Dressed in a floor length black dress Heather Mills was greeted with loud applause and a barrage of flash photography as she walked on stage at Trinity College Dublin last night. Ms. Mills was visiting the capital as she was made an Honorary Patron of the Philosophical Society in Trinity College.
The activist and former model is known to have a turbulent relationship with the media. Her recent outburst on British television highlighted her anger and frustration at the media who she believes have treated her as if she was a paedophile or a murderer and have even pushed her to the point of contemplating suicide.
Before she began her speech she highlighted her skepticism of the media and urged the crowd present to take notes as it would be a perfect example of "what you will hear tonight will not be what is reported tomorrow". Ms. Mills proceeded to give a speech about her life, from her troubled upbringing to losing her leg in 1993 when she was hit by a police motorbike all the while being photgraphed by the large media presence.
With no signs of the photographers stopping she questioned them saying, "have you still not got your photographs yet" and asked "can we stop them now do you think...so we can focus on the students and doing the proper story." The crowd rallied with her and applauded in support of her actions, while the media later accused her of 'snapping' at and 'ejecting' the photographers present from the event.
Free from the flash photography Ms. Mills continued talking, however not once in her speech or the questions posed to her after did she mention her ex husband Sir Paul McCartney and their marriage break up. When asked how she coped with all the publicity surrounding her she said that she managed to cope by "having a sense of humour."
Ms. Mills received the honour from the Philosophical Society in recognition of the work she has done in connection with animal rights, anti landmine initiatives and support for amputees. She pointed out how she convinced Paris Hilton to stop wearing fur but she was critical of other celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Naomi Campbell for failing to follow suit.
Ms. Mills follows a long list of famous figures who have received the honorary patronage of Trinity College Philosophical Society which include actor Al Pacino, US Senator John McCain, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and our own Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Thursday, 22 November 2007
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Dublin Castle holds AEJ conference
Dublin Castle was the setting for the 45th Association of European Journalists (AEJ) Congress and General Assembly.
The AEJ was set up in 1961 and founded by 70 journalists who believed in the potential of journalism to promote European harmony. They were determined to defend the freedom of information and freedom of the press in Europe. The AEJ is an independent non-profit-making international organisation with neither party-political nor union ties.
The weekend of the 9th & 10th November 2007 saw the annual conference deal with such pressing issues as media freedom, the Defamation bill, EU Reform Treaty and protection of sources. Organised superbly by the Dublin Branch of the AEJ, of which Eileen Dunne is the chair, the conference made for interesting debate.
An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern attended the conference and spoke about the upcoming EU Reform Treaty Referendum. He said an information campaign on the referendum will begin in January after enabling legislation is passed. The Taoiseach told the conference of journalists that "a Europe of 27 cannot operate in the same way as a Europe of six or 12".
Also discussed at the annual conference was the issue of the Defamation Bill. Miklos Haraszti, media freedom representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conveyed his concern about the Bill and said Ireland "shold not pass laws which are unusable". He pointed towards section 35 of the Bill which allows for a sentence of up to five years for the publication of "gravely harmful statements". Mr. Haraszti called for Ireland to drop the legislation and be an example for central and eastern European countries where journalists are being jailed for defamation.
The issue of sources arose which is a very topical issue in Ireland at the moment with regards to the Irish Times case. However, Press Ombudsman John Horgan believes the major issue that will affect the media is privacy. He said it is "not as simple as journalists or politicians or others need it to be". He said the notion of "the public interest" has changed and that the Press Council need to arrive at a proper definition of "the public interest".
The AEJ conference also launched a report into media freedom and independence. The report 'Goodbye to Freedom?' "reveals a common pattern in many countries, journalists and news organisations face multiple barriers to their work from restrictive laws, unjustified interventions by government authorities and a mixture of overt and unseen pressures to manipulate or distort their work."
The report which was edited by former BBC correspondent and AEJ media freedom representative William Horsley. It looks at the situation of media freedom in 20 European countries. Manana Aslamazyan, president of Internews Europe and co-uthor on the Russian Federation report, said journalists and media organisations were pressured through economic means more than directly against their freedom of expression. She went on to say how five journalists are in jail in Russia for "insult" crimes and in the past years more than 10 journalists had been murdered. A journalist from Moldova gave an example of how their Minister for Agriculture resigned and bosses and staff of a news programme were fired after the Minister was recorded talking about how he received money and gifts.
For more information on the report 'Goodbye to Freedom?' and the Association of European Journalists visit www.aej.org
The AEJ was set up in 1961 and founded by 70 journalists who believed in the potential of journalism to promote European harmony. They were determined to defend the freedom of information and freedom of the press in Europe. The AEJ is an independent non-profit-making international organisation with neither party-political nor union ties.
The weekend of the 9th & 10th November 2007 saw the annual conference deal with such pressing issues as media freedom, the Defamation bill, EU Reform Treaty and protection of sources. Organised superbly by the Dublin Branch of the AEJ, of which Eileen Dunne is the chair, the conference made for interesting debate.
An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern attended the conference and spoke about the upcoming EU Reform Treaty Referendum. He said an information campaign on the referendum will begin in January after enabling legislation is passed. The Taoiseach told the conference of journalists that "a Europe of 27 cannot operate in the same way as a Europe of six or 12".
Also discussed at the annual conference was the issue of the Defamation Bill. Miklos Haraszti, media freedom representative of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conveyed his concern about the Bill and said Ireland "shold not pass laws which are unusable". He pointed towards section 35 of the Bill which allows for a sentence of up to five years for the publication of "gravely harmful statements". Mr. Haraszti called for Ireland to drop the legislation and be an example for central and eastern European countries where journalists are being jailed for defamation.
The issue of sources arose which is a very topical issue in Ireland at the moment with regards to the Irish Times case. However, Press Ombudsman John Horgan believes the major issue that will affect the media is privacy. He said it is "not as simple as journalists or politicians or others need it to be". He said the notion of "the public interest" has changed and that the Press Council need to arrive at a proper definition of "the public interest".
The AEJ conference also launched a report into media freedom and independence. The report 'Goodbye to Freedom?' "reveals a common pattern in many countries, journalists and news organisations face multiple barriers to their work from restrictive laws, unjustified interventions by government authorities and a mixture of overt and unseen pressures to manipulate or distort their work."
The report which was edited by former BBC correspondent and AEJ media freedom representative William Horsley. It looks at the situation of media freedom in 20 European countries. Manana Aslamazyan, president of Internews Europe and co-uthor on the Russian Federation report, said journalists and media organisations were pressured through economic means more than directly against their freedom of expression. She went on to say how five journalists are in jail in Russia for "insult" crimes and in the past years more than 10 journalists had been murdered. A journalist from Moldova gave an example of how their Minister for Agriculture resigned and bosses and staff of a news programme were fired after the Minister was recorded talking about how he received money and gifts.
For more information on the report 'Goodbye to Freedom?' and the Association of European Journalists visit www.aej.org
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
STAND BY YOUR JOB
If Tammy Wynette were alive and in the Liberty Hall in Dublin on Monday 5th November 2007 she might have altered her famous song from stand by your man to stand by your job.
Stand up for Journalism was a day of action with events organised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) taking place in the UK as well as Ireland. The International Federation of Journalists were also marking the day in some European countries. The campaign centres around the major issues of standards in journalism and savage cuts which will hamper the quality of journalism and the ability to keep the public informed.
At Liberty Hall, chair of the Dublin Branch of the NUJ, Martin Fitzpatrick spoke to journalists and interested parties about the campaign and in particular issues surrounding sources and job cuts. He specifically mentioned the Editor and Public Affairs correspondent with the Irish Times, Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena who have recently found themselves in hot water.
Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena were ordered by the Dublin high court to reveal the identity of a confidential source in relation to a story published in September 2006. The story related to the fact Bertie Ahern had received monies from businessmen while he was Minister for Finance in 1993. Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena refused to divulge their source and Ms. Kennedy confirmed she had since destroyed the leaked documents. Mr. Fitzpatrick confirmed that the NUJ were 100% behind Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena and their refusal to disclose their source. He also presented a petition in support of Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena to a member of the Irish Times.
Mr. Fitzparick also commented on the job cuts which are affecting the standard of journalism. He also mentioned the issue of outsourcing editorial production to countries such as India and how such a move could not be good for the state of journalism and news reporting in Ireland.
Also present was Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the NUJ, who earlier in the day attended the Northern Ireland event at Stormont. Mr. Dooley also confirmed the NUJs support for Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena and also echoed concerns by Mr. Fitzpatrick about the possible outsourcing of editorial work.
Across the water in the UK protests were held in London and Manchester where the BBC are facing major cut backs and redundancies. Michelle Stanistreet, President of the NUJ, explained why they were taking such action. "Job cuts, long hours and below inflation pay deals are rife and pensions are increasingly under attack. The squeeze is being put on journalists and publishing workers on a daily basis and the inevitable result is that quality and standards are suffering."
Stand up for Journalism was a day of action with events organised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) taking place in the UK as well as Ireland. The International Federation of Journalists were also marking the day in some European countries. The campaign centres around the major issues of standards in journalism and savage cuts which will hamper the quality of journalism and the ability to keep the public informed.
At Liberty Hall, chair of the Dublin Branch of the NUJ, Martin Fitzpatrick spoke to journalists and interested parties about the campaign and in particular issues surrounding sources and job cuts. He specifically mentioned the Editor and Public Affairs correspondent with the Irish Times, Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena who have recently found themselves in hot water.
Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena were ordered by the Dublin high court to reveal the identity of a confidential source in relation to a story published in September 2006. The story related to the fact Bertie Ahern had received monies from businessmen while he was Minister for Finance in 1993. Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena refused to divulge their source and Ms. Kennedy confirmed she had since destroyed the leaked documents. Mr. Fitzpatrick confirmed that the NUJ were 100% behind Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena and their refusal to disclose their source. He also presented a petition in support of Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena to a member of the Irish Times.
Mr. Fitzparick also commented on the job cuts which are affecting the standard of journalism. He also mentioned the issue of outsourcing editorial production to countries such as India and how such a move could not be good for the state of journalism and news reporting in Ireland.
Also present was Seamus Dooley, Irish Secretary of the NUJ, who earlier in the day attended the Northern Ireland event at Stormont. Mr. Dooley also confirmed the NUJs support for Ms. Kennedy and Mr. Keena and also echoed concerns by Mr. Fitzpatrick about the possible outsourcing of editorial work.
Across the water in the UK protests were held in London and Manchester where the BBC are facing major cut backs and redundancies. Michelle Stanistreet, President of the NUJ, explained why they were taking such action. "Job cuts, long hours and below inflation pay deals are rife and pensions are increasingly under attack. The squeeze is being put on journalists and publishing workers on a daily basis and the inevitable result is that quality and standards are suffering."
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