Loathing the fear on the campaign trail

 

My latest blog post looks at the issue of pro-Government spin in elements of the mainstream media.

It seemed clear in recent weeks that there was a a clear pro-Government bias in parts of the national media, along with scare-mongering against left wing parties such as Sinn Fein and AAA-PBP:

“Has there ever been a General Election campaign in Ireland before in which the role of some elements of the mainstream media seemed so clear? Not to report the truth, or to compare policies, but to cheer on the establishment parties and spread an irrational fear of change.

For months now, we’ve been told that this election is giving us a choice between “stability” (voting for the parties who either bankrupt the country or imposed austerity on thousands of us) and “chaos” (God forbid if those upstarts from Sinn Fein or the small left wing parties came within a million miles of power).

Sometimes the mask slips, and you wonder whether Irish democracy is any better than the kind of electioneering you would find in modern day Russia or even North Korea.

Malcolm X had a jaundiced view back in the 1960s

Such as when the nation’s biggest selling newspaper gives over its main story to attacking Sinn Fein policies for three days in a row. That’s not balanced election coverage, that’s naked propaganda … ”

 

You can view my latest blog here

http://ciarantierney.blogspot.ie/2016/02/the-media-election-and-politics-of-fear.html

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