Blurred Keys

The Irish Times has ventured into blogging for the first time at Ireland.com. The newspaper’s first blog, ‘On the Record’, is hosted by music journalist Jim Carroll.

Along with breaking news and content from the Ticket supplement, the music blog is free-to-view in contrast to much of the site which is subscription based.

While Irish journalists – including Irish Times staff – have been blogging for some time, this is first public move by a national newspaper into blogging.

12:05 The Supreme Court has ruled against granting a permanent injunction stopping the Sunday Business Post and other media outlets from publishing any documents the Mahon Tribunal deems to be confidential, according to the news on Today FM.

The High Court had granted a temporary injunction against the Sunday Business Post, but refused to extend such to permanent status.

The Mahon Tribunal is also taking a case against the Irish Times newspaper, its editor Geraldine Kennedy, and journalist Colm Keena, wanting them to reveal a source on the ‘Bertiegate’ story. LINK UPDATE: RTE News

Sometimes reading just one newspaper isn’t enough…

COMMENT: If you were to have read Richard Delevan’s Publius in the Sunday Tribune you’d seen that the Channel 6 chairman Pat Donnelly was writing letters to Irish ad agencies dismissing the industry-trusted Nielsen audience measurement as "JUNK".

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The Irish student media awards, the 3 Smedia awards, were held last night in Tripod in Dublin, here are the results…

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Emap has confirmed it is looking to sell its radio station in Ireland, as reported by Reuters.co.uk and Finfacts.com.

The UK media company’s Irish stations, Today FM, FM 104, and Highland Radio, are profitable, however Emap are trading tough and looking to sell the station off in a consolidation move.

The Sunday Business Post has more information on the radio stations, while Adam Maguire has comment and analyses.

An over due update to our post in early February - Independent News & Media are now trying to outsource Dublin sub-editing and layout jobs to RE&D.

Sub-editing staff at IN&M are apparently reluctance to move to the new company, according to the Sunday Business Post who quotes a source saying the people who move will be paid ‘‘above-market rates’’ (but less then IN&M pays them now).

The same newspaper says that RE&D was set up by two former IN&M employees and is based at Hanover Quay in the south Dublin Docklands.

NUJ members "expressed serious concern", and the Irish Times also quoted (paid sub reqd) NUJ Irish secretary "Séamus Mr Dooley" saying "We are looking for more specific information about what is on
offer and we will be looking for agreement in principle for NUJ
recognition in any new operation".

Meanwhile, Roy Greenslade is reporting how IN&M are pushing the same outsourcing at their New Zealand arm APN News & Media. And, with help from Adam Maguire, Greenslade is also talking about the Irish story.

UPDATE: Read more on this at pressgazette.co.uk

The Guardian’s parent company is set to make around £675m from the sale of a minority share of Trader Media Group.

The firm publish Auto Trader, which is the largest selling motoring magazine and the second largest selling weekly magazine in Ireland.

The Guardian Media Group are currently sole owners of ATM and have agreed to sell a 49.9% stake to private equity investment group Apax Partners. Media Guardian is reporting the deal values the company at £1.35bn.

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Journalists, students, lecturers, and people interested in the media are invited to a media forum titled ‘Is an ethical journalist simply a competent journalist?’, the event is a continuation of the Cleraun forums.

It will take place this Monday at 8 to 9pm and moderated by Tomás Ó Síocháin, programme editor at RTÉ / TG4.

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The Irish Times and journalist Brian Boyd have replied to an Irish blogger’s claim of plagiarism.

Similarities between an obituary of Jean Baudrillard published in the Irish Times to another published days earlier in the New York Times were investigated by management at the Dublin-based paper of record after the likeness of the two articles was discovered by Irish blogger Kevin Breathnach.

“A charge of plagiarism is very serious, but we are satisfied that Brian Boyd’s article is not a re-write of the New York Times story” an Irish Times spokesperson told Blurred Keys. “It covers some similar territory, and makes some similar observations, as do other features and obits about Baudrillard, but the accusation is unsubstantiated and unfair. We understand Brian Boyd plans to respond to the original post.”

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‘Twenty Major’, an infamous Irish blogger, has received a two-book deal with publisher Hodder Headline.

Major who recently won ‘Best Blog’ and ‘Most Humorous Post’ at the Irish Blog Awards is best known for not holding back on strong views and regular use of the swear word ‘cunt’.

The story was broke by Irish Times journalist Sinéad Gleeson on her blog at sineadgleeson.com. (With thanks to mulley.net for the tip)

Clarification: A photograph of Twenty Major accepting an award at the Irish Blog Awards was added to this post shortly after the story was first published. This image has been removed on a request of the blogger in question. It was judged that the blogger’s right to privacy is greater then any current journalist reasons for keeping the photograph online.

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