RTE Understands........Government policy press leaks.

Mango Joe · 30-03-2021 10:11am #1

Seemingly "RTE understands" every Government policy, decision or change a day or two before they are actually officially enacted.

Does anyone else find this to be a bit off - Like the dumb masses are being craftily managed by unseen figures who can quell anticipated unrest by drip feeding tidbits of information to us a day or two early so we feel "in the know" and conspiratorially involved rather than aggrieved when the actual bad news becomes our stark reality?

Also there's the angle of transparency, independence and integrity of our news sources - Are we really ok with RTE news working to this standard where they are willing pawns in this shady little game?

If the Government are regularly leaking everything to news media as a matter of policy now shouldn't this be as actual press releases and statements rather than this grey area predictable charade?

Does anyone know the mechanics of these leaks? I presume there's a mailing list where bullet points are sent out in advance and then repeated excitedly by all these wonderful Journalists who are just happy to be included in this circle of contact and appear to be in the know.

I'd love to know the full story of how this is all orchestrated and who exactly are the players involved.

Brussels Sprout · 30-03-2021 10:22am

Not really.
They're hardly going to refuse a scoop.
Ideally yes.
Most press officers are ex journalists or will have lots of preferred journalistic contacts to leak stories to.

awec · 30-03-2021 4:09pm

This is how it works all over the world, it's nothing unique to Ireland.

How many times have you ever heard a politician announce something where the audience didn't already know roughly what was coming?

Hodors Appletart · 30-03-2021 8:59pm

kite flying

Peregrinus · 31-03-2021 5:12am

It's "briefing", not leaking. Leaks are unauthorised.

Government likes to do it so that they have some sense of how a policy will play, what the reaction will be, before they officially announce it and have to defend it. It means that, at the press conference, they'll have some idea of what questions are going to be asked, and they'll have thought about what answers to give.

Media likes it because it means that they, too, get time for a bit of thought - e.g. about what questions they will ask at the press conference.

It's not a uniquely Irish thing, by any means. Variations of it exist in most democracies. It's only confident authoritarian governments, who basically don't care how their policy is received, who don't do this.

Trampas · 31-03-2021 8:25am

And you’ll find why some journalists don’t give the government much pressure as they’ll be looking to get a job working for them.

Peregrinus · 31-03-2021 8:39am

Trampas wrote: »

And you’ll find why some journalists don’t give the government much pressure as they’ll be looking to get a job working for them.

Actually, that's not necessarily a good way to get a job as a government press officer, etc.

Governments want press officers who were good journalists. A government press officer needs to have a nose for the weak or embarrassing parts of a policy, so that he can foresee and prepare for the kind of awkward questions that might be asked. You know a journalist is able to do this if he has a track record of asking awkward questions himself. If he doesn't ask the awkward questions, is it because he is trying to ingratiate himself with the government or is it just because he's too dim to spot them? If it might be the latter, you don't want to hire him. You don't have that worry with the journalist who asks the awkward questions.

Brussels Sprout · 31-03-2021 9:47am

Peregrinus wrote: »

It's not a uniquely Irish thing, by any means.

Apparently Dominic Cummings used relay a lot of info that he wanted to inject into the public domain via Laura Keunnsberg of the BBC.

Sam Russell · 31-03-2021 9:55am

Who is that guy RTE have in Brussels that was able to keep his finger on the pulse on the EU's approach to Brexit while able to illuminate the UK's vacuous approach and the lies and false plays? It's Tony Connolly - the one that gets quoted all over the place as an expert on Brexit. I am sure he does get his information from high up in the Brussels hierarchy. Is his source a leak or a briefing?

Good journalists do not rely on leaks because they are single source and so are in danger of being manipulated. The politicians that leak only do so to get good press for themselves.

Blackjack · 31-03-2021 10:03am

Sam Russell wrote: »

Who is that guy RTE have in Brussels that was able to keep his finger on the pulse on the EU's approach to Brexit while able to illuminate the UK's vacuous approach and the lies and false plays? It's Tony Connolly - the one that gets quoted all over the place as an expert on Brexit. I am sure he does get his information from high up in the Brussels hierarchy. Is his source a leak or a briefing?

Good journalists do not rely on leaks because they are single source and so are in danger of being manipulated. The politicians that leak only do so to get good press for themselves.

I'm fairly sure Tony has mentioned in the past that RTE have a policy of fact checking so that information has to be verified from 2 separate sources before it can be reported. I think it's a case of who has a good network and who maintains good relationships. If you are reporting for the Sun, for example, the likelihood is that only folks that would be part of the EU apparatus that would talk to you would be the likes of Daly, Wallace, Ming and the Brexit party types.

wench · 31-03-2021 10:44am

To quote Bernard Woolley:
That's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I give confidential security briefings. You leak. He has been charged under section 2a of the Official Secrets Act.

RTE Understands........Government policy press leaks.

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