Category Archives: Bites

The Irish Times recently printed a piece detailing the extent to which a concentration of media ownership in the UK enables “power to direct our national conversations and influence the development of national policies.”

However, according to writer Natalie Fenton, that was only part of the story:

Trespassing trumps torture

April 24, 2015Bitesmediabite

Dear Tim Vaughan,

In today’s Editorial ‘Shameful behaviour – Dáil deputies fined‘ you fail to even mention why TD’s Mick Wallace and Clare Daly “entered a restricted area at Shannon Airport”.

If this was anything other than an oversight it implies a conspicuous attempt to misinform readers as to the nature of the crime committed by Wallace and Daly.

Rather than a “cavalier disdain for our justice system” Wallace and Daly’s declared attempt to challenge the use of Shannon airport for suspected illegal military operations, including torture transit, could be interpreted as a naive belief in our justice system.

Regards,

David

MediaBite.org

The Irish Times is Will to Lucinda’s Jaden

The campaign goes on

November 29, 2014Bites#irishwatermediabite

Former Progressive Democrat and current Irish Independent columnist Liz O’Donnell gave a perfect example of ‘the press’ that we discussed in ‘Irish Water has brought us together‘ in today’s paper. It’s got it all:

‘Unsavoury violent aggressive element’
‘fomenting anarchy and intimidation’
‘Loony left’
‘Rabble rousing’
‘Hardliners stoking up unrest’
‘Pandering to populism’
‘Jubilant defiance in a scary way’
‘Nihilistic populism’

The Irish Times’ Cliff Taylor also has a great example of the press infantilising the public: “Why Government cant deliver on voters’ Santa list“. There’s loads of such commentary in the archives. Here’s another one from the Irish Examiner’s Jim Power: “Keep budget goodies on the shelf until 2016“.

(h/t @hiredknave)

A tamer breed of journalist

September 11, 2014Bitesgemma o'doherty, Irish Independent, Journalismmediabite

This didn’t age well, huh

Former Irish Independent journalist Gemma O’Doherty on a profession that has forgotten it’s responsibility to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”: