* Layoffs and shutdowns will continue to close down traditional newspapers and magazines. But the crunch will also affect new media outlets, who will find it just as hard to compete with the Google/Facebook advertising duopoly. * Anonymous funding from vaguely defined organisations will continue to flow into right wing and dubious groups around Ireland… Continue reading Media (and other) predictions for 2019
Tag: media
The Eighth
Every foreign TV report of the Eighth campaign Cottage and sheep in the distance. Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Church spires. Farmer with a border collie. Keith Mills. Leo Varadkar’s socks. Nuns. Pantibar. Fintan O’Toole. Closing shot of sunset behind Hapenny bridge. Things you won’t hear during the Eighth campaign “And joining us now is [Insert… Continue reading The Eighth
The Charleton Report
As possibly the only journalist in Ireland to have covered two Garda tribunals of inquiry in their entirety, I should probably say a few words about what will probably come to be known in shorthand as the Charleton Tribunal. For starters, although I’d be glad to do so, it’s deeply unlikely I will cover a… Continue reading The Charleton Report
RTE, BAI, and the marriage referendum
In response to a letter from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland about coverage of same sex marriage, RTE politely responded that it knew how balance worked. I previously published a copy of the BAI’s letter to RTE, which I obtained from the BAI itself. Below are the letter and the official RTE response, obtained through… Continue reading RTE, BAI, and the marriage referendum
More terms, more conditions
I had a look at the Irish Times android app terms and conditions a few days ago when it prompted me for an upgrade. For completeness, below are the access requests for some other Irish news apps. Short version: RTE and the Irish Independent look for the same call information as the Irish Times, the… Continue reading More terms, more conditions
Back to the future
From the New York Times and Washington Post comes news of yet another attempt to Fix Comments. Everyone wants to engage with audience, trouble is the results end up costing as many readers as they attract. But why are the comments so horrible? I’d argue a large part of the problem is it’s because every… Continue reading Back to the future
Pressure Points
I posted this graph in yesterday’s 200 Words. I created it as a clearer version of Simon McGarr’s “Scandal Timeline”, below. Journalists have criticised the graph, pointing out the story in response to which it was created — Tuam mass graves — was broken by the Daily Mail (and earlier, the Connacht Tribune). They have… Continue reading Pressure Points
When are bloggers media?
I attended an event today to mark World Press Freedom day, as a result of which I’m posing the audio below. The first speech is by Kevin Bakhurst, RTÉ Deputy Director-General and Managing Director of News & Current Affairs, on the particular challenges facing broadcasting. It is followed by a speech by John Horgan, Press… Continue reading When are bloggers media?
The decline and fall
News papers are in trouble, and it isn’t hard to see why. The figures published today by Independent News and Media (INM) tell their own story. The group puts a brave face on it, citing a 12% rise in online advertising revenue to €9.3m, and pointing to debt restructuring, but there’s a deeper problem. Sales… Continue reading The decline and fall
Freelance Forum is back
It’s Spring, and so the thoughts of freelance journalists old and new turn to the Freelance Forum. What do you, mean you haven’t thought about it yet? The Forum is a one-day event, now held twice yearly, providing freelance journalists (and aspiring student journalists) with information to better do their jobs. Brought to you by… Continue reading Freelance Forum is back