The Tánaiste had a busy day yesterday, as recounted in a snappy little video the likes of which our politicians have become so fond of in recent election cycles, no doubt on the advice of their social media strategists.
In between a Newstalk interview with Pat Kenny and an appearance on ‘The Indo Daily’ podcast with Fionnan Sheahan and Philip Ryan, among other things, he managed to slot in the Irish Journalism Awards, where he offered a few words and awards to the glitzed and glammed reporters and opinion-formers arrayed before him.
The tagline of the video is that “No two days are the same” during a General Election campaign, with yesterday in particular a day “full of variety”.
Full of variety it may have been, but the astute observer will notice something of a pattern in amongst the weeds of the electioneering: a premium placed on media appearances, the press and good relations with it.
That’s not unusual – of course it’s not. It’s the same the world over, especially during an election period. What savvy politician wouldn’t take every opportunity to put their face before every eye possible, their voice in every ear possible?
What is unusual, in this writer’s – who’s miserably located outside of the glow generated by the warmth of government/media relations in this country – opinion, is the reciprocal nature of this relationship.
A bland definition of journalism will tell you that a journalist’s job is to gather information and present it in a manner suitable for public consumption, that the public might be informed about the important happenings, comings and goings.
Ask a journalist why they became a journalist though and that’s unlikely to be the answer they’d give you. You’d more likely hear something along the lines of, “I wanted to hold those in power to account,” or “I wanted to speak truth to power” or “I wanted to do some good”. Real Fourth Estate stuff.
Of course, I’m not naive – I know exactly why the warmth flowing from the Government to so many segments of the media (not all of them, as Gript readers will be well aware) flows right back again. The State pours millions of euros into Irish newspapers and media organisations by a variety of means, whether through an outright bailout such as RTÉ received to the tune of €725 million, or via the Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund, which saw Reach Media, The Business Post and The Examiner given €100,000 in the latest round of funding, preceded by awards for RTÉ, Virgin Media Television and The Journal.
That money comes directly from the Department of Foreign Affairs (the Tánaiste’s department, incidentally).
In other words, they know which side their bread is buttered on, and they act accordingly. Mr Martin’s appearance on The Indo Daily was gas craic altogether, a great time was had by all.
“How is it credible that two parties [FG and FF] who have provided very stable government for the last five years are suddenly tearing schcalps off each other,” Fionnan launched into it.
“Very stable government”.
I won’t pretend that there weren’t some confrontational questions along the 42-minute way, but by and large it’s a platform for the Tánaiste and his party.
While discussing Fianna Fáil’s drug decriminalisation stance, Fionnan hits him with the old “sucker punch question”: “Did you ever smoke a spliff yourself?…Not even in your college days”. Spoiler alert: He didn’t, on account of his squareness (to paraphrase the man himself).
Anyway, after being pressed on voters’ burning questions, he made his way later that day to NewsBrands’ Irish Journalism Awards 2024, where he acknowledged that he’d freely wandered into the lions’ den.
“Week one, of a three week General Election campaign, where the stakes couldn’t be higher, giving a speech to a room full of people whose job it is to examine and pass judgement on politicians.
“Where on earth would I rather be?,” he said, to a smattering of polite laughter and applause, one imagines.
“A very quick perusal of the portfolio of shortlisted stories, campaigns and opinions up for awards today will disabuse any notion that Government and the media in Ireland are unnaturally close.
“And that is how it should be – although an occasional supportive word wouldn’t go amiss!
“But what I think we have in Ireland is a recognition of the importance of what each other does, in the service of something bigger and more important than either of us.
There’s much in the Tánaiste’s speech not worth quoting, but what is of interest was his very public statement of the belief that State funding of the media – including of the organisations represented by the journalists in the room – should be increased and committed to.
Funding through Coimisiún na Meán, through an enhanced Global Ireland Media Challenge Fund (as mentioned above), funding for local radio and newspaper outlets, as well as unspecified “support” for media outlets for “Digital Transformation”.
“It will always be the case that politicians will spend much of their time complaining about journalists – and let me be clear, I intend maintaining this tradition!
“But we should all do more to recognise how independent, professional journalism is absolutely crucial to the strength and resilience of our democratic, republican system,” the Tánaiste closed out powerfully.
Let’s be clear: the journalists that politicians spend much of their time complaining about weren’t sitting in that room, to receive an award from the hands of the second most powerful man in the State. They’re busy being walked out on at press conferences by the taoiseach, shut down by anxious press officers or pepper sprayed by over-zealous gardaí, while relying on funding from members of the public who feel their work worth supporting – largely because nobody else is doing it.
Week one of a three week General Election campaign, I think we’re slowly but surely moving in the direction of an electorate whose anger over obvious faux pas like Government support for press awards can’t be assuaged by all of the cutely curated social media videos in the world.