Another great day for Independent newspapers

Slightly off topic, but yesterday's Sindo front page, concerning the garda who's wife died in childbirth during the week was extremely insensitive and of no relevance.
 
almo said:
did anyone read Willie "I've got the gun and can use it" O'Dea's attrociously penned attack on Sinn Fein
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Poor Willie, he's having sleepless nights worrying about Sinn Fein in the election

almo said:
...the fact that the man wasn't lying in the road
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Well, they say he was, that there was no damage to the car to suggest he was standing when hit. Short of an independent examination of the car we'll never know any different.

What stands out most for me on this case is how badly the Gardai have handled it, in terms of the information they have given out, so much of it contradictory. It's quite possible that the accident happened exactly as they have described and that the Garda driver is 100% innocent, but they have brought suspicion on themselves by making a mess of the whole thing. Only an independent enquiry will sort this out.
 
Have the Indo cast any light on why they originally reported that Derek O'Toole "was known to gardai and had a number of previous convictions"?

Was it a case of lazy journalism or did the reporter in question receive a "tip off" from a source within the gardai. if it was the latter, then it suggests that something underhand is going on.
 
The Indo did their best today, as you might have read in the article, to extricate themselves from the mess (as well as the rather sideways shot at the grieving Garda over the weekend) by attacking Sunday "tabloids" from the UK for speculating. But in doing so they set up a lot of very unsavoury tastes. Like the Garda in questions Uncle is a high ranking member of the force, that the nephew phoned said Uncle and the Uncle appeared on the scene and drove him home. While the Indo were a little devious in the way it was written, it actually opens up the avenue for more allegations.

While it's better to see a conspiracy in it all, in all likelihood the situation was an accident. The "leaks" could have been lazy jourmalism (for which the Indo are famous) and those suffering are the young Garda who was driving and the family of the lad killed. Otherwise there will have to be resignations from the newspaper and Gardai.
 
almo said:
(as well as the rather sideways shot at the grieving Garda over the weekend)
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I thought that the SI's frontpage coverage (headline, picture and article) yesterday to be lousy and mean spirited.

Im inclined to think that this is more than just 'lazy journalism' it shows an cynical disregard for the privacy and feelings of a grieving family in the persuit of a 'story' to boost circulation figures.
 
Can anyone explain why the story of the death of the mother and child was carried so prominently on all broadcast media last Friday? There are a handful of maternal deaths each year (including that of a close friend of my own some years ago) and I can never remember any similar case being given the coverage that this case received.
 
ajapale, I had to be a little more careful than I was earlier as I figure my post this morning was a little on the libellous (or misguided side) and was rightly removed from the thread - which is fair enough.

The attitude of the Indo is purely based on one thing - the bottom line, and they will sink below it as much as possible to make more money. Their near obituarial thoughts on Ollie Byrne (Shels Owner) when he was openly ill was so at odds with the attacks a while earlier, and their lovely "as reported by another paper" was always to the fore.

The attitude they have taken is getting worse by the week, their Uk counterparts are tame by comparison.
 
Maybe because this one involved a maternity hospital with a bit of a chequered past in relation to patient care?
 
almo said:
ajapale, I had to be a little more careful than I was earlier as I figure my post this morning was a little on the libellous (or misguided side) and was rightly removed from the thread - which is fair enough.
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Your post was removed because it reproduced copyright material in breach of the posting guidelines:
 

In fairness deaths as a result of childbirth in Ireland are quite rare, just looked it up and there were 16 between 1997 and 2004, none at all in 2003.

But you're right, I don't remember those cases getting anything like the attention this one did. I'm guessing the fact that there were twins involved made it more of a story, and also the fact that the hospital in question has been at the centre of controversy in recent years (ie former home of that Neary man).
 
Fair enough, mea culpa, and it's even worse to post an article that should never have been written!
 

Well I have heard it explained several times-the nearest station with breath testing equipment was the one where the Guard in quesiton was stationed-so it was not appropriate to bring him to that station.

Fair enough I would have thought-it would certainly appear inappropriate if he was beathalysed at his own station.
 
One would hardly be so cynical as to say that they were setting the story up for the Sindo exclusive??
 
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy issued a statement expressing his "absolute abhorrence at the manner in which this human tragedy was reported by some media outlets".

Pity he didn't release the same statement following the reporting on Derek O'Toole's death.
 
I thought the Evening Heralds headline of "pregnant cop drops dead" couldn't be beaten until I saw the Sindo. Who do they pay to come up with these headlines. Its gutter press of the highest order. These guys preach about politicians and their behaviour but at least the politicians are answerable. Who do these scumbags with typewriters answer to?
 
Bushfire said:
Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy issued a statement expressing his "absolute abhorrence at the manner in which this human tragedy was reported by some media outlets".
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In today's Indo, Noel Conroys statement is printed right next to an atricle, naming the deceased woman, Sgt. Corcoran. As this tragic incident was nothing to do with her profession, so she should have been referred to in the article as Ms. Corcoran or Mrs McCabe depending on the title that she used in her everyday life.
 
They are answerable to their customers. If we stop buying the paper, they'll stop writing this stuff.
 
RainyDay said:
They are answerable to their customers. If we stop buying the paper, they'll stop writing this stuff.
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Agree, I stopped giving them money years ago - is it okay to check out the online version though (well, I need something to rant about )
 
Glenbhoy said:
Agree, I stopped giving them money years ago - is it okay to check out the online version though (well, I need something to rant about )
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I guess that depends whether they earning online advertising income for each viewing, or each click?
 
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