A thinks this letter to today's IT was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I'm not so sure. Any casting votes?
Madam, - The passing of Mr Haughey was one of those occasions when one just has to buy The Irish Times: a field day for your esteemed journalists to show their considerable talents. One recalls all the many occasions when that photogenic face graced your pages, all the acres of newsprint that have been expended on account of its owner.
Might I venture to suggest that some small acknowledgement of his value to the media is called for? Would it not be appropriate for your paper to take the lead in making some little donation to his estate, as a gesture of appreciation? - Yours, etc,
JOE ASTON, Sherkin Island, Co Cork.
4 comments:
I think I'm with A on this one...you never can tell but even the world cup has been edged out...
He is definitely taking the mick. "One of those days where one just has to buy the I.T."! ...A "field day"!!.. The whole thing is dripping with sarcasm. And he is right, to the extent that it is too much of a cash cow for media outlets to consider responding in any manner resembling restraint. This is not to knock the Irish Times per se. All the media outlets are up to the same, and the Irish Times are certainly more balanced than the Indo or the tabloids. Still, he has a point...
he's not just talking about this week, though. If you read the letter, you'll see that he's talking about the coverage Haughey has occasioned over the years.
I'm still not convinced. If anybody knows Joe Aston, send him this way.
Of course he is not just talking about this week, but that just adds to the irony surely! The papers have been making hay (pardon the colloquialism) out of the Haughey myth for years! And over the years the media has changed its tune as it sees fit - running the gamut from Haughey the 'hoor' to Haughey the flawed genius. Its precisely within this context of double standards that Mr. Aston's remarks take on their edge.
Post a Comment