The media in the Irish Republic have been strangely convulsed lately by the events around the resignation of a Sinn Féin backbench T.D., Brian Stanley. The national broadcaster, RTE,has majored heavily on the story and the “paper of record”, the Irish Times, (always anxious to put the boot into Sinn Féin), has devoted its leading headlines to it. On the face of it, it is hard to fathom why Stanley’s resignation should elicit such media attention. Stanley, a dull but worthy T.D., is hardly a household name. He held the position of chair of the public accounts committee, a post which is normally given to a senior opposition backbench T.D.He had his moment in the sun recently when his committee investigated corporate corruption in RTE.
While the aggressive and sustained harassing of Sinn Féin spokespersons on the matter may be partly explained by RTE, seeking some measure of revenge for its humiliation at the public accounts committee, the scandal here and the real story is the completely partisan coverage of Stanley’s resignation by the State funded broadcaster. Sinn Féin people have been badgered on radio interviews in a way that no Government spokespersons have experienced. Huge issues are made over the timing of minor events, as if such matter were of national importance.
The nature of the allegations against Stanley would have to be at the level of mass murder to warrant such a concentrated media frenzy. I will ask my relations in county Laois, Stanley’s constituency, to search the Slieve Bloom mountains for any murder victims. In the absence of finding such evidence, we must look elsewhere for a motive to the media circus.
The fact that this is happening in the shadow of the forthcoming Irish General election is not a coincidence. It is a blatant attempt to discredit Sinn Féin. RTE is of course reliant on Government grants as its audience share diminishes, and consequently a drop in its advertising revenue. In addition, its income from the licence fee has fallen off as large numbers of people are showing reluctance to pay the annual tax. It is in a very vulnerable position and dependent on Government handouts. On this occasion, it is being used by the current Government and by people in media outlets who are congenitally anti-Sinn Féin, to push their message. RTE which is required by its charter to provide “news of high quality journalism and impartiality”. In this case it has manifestly failed.
Any regular perusal of the ditch website will be well aware that there is no shortage of dubious activities taking place throughout the length and breadth of the Republic, involving members of the Government parties. Yet there is a strange reluctance in RTE and the Irish Times to cover these controversies. This makes the current level of RTE’s energetic pursuit of the events around Stanley’s resignation, all the more remarkable.
Sinn Fein has contributed to the current situation. It has clearly handled the Stanley situation internally in a cack-handed manner. It has also been too passive in the face of the onslaught by the media. It should ask its interrogators why this resignation has been so elevated by their media outlets. It should also meet the hostility directed towards them with forthright replies, pointing out that there is a blatant double standard operating here. Sinn Féin, its elected representatives and its voters, have the right to be treated equally. That is not the current position.
Whether people are pro or anti Sinn Féin, the coverage of the Stanley resignation should concern us all.
The media in the Irish Republic have been strangely convulsed lately by the events around the resignation of a Sinn Féin backbench T.D., Brian Stanley. The national broadcaster, RTE,has majored heavily on the story and the “paper of record”, the Irish Times, (always anxious to put the boot into Sinn Féin), has devoted its leading headlines to it. On the face of it, it is hard to fathom why Stanley’s resignation should elicit such media attention. Stanley, a dull but worthy T.D., is hardly a household name. He held the position of chair of the public accounts committee, a post which is normally given to a senior opposition backbench T.D.He had his moment in the sun recently when his committee investigated corporate corruption in RTE.
While the aggressive and sustained harassing of Sinn Féin spokespersons on the matter may be partly explained by RTE, seeking some measure of revenge for its humiliation at the public accounts committee, the scandal here and the real story is the completely partisan coverage of Stanley’s resignation by the State funded broadcaster. Sinn Féin people have been badgered on radio interviews in a way that no Government spokespersons have experienced. Huge issues are made over the timing of minor events, as if such matter were of national importance.
The nature of the allegations against Stanley would have to be at the level of mass murder to warrant such a concentrated media frenzy. I will ask my relations in county Laois, Stanley’s constituency, to search the Slieve Bloom mountains for any murder victims. In the absence of finding such evidence, we must look elsewhere for a motive to the media circus.
The fact that this is happening in the shadow of the forthcoming Irish General election is not a coincidence. It is a blatant attempt to discredit Sinn Féin. RTE is of course reliant on Government grants as its audience share diminishes, and consequently a drop in its advertising revenue. In addition, its income from the licence fee has fallen off as large numbers of people are showing reluctance to pay the annual tax. It is in a very vulnerable position and dependent on Government handouts. On this occasion, it is being used by the current Government and by people in media outlets who are congenitally anti-Sinn Féin, to push their message. RTE which is required by its charter to provide “news of high quality journalism and impartiality”. In this case it has manifestly failed.
Any regular perusal of the ditch website will be well aware that there is no shortage of dubious activities taking place throughout the length and breadth of the Republic, involving members of the Government parties. Yet there is a strange reluctance in RTE and the Irish Times to cover these controversies. This makes the current level of RTE’s energetic pursuit of the events around Stanley’s resignation, all the more remarkable.
Sinn Fein has contributed to the current situation. It has clearly handled the Stanley situation internally in a cack-handed manner. It has also been too passive in the face of the onslaught by the media. It should ask its interrogators why this resignation has been so elevated by their media outlets. It should also meet the hostility directed towards them with forthright replies, pointing out that there is a blatant double standard operating here. Sinn Féin, its elected representatives and its voters, have the right to be treated equally. That is not the current position.
Whether people are pro or anti Sinn Féin, the coverage of the Stanley resignation should concern us all.