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Why blog? A demonstration by Ed Curran
"Citizen journalism", as it's been dubbed, is not perfect and nor is it always presented in an appealing format. There are numerous outlets for news both in print media and online, so why bother blogging?
The answer to this question is illustrated perfectly by Ed Curran, editor of the NIO rag, the Belfast Telegraph (which, I believe, is Northern Ireland's biggest-selling daily). While the Tele is making big noises about how it's holding Stormont to account (which, to some degree, is a fair claim), Curran's newspaper has not only ignored potentially the biggest waste of money in local politics recently, but actively participated in it as a cheerleader.
This is a trend that Curran continued on Monday when he penned a cringe-worthy Won't Somebody Think of the Children style "letter", ostensibly to David Healy, in Monday's paper bemoaning the death throes of the Maze stadium as if they were a bad thing instead of the reprieve we've been waiting for. This column was so bad it could only appear in a paper where the author is the editor (then again it's nothing new, he has form in that regard).
Follow up:
Once again Curran attempts to boil the argument down to straw men and misrepresentations. His first nonsensical claim is that the argument can somehow be boiled down to Belfast vs "The Rest". Whoever this mythical rest are, perhaps they could inform the Hillsborough NISC, whose catchment area would include the Maze site, and various other fans across Northern Ireland (including Cookstown NISC), not to mention the North of England and London NISCs (and others, see below), who actively oppose the Maze and way sporting issues have been sidelined to satisfy a political agenda.
He also hones in on the Terror Shrine argument, a typically tabloid line to take. It's true that the "Conflict Transformation Centre" that Sinn Fein are demanding as quid pro quo for their backing of the White Elephant is an issue for many unionist elected representatives, and provides the impetus for many of them waking up to and taking a stand on the Maze issue, but for those sports fans who are actually troubled by the prospect of a memorial to terrorists, it's very much a secondary issue.
Worthy of much greater concern is the fact that the atmosphere at a half-to-two-thirds empty stadium will be shite, or that there will be no build up because everyone will have to drive to the stadium, or of course that once they get there they'll simply park (yes that terror shrine's a good distance from the stadium, but fans will still have to park there), head to their seats and then, when the match is finished, fight about 7,000 other cars to get to the exit and onto the one sliproad out. It probably isn't a big concern to our elected representatives, but some of us even enjoy a pint or two pre and/or post-match. Does Curran mention any of this, or touch upon any of the numerous reasons the Maze doesn't make sense? Of course not.
He's more important issues to tackle, like scaremongering about boat-loads of Northern Ireland fans having to travel to the mainland to watch Northern Ireland play.
If this is the kind of journalism we can expect from the self-appointed "unofficial opposition" to the "Stormont regime", we're in trouble. We desperately need something more; an opposition to a highly selective unofficial opposition?
I suffer from no delusions of grandeur. I know this blog is read, except on exceptionally busy times, by around 100-200 people a day, tops. I know it isn't going to influence the powers that be at Stormont. Maybe blogging isn't the answer. It's in no way a replacement for an independent fourth estate, but until we have some real journalists in the local media and not just lapdogs like Ed Curran and shock jock's like Stephen Nolan it's all I can contribute.