Comments made by Séamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, NUJ at the annual
conference of the Association of County and City Councils in Tullamore
Court Hotel, Tullamore on Thursday 24th March 2011
THERE is a scene in the Life of Brian where the leader, Francis, dressed in activist
gear — black robes and a red sash around his head, addresses an audience of about
eight masked activists as they accelerate their campaign for the “dismantling of the
entire apparatus of the Roman Imperialist State”.
As the rebels discuss the role of the ruling elite on their daily lives and debate the
legacy of Roman rule his sidekick Reg assumes the role of cheer leader for the
revolution.
Reg declares: “They've bled us white, the bastards. They've taken everything we
had, not just from us, from our fathers and from our fathers' fathers. …
And what have they ever given us in return?”
To his dismay the troops come forward with a long list of suggestions: The
aqueduct, sanitation, the roads... Irrigation... Medicine... Education... Health...
Peace!
Deeply frustrated Reg throws down a challenge: “All right... all right... but apart
from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health
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and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the
Romans done for us? “
President, in what passes for public discourse on local government in Ireland I
suspect there is a feeling amongst city and county councillors that, like the Roman
Imperialist State, you feel unloved and misunderstood.
I also suspect there is a feeling among public representatives that media coverage
or lack of coverage of local and regional government is a major contributory factor if
not the reason why city and county councils are undervalued and unappreciated.
I still remember with delight Hall’s Pictorial Weekly: Ballymagash Urban District
Council and the shenanigans of the fictitious Councillor Parnell Mooney. My late
father did not always share my love for Frank Hall but did derive some amusement
from Hall’s recounting of the egg throwing antics of Jim Flanagan of Edenderry or
the bombastic outpourings of Frank Waters from Athlone. (Cllr Hanniffy will explain
the historical references to the uninitiated.)
It may seem indelicate to mention Ballymagash in this company but the Provincial
Vindicator is extremely relevant to our musings this afternoon. Much of Hall’s
material was mined from the regional press: while he might stand accused of erring
on the side of ridicule Frank Hall could never be accused of ignoring local authorities
or their activities.
In my role as regional newspaper reporter and editor I came to know and respect
public representatives and local authority officials - and in recent years have come
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to despise those who through their actions in the area of planning, in particular,
have tarnished the image of local politics.
There are strong parallels between the local media and local councils. In inviting me
to participate your Director, himself a former journalist of distinction, referred to the
mutually beneficial relationship between the local press and county councils.
It is certainly true that local authority meetings were for many years the staple diet
of the regional press. Local newspapers are community based; dependent upon
local readers and advertisers their purpose is to serve communities.
Regional radio stations are rooted in the towns and villages within their catchment
areas. Inevitably the work of local authorities dominates the news agenda on a
weekly basis.
But journalistic fashions have changed and so has the nature of coverage.
Just as The Irish Times no longer fill pages with verbatim parliamentary reports local
newspapers are more selective in their coverage of local government. There is a
welcome recognition that it is not enough to simply report on council meetings there is a greater emphasis on analysis and on follow up stories. In the editorial
decision making process editors must also be aware of the rich diversity of
community life, of which the goings on of a town or county council is only one
element.
However not all of the changes in approach arise from measured, editorial
judgement alone and it may be useful to put our discussion in context.
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There is a crisis in the Irish media and it is reflected in employment levels, in the
terms and conditions of employment – and it is evident on the newsstands and on
the airwaves.
Advertising is always one of the first things that businesses cut back on during any
recession.
The dangerous over reliance on property and recruitment advertising
compounded the difficulties experienced over the past three years.
We have experienced dramatic pay cuts, redundancies, non-replacement of staff,
and lack of investment; decline in pagination and of course significant closures,
notably in this region the Athlone Voice, Longford News and Roscommon Champion
and, at national level, Irish Star Sunday and the iconic Sunday Tribune.
Changes in ownership and the emergence of large media conglomerates have
certainly had an impact. The decline in local ownership has meant that editorial and
commercial decisions are frequently taken in remote boardrooms. The gradual
withdrawal of local owners and the disappearance of family owned regional
newspapers was a significant feature of the past five years.
Owners do not necessarily dictate what is covered but the allocation of resources
has a direct impact on the ability of an editor or news editor to ensure adequate
coverage of local affairs. When the Roscommon Champion, closed the Editor of the
Roscommon Champion Richard Canny made it clear that the stranglehold on editorial
budgets by centralised management in Northern Ireland has seriously inhibited the
development of the newspaper.
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It is also a fact that in the choice between executive remuneration and editorial
expenditure the editorial budget has consistently lost out.
The madness which gripped Ireland during the Celtic Tiger era was not confined to
the property market. The utterly unrealistic prices paid for regional newspaper titles
by Scottish based Johnston Press, for example, bore no relationship to reality. In
September 2005, at the height of the boom Johnston entered the market in this
region, paying €138.6m for the Leinster Leader Group more than €60m more than
what had been expected.
Today many once solid newspapers struggle as owners falter under the burden of
unmanageable debt. The construction industry was not the only empire built on a
shaky foundation.
At local, national and international level and across all platforms the media faces
major challenges. The current economic crisis has had a devastating impact on
employment and on the ability of journalists to do their job.
The reduction in headcount has meant that news editors have less staff and fewer
resources. Where staff have been hired they are less experienced – and the
deterioration in pay and pensions has made journalism a less attractive profession.
What is the impact on the local communities of these dramatic changes?
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The change in Roscommon and Longford is obvious – a lack of choice and an
absence of editorial diversity.
Other groups, such as Independent News and Media, TCH and Johnston Press have
introduced less dramatic but still significant changes through redundancies and the
non-filling of vacancies.
Some local newspapers are deciding not to cover local authority meetings or to be
more selective in what is covered. They simply do not have the resources to allocate
a reporter to spend a full day, frequently a production day, at a monthly meeting
which may produce little of value in terms of news or reader interest.
This is a worrying development and is bad for democracy. Reliance on second hand
reports, on official handouts or tit bits from well-disposed councillors is bad
journalism – and is bad news for local communities. The failure of commercial radio
stations to adequately cover local authority meetings – if at all - is an ongoing
source of contention for many years.
Phone interviews with the loudest councillor are no substitute for independent
reportage or analysis. But the burden of covering monthly meetings and the
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increasingly important areas committees is one which many editorial managers are
unable or unwilling to carry.
Quality journalism can only thrive where those who own media organisations give
priority to editorial resources. Journalism demands time and money, both resources
in scarce supply. The alternative is a dependence on handouts, PR spin and second
hand reports.
This is a trend which I have detected especially in newer titles,
notably free sheets.
If communities are to have faith in the democratic process they must understand
how decisions are arrived at. Participative democracy is built on an informed
citizenry.
The culture of secrecy which has enveloped public administration in Ireland has
impeded that understanding. The new Programme for Government is a welcome
step in the introduction of a Whistle Blowers Act and in the restoration of the
Freedom of Information Act.
Freedom of Information is as much a principle of governance as it is a means of
access to information.
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The fact that Strategic Policy Committees meet in private means that a cloak of
secrecy surrounds how decisions are made at local government level. True SPCs
report to county councils in full, public session but I can see no merit in the
automatic exclusion of the media - or the public - from SPCs.
In general I find the practice of “in committee” meetings unacceptable.
Section 45 of the Local Government Act 2001 makes provision for Councils to
exclude members of the media and the public “because of the special nature of the
meeting, or of an item or business to be, or about to be considered at the meeting”,
or for other special reasons.”
There can be private business where exclusion of the media is understandable. The
rules and practises of Oireachtas committees make provision for private sessions and
there may be rare occasions where private business may be necessary.
Many county councils persist in having private estimate meetings, comprising of the
entire council, followed by a sanitised public meeting. This, in my view, is contrary
to the spirit of the Act. Potential political embarrassment is not grounds for
discussing, in private, business which ought to be conducted in public. In excluding
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the media or the public the test under the Act is that such action “is not contrary to
the overall public interest”.
Speaking to many NUJ members in advance of this conference I detected a strong
appreciation of the role played by local authority members and officials. A common
complaint is the absence of designated press officers who can respond quickly to
media requests for information. Where such personnel exist a more positive
relationship has developed. Frequently the provision of information dispels myths
and informs public debate.
We share one common purpose – serving the public interest. There are those who
would argue that commercial media organisations have every right not to cover local
authority meetings, to focus on market share, even at the expense of news values.
But if we as journalist expect to be granted recognition and protection we must also
accept the responsibilities which come with that status.
In a new media age we need to work together to ensure that those whom we aim to
serve are empowered by relevant information and access to the democratic process.
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