight as a side effect.

Why not start a media war on the obese instead, it would actually do more good, and save more lives if they can adopt some postive changes, while they can?

MadYaker

Hunky Monster wrote: »

It’s all relative. The death rate for under 70’s is at 0.04% which is less than the flu. You don’t see this hysteria every year over the flu though.

Oh yes i forgot that over 70s don't exist so this is totally fine

ShineOn7

Is there an Ombudsman we can lodge a complaint about RTE to?

With Wave/Surge 2 they have been a fúcking disgrace and for many Irish it's the only news they know of

MickeyLeari

lee_baby_simms wrote: »

Interesting look at the numbers so far here:

https://twitter.com/grahamneary/status/1293312732989657089?s=21

Thanks.

Useful to read on thread reader https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1293312732989657089.html

Interesting - my prediction Is probably looking too high but I do fear excess Covid lockdown deaths in future years but they willingly be tough to quantify. Then again you will have less road deaths/accidents etc.