Blurred Keys

The Irish Times (IT) is often compared to the Guardian in at least the make-up of the two newspaper companies, it centres around the fact the two are owned by trusts. But the comparisons is, at best, questionable. 

As former IT editor Conor Brady points out in his book Up With the Times, the setting up of the two trusts were remarkably different — without going into detail here, the Guardian’s Scott Trust was set up in an act of selflessness while the Irish Times Trust was marred in controversy and pocket lining.

The current day differences of how the two companies are operated might be similar in ways, but in others the two are vastly different.

Read the rest of this entry »

The first Press Ombudsman was
appointed yesterday and should be able to take complaints about the print media
in Ireland from November.

Members of the public with still be asked to contact newspapers or
magazines first. If unsatisfied, the next step will be to contact the Office of the Press
Ombudsman, only major complaints or complaints unsatisfied at ombudsmen
level will be passed on to the Press Council of Ireland.

The ombudsman will have no powers to fine newspapers only to make them publish
his decision.

The new ombudsman, Dr John Horgan, called for the Defamation Bill to be
reintroduced as soon as possible. Horgan was
professor of journalism at Dublin City University before resigning last
year. He is also a former Labour TD, Senator, and a MEP.

He had previously worked at the Evening Press, the Catholic Herald in London,
and for the Irish Times where he reported on religion and education. Horgan also
was Editor of the Education Times, and has freelanced for the New York Review
of Books, the London Review of Books, the Guardian, and Le Monde diplomatique
among others.

"This means that Ireland finally has a complaints mechanism that
is free, easy to use, totally independent and available to every
citizen," said Prof Mitchell was quoted in today’s Irish Times. "Anyone who feels aggrieved by a
newspaper article or photograph can avail of this mechanism without
having to risk spending a fortune by going to court".

The NUJ have released the preliminary agenda for the Irish Biennial Delegate Conference, which takes place in October.

Issues highlighted in the current agenda include pay and working conditions, the use of freelance journalists as “bogus self-employed contributors”, reporting guidelines, threats to journalism, the Freedom of Information Act, and the merging of the roles of photographer and reporter.

Irish NUJ branches have until Friday September 14 to submit amendments to motions. The preliminary agenda can be viewed in full here (Word).

The NUJ has given the green light to a deal that will see improved standards for reporters at the Drogheda Independent, but freelance photographers say it is likely to lead to less work for professional photographers.

Read the rest of this entry »

Newspaper viewed blackened out sections by holding documents up to a light source

Last week the Irish Times ran a story on the planned rail projects for Dublin, the story was based on Freedom of Information request made nearly two years ago.

While the request was filed a day after the transport plan ‘Transport 21′ was launched the Irish Times only received some of the documents the week before last, the newspaper says that every figure, particularly cost estimates, were blacked out.

Read the rest of this entry »

- Anonymous claims made against Ryan
- Pay outstanding to former employees 
- Blogorrah to return before September
- Gatsby Publishing “still exists. Just”
- Ryan trying to revived dog publication
- Gatsby looking to retrieve $110,000

UPDATE: Janice Ridge a former out-of-office account executive at Gatsby Publishing came forward shortly after
this article was published stating that she is no longer anonymous.

John Ryan, publisher of infamous Irish blog Blogorrah and recently defunct New York Dog and Hollywood Dog magazines, has defended business practice at Gatsby Publishing after a competitor published a report with anonymous allegations said to be from two former employees.

Read the rest of this entry »

Setanta Ireland and Setanta Golf channels are to be added to the digital terrestrial television trial in Ireland, the Department of Communications said yesterday, the new announcement must come as a blow to the cable companies NTL and Chorus who are currently advertising with a focus on the two Setanta sports stations.

The NTL and Chorus parent company, UPC Ireland, has previously warned the government not to “jeopardise” commercial investments.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve set up a Facebook group for Irish journalists, it’s creatively called ‘Irish journalists‘ and can be found here.

The only question is - Will anybody join? All journalists from print, tv, radio, and online are welcome welcome to join.

And, yes, we mean journalists in the widest meaning - reporters, editors, subs, columnists, photo journalists, critics, news readers, researchers etc, etc.

Sunday Independent journalist Eoghan Harris has been appointed to the Seanad as one of 11 non-elected nominees of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Harris has been a supporter of Ahern throughout last year’s ‘Bertiegate’ events. The journalist has been accused by some of being too close to the  Taoiseach, the appointment will now be seen as a reward.

MORE: Taoiseach appoints eleven Seanad members

"The people must have something good to read on a Sunday" - The Clash’s ‘the Leader’

Adam Maguire thinks the Sunday Tribune is in trouble
after loosing Paul Howard and his Ross O’Carroll Kelly column, he also says
the IN&M’s original reasons for propping up the newspaper are now
invalid.

We disagree, even if the Indo own a share in around half of the
Sunday newspaper market, the paper is still serving the Indo group as a
blocker, even if a smaller one.

As well as owning 29.9 percent of the Sunday Tribune, and apparently controlling it due to out standing loans, the Independent News & Media group own Sunday papers the Sunday Independent, and the Sunday World, and a 50 percent share of the Irish Daily Star Sunday.

And while Ross O’Carroll Kelly is infamous, we’re not quite sure how
much of a loss in sale - if any real amount at all - will occur as a
result of the ending the column.

Unlike another Sunday paper - namely the Sunday Independent (the Sindo) - the Tribune is still a newspaper, not a viewspaper - we’ve just made that word up and that’s what we’re calling it from now on.

We also think that the Tribune is filling what otherwise would be a gap in the market - people who think they are above tabloids and the Sindo but put off by the ‘b’ world in the Sunday Business Post, and  maybe put off by the lack of Irish news in the Irish edition of the (London) Times.

ADDED: Adam on the other hand thinks that the Tribune is not taking advantage of a current gap of for a quality, news-led  paper. 

Quite weaker, but furthermore nevertheless, because of the gap it is filling and the habit of many of reading more then one newspaper on a Sunday,  it is somewhat likely that there is a substantial crossover of people who read the Tribune and a none Indo newspaper.

« Older Entries