Blurred Keys

Independent group's trigger-happy copying

- Press Ombudsman says plagiarism is covered
- We get legal threats from an Irish Independent journalist

As examples of plagiarism are mounting against newspapers in the group, Independent News & Media seem to be unable to keep their hands off the copy and paste function of their PCs.

Crime coverage in Irish newspapers

Below is a link to a survey on crime coverage in Irish newspapers that I compiled for other reasons but might as well publish here. A sample week was taken in which all crime articles were recorded in the national daily morning newspapers.

Here’s some of the main or interesting points…

• The Irish Daily Star and the Irish Examiner had the most crime articles with 127 and 114 stories respectively in total for the week.
• The Examiner also had the highest recorded amount of crime articles in any one newspaper on any one day, at 31 stories for Wednesday. The next two highest are 27 and 26 for the Wednesday and Thursday editions of the Irish Daily Star.
• The Irish Independent and the Irish Daily Mail had the least amount of crime articles with 47 and 38 respectively.
• Out of the eight daily papers and nine Sunday papers, there were a total of 57 covers. Just 18 of these covers had no crime coverage on them; the vast majority – 68 percent – had crime on the cover page.
• Across daily titles, Monday has the lowest amount of crime stories. The low amount of crime reporting on this day can largely be linked with the covering of Court proceedings. As there are no normal Court proceedings on Sundays, there are no such stories available for the newspapers on Mondays.
• Of the 22 percent of the articles that related crimes in other countries, of that only four percent related to those with a substantial link to Ireland.
• The Irish Mirror had the highest weekly percentage of international stories at 38 percent. It also had the highest single day percentage, accounting for 59 percent, with 7 Irish and 10 international stories.
• The Irish Times had the lowest amount of international crime articles at under 15 percent, while the other newspapers had around 20 percent
• With a sample breakdown of the types of crimes covered there was a large difference between newspapers. With murder, the Irish Examiner published the largest amount (25) of related articles, while the Irish Independent had less then half that amount (11). With rape, the Irish Daily Star published 11 stories, more than any other paper for the week, while at the other end of the scale the Irish Daily Mail had only one rape story.

The report, 'Newspaper crime coverage in Ireland', is here (PDF). Skip to part two for the survey. The content of part one has mostly been mentioned on this site before.   

Irish media round-up (December 2007)

The following is a round-up of Irish media news for December 2007...

Dublin papers settle libel action cases

Five Dublin newspapers have settled libel cases against them taken by Julia Kushnir, a Ukrainian interpreter who survived the car crash in which former TD Liam Lawlor died.

Kushnir's solicitor, Brian Lynch, told RTE Radio that the delay of over two years was due to "Huge resistances by the papers generally fighting this case". He added that "She is very happy with the outcome, and she is very releaved that it is all over now".

Eoghan Harris appointed to the Seanad

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

Sunday Tribune: Has it a future?

"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.

Browne to the Mail? Everybody hates the Sunday Independent?

The Sunday Independent's Liam Collins suggests that Vincent Browne, besides his recent radio movements, may also move in print.

Collins takes what looks like half a wild guess and says that Browne's columns may end up at the Irish Daily Mail.

The Guardian's Roy Greenslade says "I don't think so", but isn't that what most people would have said to the suggestion of Frank Connolly moving to the Mail?

Connolly was previously at Ireland on Sunday before it was re-branded as the Irish Mail on Sunday, but he -- like Browne -- doesn't share the views of the typical image of the Mail.

But all three have common ground -- getting a good story, they are apprently out to get the Irish Government or just Fianna Fáil, and they are all mortal enemies of the Independent News & Media.

It's apprently the world against the Indo Sindo and FF.

Also on Sunday, Collins has pot shots at what he classes as "Dismal science merchants" (ie anybody that "talks down" the economy), naming George Lee (RTE), Richard Curran (Sunday Business Post), and David McWilliams (SBPost, Indo).

Then again, these day it looks like everybody hates the Independent group, or at least everybody hates the Sunday Independent, even the Irish Independent's Ian O'Doherty...

There are some people out there who think that the Sunday Independent is an arrogant, solipsistic rag with delusions of journalistic adequacy. But they are wrong.  As last Sunday's issue proved, it is actually the finest satirical publication available today and is better than The Onion, Private Eye and Mongrel all rolled into one.

How else could one explain Eoghan Harris reviewing himself on the Late Late and, bravely, fearlessly, courageously, giving himself a good review?

Eoghan Harris v Fintan O'Toole

Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris left a Today FM studio yesterday (Saturday) when Matt Cooper allowed Fintan O'Toole of the Irish Times to get his point across uninterrupted .

Cooper asked Harris to stop a number of times before O’Toole says “It is impossible to engage in a debate with somebody whose only interest is in shouting”.

Further interruption followed, prompting Cooper again twice requesting silence "Please let Fintan talk", to this Harris says "I tell you what, I have enough of  Fintan O'Toole and the Irish Times", and leaves.

Audio: (WMP/Windows Media Player format) http://audio.todayfm.com/files/HARRIS-1.wma (Link vie here)

Irish media quote of the year

The comment of the year goes to Sarah Carey, columnist with the Sunday Times (Irish edition) and blogger... (easily offended Sunday Independent readers may not want to read on)…

I’d love to meet Aengus Fanning sometime, but they’ll have to get excavators to rescue him from Bertie’s arsehole at this stage. - sarahcarey.ie

Sunday Independent accused of plagiarism

An article (reg reqd) in yesterday’s Sunday Independent includes word-for-word sections and other similarities to an Irish blog post at fatmammycat.blogspot.com.

The striking likeness was discovered by anonymous Irish blogger Twenty Major.

“Read the two pieces and the comments to see the bigger picture. It’s fairly obvious that Andrea Byrne has used the original piece, sometimes word for word, and passed it off as her own work,” said Twenty Major.

(found vie kathyfoley.net)