MEDIA IN DOCK FOR MCGURK'S COVERAGE
Media in dock for McGurk's coverage
ON August 4th I attended the lecture at the Dairy Farm Centre given by Mr Roy Greenslade (former editor Daily Mirror) in memory of Damian Walsh and other victims of the 'troubles'.
After a heartbreaking but promising introduction by Robin Livingstone (editor Andersonstown News) on the traumatic effect the death of his sister Julie had on his family, aided by so-called reporting in the press. I was somewhat disappointed by the tameness of Mr Greenslade's talk.
Mr Greenslade certainly deserves credit for admitting that grave imbalances of media reporting have been and still are taking place. But did I detect a slight prang of conscience?
I find it hard to believe that Mr Greenslade's 'realisation' took place as late as 1993.
Equally hard to believe is that in all his years in the media world, suspicion of such never before entered his head.
Mr Greenslade told us he had researched the troubles (albeit certain events), but I think he has fallen victim to the 'imbalance' and 'one day wonder' headlines of his own 'policy of selective coverage' concerning Catholics murdered by loyalists.
Otherwise December 4 1971 and the troubles' worst atrocity in the north before Omagh (in terms of civilians lives lost) when 15 people including men, women and children died in Paddy McGurk's bar, would have presented him with a perfect example of press misinformation and manipulation by those in power and also the mortal sin of self-censorship to dissipate "silly conspiracy theories".
S Irvine
Victoria Parade,
BT15 2EN
ON August 4th I attended the lecture at the Dairy Farm Centre given by Mr Roy Greenslade (former editor Daily Mirror) in memory of Damian Walsh and other victims of the 'troubles'.
After a heartbreaking but promising introduction by Robin Livingstone (editor Andersonstown News) on the traumatic effect the death of his sister Julie had on his family, aided by so-called reporting in the press. I was somewhat disappointed by the tameness of Mr Greenslade's talk.
Mr Greenslade certainly deserves credit for admitting that grave imbalances of media reporting have been and still are taking place. But did I detect a slight prang of conscience?
I find it hard to believe that Mr Greenslade's 'realisation' took place as late as 1993.
Equally hard to believe is that in all his years in the media world, suspicion of such never before entered his head.
Mr Greenslade told us he had researched the troubles (albeit certain events), but I think he has fallen victim to the 'imbalance' and 'one day wonder' headlines of his own 'policy of selective coverage' concerning Catholics murdered by loyalists.
Otherwise December 4 1971 and the troubles' worst atrocity in the north before Omagh (in terms of civilians lives lost) when 15 people including men, women and children died in Paddy McGurk's bar, would have presented him with a perfect example of press misinformation and manipulation by those in power and also the mortal sin of self-censorship to dissipate "silly conspiracy theories".
S Irvine
Victoria Parade,
BT15 2EN
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0161
Published Date: 21-Aug-98
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