Philip O’Connor writes:
It says a lot about Ireland that the last written testament of a dead girl can be changed to protect the powerful, but the unwarranted vilification of an unemployed Polish immigrant doesn’t merit an apology, much less a retraction.
What it does tell us is, unfortunately, something we already know.Ireland doesn’t do accountability.
Not from the politicians, one of whom saw fit to spoof his head off about “Magda” without knowing anything other than what he was told on the phone- by a non-Polish speaking journalist.
Nor can we get it from the fourth estate. Like the Irish Times before them, the Irish Independent has neglected to offer any apology or explanation, other than the following:
YESTERDAY’S story about a Polish woman living on welfare payments in Ireland sparked much discussion and controversy. Some parts of the original interview, on which the story was based, were inaccurately translated.
Let’s be honest here- they weren’t “inaccurately translated”.
They were wrong.
The article was wrong.
Publishing it was wrong.
Not deleting it immediately was wrong.
And not apologising to the readers and the Polish people is wrong.
What is most disturbing is the total silence from the two journalists who wrote the original cack-handed rubbish- where are they? Where is their explanation? Where is their apology?
Part of the job of newspapers is to hold others accountable.
And the major part of the problem with Irish newspapers is that they fail to hold either themselves or each other accountable, especially in cases like this or Kate Fitzgerald.
So there we have it- another scandal in Irish public life. There will be no resignations, no trials, no arrests and definitely no apologies.
It’s not what we do.
Those in power in Ireland are not accountable to anyone.
There is no-one policing those in power, and they cannot police themselves.
Is it any wonder we’re in hock to the world?
When “Inaccurate” Is Just A Fancy Word For “Wrong” (Our Man In Stockholm)
…in common with the Irish Times/TCC farce, no legal representation has been made…..yet.
In my time reading contributions to Broadsheet, there seem to be a lot of under employed legal eagles out there. Surely, enough resources can be mustered to help Magda make a case.
Jeez, here we go again
i know, don’t you just wish bad things would go away?, now if only the media would stop mentioning all those wars and famine, all that corruption maybe, i could sleep at night. How am i supposed to enjoy the X-factor when people keep badgering me with reality?
well when you have the minister for education spouting guff like this;
Mr Quinn said the strengths of traditional media were its “high degree of reliability, accuracy, authority and a willingness to accommodate different points of view”.
One of the big problems with the internet, he remarked, was that “its inhabitants are unaccountable and live in cyberspace. . . a playground for anonymous back-stabbers”.
“Where are the apologies? It’s inevitable the media make mistakes, the miracle is that they get so many things right under the time pressures in which they now have to operate. Why then, are there still so few admissions of mistakes . . . So few apologies by the media?
“What you get more often than not is something called a clarification. It’s always at the bottom of the page and written in deadpan English. So, if politicians are to be more frank with their admissions and their apologies, why not also the media? Done properly, this will enhance the media’s reputation rather than, as some would appear to think, damage it even more than the original error.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0203/1224311177168.html
the last paragraph is hilarious. Ruairi Quinn – Oxymoron.
like the RTÉ apology for lying about the ‘rape tape’ saying it was a hoax. the apology was so mealy-mouthed and phrased in such a way as to actually cast aspersions on those they had already libelled.
lets all stop buying shitty newspapers
create accountability by withdrawing financial support for poor products thereby contributing to them no longer being financially viable products
+1
To be fair, both the times and examiner have reported on the fallout from this
Done. Haven’t read the IT online, bought a copy when home and will now never read the Independent again either.
Here’s hoping the Guardian start doing in-depth coverage of Irish affairs…
Haven’t read the Times online or bought it since the shameful “Kate Fitzgerald” carry on.
Although it is handy that other people providing links also give a general synopsis of the story also.
Something else to legislate against perhaps?
Yeah – I noted that the “Comments” section was turned “OFF” on the Indo’s “retraction” piece.
Perhaps they thought there might be some vitriolic replies about their bigoted, ignorant and abusive article.
I wonder what Kevin Myers has to say about blackening the name of someone with no right to reply?
Is it indefensible bigotry?
Are are those who protest – the usual left wing fags and feminists and bolshys who are dragging the country down the moral pug hole?
Oh for the love of God, give it up. There’s no connection whatsoever between these two stories. In the case of the anonymous op-ed piece, the allegations contained weren’t defensible once her identity was uncovered, not because they weren’t true necessarily, but because the person making them wasn’t around to defend them. If Communications Clinic took at case, it was an open goal like it or not. It was a fuck up by the Irish Times, but not malicious.
In the second case, an article from a Polish newspaper was distorted and misrepresented in a way that was immediately apparent to anyone with access to Google Translate. The Indo there had little choice but to acknowledge its mistake.
The connection is: nobody in public life in Ireland will ever admit to making a mistake, telling a lie, or apologise when they get found out. As the man in Stockholm writes:
“There is no-one policing those in power, and they cannot [will not] police themselves.”
Worse, they have crones like The Conspiracy Clinic to run around and make sure nobody is allowed to point out the inadequacies and the hypocrisies of those who purport to rule us.
Your point is incoherent. The Indo admitted the Magda article had been mistranslated. The Irish Times acknowledged they mishandled the Kate Fitzgerald story.
incredible
And the apology?
“he Irish Times acknowledged they mishandled the Kate Fitzgerald story.”
Actually they just mishandled it further to the favor of that moo cow prone.
P.S. In the Magda case: One thing that puzzles me is why Morning Ireland has escaped criticism? They were guilty of exactly the same mistake as Senator Jimmy Harte (i.e. taking a newspaper story at face value) but, unlike him, they have producers, researchers who could have done even the most rudimentary checks to see if it was true.
Checks? If they were on Ritalin. This is live radio, man.
They don’t broadcast Morning Ireland on the hoof, you know? Presenters, researchers are in Montrose a couple of hours before the show goes on air. It takes five seconds to run an article through Google Translate.
dont let the truth hinder a good moning rant
This is the same RTÉ that restated as a fact, and without any checking, a tweet from a fake account during the most important debate of the Presidential Election.
Far from a Sean Gallagher or FF supporter by the way, in case anybody thinks that, but just pointing to a pattern of poor (non-existent) research in RTÉ.
In RTE’s defence, that was a story that was breaking live on air. To paraphrase Richard Nixon (re: Kennedy), Sinn Fein cheated fair and square.
But they had hours to check the Magda story and didn’t.
who had the byline on the inaccurate piece?
Both names and the piece are at the top of this thread.
Oh FFS, really? There’s a connection between the two stories? Are you not comparing apples with pears somewhat here?
+1 clutching at straws a bit here Broadsheet.
+1 to your +1
This is not a question of comparing “apples and pears”. As Kate Fitzgerald’s mother, I welcome any scrutiny applied to the accountability of the press and their obligation to provide accurate reporting. Kate committed herself to this concept and embraced the media’s sacred responsibility in a healthy democracy. Transparency in journalism and dedication to truth should be applied in every instance. Society expects and deserves nothing less. Journalists work for us.
Kate cannot rest and neither can we until we receive respect and answers in every regard.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have so generously and eloquently expressed their sympathy to our family. Your kind comments have helped us enormously.
Sincerely,
Sally Ann Fitzgerald
Sorry but they shouldn’t delete it immediately. They should show what the corrections were, otherwise it would be covering up a mistake.
+1 Get net culture or GTFOTN
What the journalists/Indo did was plain malicious. It was not a translation error. They purposely twisted and distorted what was said in the original interview. Seems to me the likes of The Mirror, The Star and The Sun are of a higher ethical standard than The Irish Times and Irish Independent… how did that happen? Whatever about not buying the Indo because of the malicious act they carried out, you can’t now pick up and Indo and trust what is written in it is true anyway.
Jesus Broadsheet, let the poor dead girl rest in peace. Has your traffic slumped or something to keep dragging her up like this?
Could not have put it better myself, Broadsheet needs to move on.
There is no comparison. The Indo f**k up is far worse.
The IT found themselves between a rock and a hard place and choose safety over credibility. The apologized as much as they could and acknowledged the situation.
The Indo got some idiot to translate something, didn’t verify it or check it and ran with a story that even if was true was extremely provocative and dangerous. They have not apologized or acknowledged their fuck up.
the journalist who wrote it worked in pland as a journalist and speaks polish, this was no ‘mistake’ by a bumbling intern it was a deliberate act.
Its sad but true, there is no accountability at any level anymore. Reeling in the years is a lesson in behavioural science more than anything, when politicians resigned, people gave a shit about bad changes and having principles didnt make you extremist
I was talking to a barrister friend (yes I do have a friend who’s a barrister and he’s not a c**t).
He said the Indo could possibly to taken to court on charges of incitement to hatred. But someone has to make a complaint to the Gardaí.
Any takers?
Since I haven’t opened an Indo title in 15 + years t’wouldn’t hold much weight and most likely be seen as rabblerousing.
Someone who actually bought the paper on the day the article was published is the best bet,
So I’m out.
Well if this anonymous backstabber (and a few more btw) was paid more heed to, rather than deleted and barred over threatenened legal action, the IT might be a bit more proud of itself today.
I think this all goes back to the idea that nowadays we can all have an opinion on the truth. I wrote a piece for the Indo a few months ago in response to a homophobic column they printed:
http://parallelevision.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/response-to-sunday-independent-article/
Of course the Press Ombudsman thought that was sufficient, but I was less than impressed. You can’t say that “showing both sides” is effective recourse if one side is so clearly wrong. Seems to be the modern atmosphere of respecting everyone’s opinions, even if they’re lying.
See Republican election for more.
wo how did this become about KF?
Ah c’mon, no one buys the Indo these days. I see stashes of them in city centre hotels being given away for free. They’d have to pay me to read it! Anyone who is dumb enough to part with cash for it deserves what they get :)
As someone who used to work in television (not Irish, I hasten to add), I’m just wondering why Mr. Harkin or Ms. Costello failed to follow basic procedure? It is so obvious,- if a journalist or reporter is to pen an article in a national newspaper of a ‘Human Interest’ nature, surely, the individual in question should, from an ethical, professional and legal point of view, meet and interview the civilian they are writing about as ‘the’ primary source of the basis of their information? Not to mention the fact that every media institution have in-house lawyers. It really is incredible in my opinion. *Rant over* :P
Journalism in Ireland is at is chronic level. its a small circle. all we have to do is look at Todayfm. 4 out of 7 days of last week a member of the communications clinic featured on the last word or had THEIR OWN show. FFS . Print media is a dead duck and has no future only for the crinkles who still believe everthing they read in the paper. Online versions are subject to greater scrutiny because theres a new generation who have access to wider content and expect higher standards