Pat Rabbitte: "Standards of political journalism have fallen'

[homer]

Journalists do not properly follow up political stories.

For example I remember about 1994 when the Reynolds government was tottering a politician said he had a letter which would shake the state to it's foundations.

Haven't heard a dicky bird about this letter since. Have even forgotten that politician's name.

Even now could some journo check on this.? If such a letter exists or ever existed we should be told

[Dr. FIVE]

Twas Rabbitte and alleged Opus Dei infiltration of the AG's office


Church interference in the Brendan Smith case. Hard to imagine I know

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Trouble is that journos in Ireland know a lot more than they are ever allowed to print. And not just for legal reasons.

Very incestuous .... probably not helped by the 'embedding' strategy used by governments in recent years in the west and little items such as a journo showing signs of gettling close to too much truth like Kathleen Barrington being brought inside the racetent on an undisclosed salary as an 'advisor' to a Minister.

There is still a well known journalist in Ireland with matters outstanding with regard to an underage sex case who was reported at being at death's door and unable for interview by Gardai and that chap is now I understand living in Dublin and managing by himself and still no mention of any questioning under caution.

The state institutions and large swathes of the formal media are far too cosy. Trouble is a large part of political journalism now is getting a press release and effectively re-writing it with a few comments lashed on for colour.

In some ways the technological advances and rivalry of the 'net hasn't helped because there is now a 24hr news cycle instead of morning and evening papers and journalists and filing copy straight into the newspaper instead of by sub-editors as they used to so the quality has slumped in favour of timeliness.

It was noticeable in the increase in collogualisms and slang in formerly quality newspapers that subs would have smoothed out at one time.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Twas Rabbitte and alleged Opus Dei infiltration of the AG's office


Church interference in the Brendan Smith case. Hard to imagine I know

There are indications of quare goings on around that department which contains the DPP and State Solicitor's Office.

The 'oops' moment back around 2001 when misprision of felony was mistakenly dropped from the statute book between two Criminal Justice Acts was just such an indication that something was wrong somewhere. It was the only direct charge that could have been used against priests, bishops, cardinals arising out of matters from the Ryan Commission report.

Bit of a giveaway. There is a system in place for drafting of legislation and 'errors' like that don't happen by accident.

The Dept of Education still shows signs of being rotten with churchmice.

[Dr. FIVE]

Education and health have always been rumoured to be well looked after.

Barrington is on €80,051 btw. The lowest end of the adviser scale with all the other women

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

A financial journalist as an advisor in the Department for the Official Disapproval of the Unemployed.

Either Burton is using Barrington as a possible lever towards the Finance job which she is rumoured always to have been after or Barrington has simply been slienced by 80K a year.

[Andrew49]

Journalists do not properly follow up political stories.

For example I remember about 1994 when the Reynolds government was tottering a politician said he had a letter which would shake the state to it's foundations.

Haven't heard a dicky bird about this letter since. Have even forgotten that politician's name.

Even now could some journo check on this.? If such a letter exists or ever existed we should be told

That was Rabbitte as far as I know - he was in Democratic Left at the time:

"Will the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste say if. in respect of the recent discovery of documents in the Attorney General's office, there is another document that ought to be before this house that will rock the foundations of this society to its very roots? If there is such a document its contents should be before this House before Deputy [Johnboy] Bruton moves his motion [of no confidence in the government] and we should know now whether the Labour Party has rowed in behind the Taoiseach following the discovery of this document".

[PaddyJoe]

Interesting in the context of Rabbitte's brief as Communications Minister:

Almost all of the speakers asked Mr Rabbitte if there was anything the Government could do to bring an end to what they felt was a continuous cycle of negative media coverage, particularly in national newspapers.
Mr Rabbitte is said to have replied that newspaper editors had been "called in" but that they had explained that they, too, were under business pressures. He is said to have remarked: "The more you try to influence them the worse they get.

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...n-3112769.html

[Dr. FIVE]

Colette Browne on this

http://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion...ia-194859.html

THE hubris of Communication Minister Pat Rabbitte, who recently lambasted the quality of political journalism in this country, would be a lot easier to take seriously if the nation hadn’t been lumbered with such a headline-grabbing array of greedy and grasping incompetents in Leinster House for at least the last 30 years.

[PaddyJoe]

Interesting bit in today's IT interview with Pat Rabbitte:

On the growing influence of businessman Denis O’Brien in the media world, he said: “Powerful, wealthy men down the centuries have seemed to want to own huge tracts of the media, that’s been the case on the neighbouring island and elsewhere, and indeed here.” Along with secretary general Aidan Dunning, the Minister had a meeting in his department with Mr O’Brien, at the latter’s request, before the summer.

“I had made a speech somewhere on media and the new legislation and so on. And the tumult was going on in Independent Newspapers at the time and so on and he asked to see me,” the Minister said.

It was part of a series of meetings Mr Rabbitte had with various media interests: “He said he understood that undue concentration of the media was not desirable and unlikely to be tolerated by the Government, that he accepted that what he was engaged in, in Independent Newspapers, was protecting his investment and trying to restructure the group and so on.”

Sounds like Denis got a bit concerned when he heard about Pat throwing a few shapes and called in to make sure there was nothing to worry about
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...321232685.html

[Dr. FIVE]

here we go

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...328424174.html

[PaddyJoe]

here we go

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...328424174.html

That's a quite incredible interview coming from the Minister who has overall authority for the media in this country.
“You are dealing with a very cranky media who advocate tough decision-making and when they get tough decisions they start piddling around at the edges trying to unravel it"
“There is an all-pervasive negativity in the media that is not helping the mood of a people that is in distress and difficulty. I don’t think the media give a damn about where this is going to bring politics. It is worthy of some thought of where the constant denigration of politics is going to bring us,”
If that isn't an attempt to intimidate I don't know what is.

[disability student]

Sounded to me that Rabble rouser want the media to tow with Govt's media strategies not the other way round.

[ang]

The only thing that brought politics into disrepute were the politicians !

Look within Pat look within you pontificated about it enough whilst on the opposition benches.

Thine leader then accused a serving Taoiseach of "economic treason"

[C. Flower]

I have to say that Harry's report is a bit on the rough side