Discussion ‘There is no alternative’ –Look at what Brian Lenihan said in the last two years regarding the Bank bailout What does this say about the power of government? Power of media? Power of opposition? Power within cabinet?

Media: Structure and influence in Ireland Eoin O’Malley School of Law and Government, DCU

How do media influence opinions? Set agenda –Or do they merely reflect an agenda? Framing/ priming issues –Focus on certain factors, and obscure others Propaganda –Persuading by entertaining

Agenda setting Press ‘may not be successful at telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about’ –(Cohen 1963) Coverage of an issue determines the public concern about that issue Found to be unidirectional –Shifts in public concern tend not to cause shifts in media focus, but not vice versa

Priming Closely connected to agenda setting, expects that media have persuasive effects We are primed to think about an issue/ candidate/ party/ election in a particular way when the media coverage of an issue, topic focuses on some particular aspect of that issue Salient issues serve as criteria for evaluating leaders, performances political processes

Framing (or second level agenda setting) –Equivalency versus emphasis Framing is indirect persuasion –Direct persuasion concerns the altering of belief content (cognitive argument), e.g. a policy will have a positive rather than a negative consequence –Framing is the alteration of the importance that individuals attach to a particular beliefs when considering an issue (i.e. that a policy is considered on the basis of one type of belief)

Examples ‘The poor’ versus ‘social welfare recipients’ versus ‘dole spongers’ ‘Free speech’ versus ‘public safety’ ‘Drilling for oil’ versus ‘exploring for energy’ ‘Health reform’ versus ‘two-tier health’ ‘Quantitative easing’ versus ‘printing money’ Any more? Language is central to framing- the frames the media use will be crucial

Estate tax, inheritance tax or death tax?

Models of media Three models of media and politics Mediterranean or polarized pluralist model North/ central European or democratic corporatist model North Atlantic or liberal model

Propaganda model Size, ownership and profit orientation Reliance on advertising revenue Low cost of and reliance on government sources Flak Dominant ideologies –Hermens and Chomsky (1994)

Issues in media politics Political awareness/ media exposure Press Freedom How much choice/ information competition exists –Media concentration Are there publicly-sponsored media? Are media primarily political in what it deals with? Are media partisan?

Ireland’s development Free press developed in 19 th century Reflecting political views Proximity to Britain stunted growth of commercial press –But there is a long established commercial press There is little political interference –Though politicians often claim the media have too much power

Newspaper sales per 1,000 (2000) Ireland is low at 191 Compared to Norway 720, Sweden 540, UK 408, Germany 375, US 263, France 190, Spain, 129, Greece 78 Though it has little gender difference –Source: Hallin and Mancini (2004: 23-4)

TV to press ratio Ratio of people sourcing news from TV to Press –Higher indicated dominance of TV Ireland is 1.46 Compared to 5 in Greece, 2.4 in France, 1.15 in Germany and.99 in Sweden –Source: Hallin and Mancini (2004: 25)

Types of papers Traditionally had few low quality papers –Not the same distinction as in UK between broadsheet and tabloid Now many imports from UK, and Irish papers closely follow trends set there

Sales of papers: dailies Read by 51% of population –Irish Independent 160k –Irish Times 118k –Daily Star110k –The Irish Examiner54k –Mirror70k –Sun103k –Daily Mail57k –Other UK titles 2-7k each UK titles account for about 25% and 35% of daily and Sunday sales respectively –Source:

Radio Radio Éireann set up in mid-1920s Reflected nationalist mood at the time Operated from government department (P&T) –Presenters were civil servants Large network of local radio stations –Popular but illegal Network of commercial national and local radio stations since 1990

Television State supported TV –RTÉ –Set up in 1961 outside of direct government control – licence fee 5 channels –3 state: RTÉ 1, RTÉ 2 and TG4 (Irish language) –TV3 and 3e (owned by Granada) Complete access to UK TV for most (except some in west)

Media ownership Press is dominated by Independent News and Media (70 percent of native title sales) –Controlled by Tony O’Reilly & Denis O’Brien The increased advertising revenues from improved economy led to increasing interest from UK –So, Irish Sun, Irish Daily Mail etc

Political control While RTÉ was a mouthpiece for government in mid 20 th Century (as was Irish Press), there is a tradition (from UK) of independence Censorship Act meant that up to 1967 many books and journals were banned Section 31 meant that members of prescribed organisations could not be interview live and actors had to speak their words Now in joint first place in freedom according to RsF –Though strict libel laws hinder press reporting

Partisanship versus neutrality The media is widely thought to be neutral (and non- partisan) Irish Independent is now much more opinionated –Independent editorial in 1997 –All papers now full of opinion and commentary –Clearer right/ centre divide

Effects Proximity to UK ensured press freedom and puts commercial pressure on Irish media –Gave access to Protestant minority of dominant culture in mother country TV (especially Late Late Show) brought discussion of (then) radical issues into people’s homes –Almost certainly effected modernisation

Next week Follow a story in the Irish media for the next week. Is there evidence of bias? Do the papers have the same line? Do the media have an impact? Lecture: Ireland and the EU