One of the many accusations Donald Trump tossed around last night was that the media were biased against him and thus the election was rigged. Was he right?
I think he has a case. There were few reports out of the US that didn’t emphasise Trump’s outrageous qualities – building That Wall, making Mexico pay for it, banning immigrant Muslims, calling his opponents crooks and liars without proof, saying he respects all women when video evidence testifies to the fact that he certainly didn’t. But then we knew that weeks and even months ago, when he suggested the Fox reporter Megyn Kelly gave him a hostile interview because she was menstruating.
You can interpret the reporting of these things as a biased media intent on showing Trump’s many unattractive qualities; or you can decide this is the media reporting on Trump who continually serves us juicy stuff for criticism. Who wouldn’t want to bat such soft balls out of the park?
The tricky part for Irish republicans (as distinct from American Republicans) is whether the Irish media are given the same free pass in their approach to Gerry Adams. There can be no doubt about it, that Adams has received savaging after savaging by the journalists of the Sindo, and others would add the Irish Independent and RTÉ to that list. Like Trump, Gerry Adams has been attacked for a range of things: not admitting he was in the IRA, being involved in the death of Jean McConville, having lied to the hunger strikers about the deal that was on the table, and more. Much more.
The difference is that the things Trump has been accused of are for the most part on the record – there are either tapes of him saying what he’s charged with saying. The accusations of what is it, nine or ten women that he exploited them sexually – those are accusations only and should be treated as such. But then we do have on tape Trump saying how he likes (or at best liked) to approach women.
In Adams’s case, there are nearly as many charges but none of those come from his mouth – they come from his accusers. Being in the IRA, involved in the death of Jean McConville, lying to the hunger strikers: all of these are claims for which there is no evidence. If there were, you may be sure his enemies would have used that evidence years ago and Adams’s career as a politician would be over.
Beyond that, anyone with an ounce of perception can see the difference in quality between the loud-mouthed, strutting American and the soft-spoken, invariably polite Irishman.
I’m not sure you can claim the media are biased for reporting Trumps actual words and policies ?!
The standard of debate about events in America, informs the disinterested observer more about deep divisions throughout the country and little about progressive American social or economic policies. The Brexit issue has also exposed deep divisions in the Tory Party and the implications of a border in Ireland.
There are distinct and different perspectives of these issues which should be represented in the media. An analysis of news content requires history and context, not crude, offensive locker room talk.
Some sections of the media in Ireland stand indicted given a propensity to attack the characters or persons associated with arguments, rather than attacking the substance of the arguments. In discussions about the implications of a hard or soft, long or electronic border in Ireland, the issue of partition remains a fault line from Derry to Kerry just as deep as the Trump/Clinton divisions in the United (?) States.
Clearly there is a difference between no evidence and sufficient evidence to convict someone.
Insufficient evidence to convict does not mean there is no evidence.
That should be obvious.
In the case of Adams there is quite a bit of evidence and clearly (in regard to his IRA membership) enough for public opinion if not the courts.
How softly spoken he may be is utterly irrelevant.
“In the case of Adams there is quite a bit of evidence and clearly (in regard to his IRA membership) enough for public opinion if not the courts”
Obviously there isn’t enough evidence if he was acquitted in a court of law. Public opinion is irrelevant, public opinion is shaped by the media, the same media who is very bias towards Adams. Obviously there’s a section of the public who would have Adams or indeed any Catholic in prison (as internment without trial showed) because they obviously don’t like Adams politics, so that’s enough to prove Adams is “guilty”.
As I said before in this blog Gio, if you have evidence Adams was in the IRA why haven’t you took it to the PSNI? If you don’t have evidence, then why do you insist he was in the IRA? And no, hear say and unsubstantiated reporting isn’t evidence.
Ryan, you keep banging on about, Catholics. Catholics, who deeply believe in their faith are a very religious people. You on the other hand, haven’t a Christian bone in your body. You are just a fan boy who bandies the word Catholic about like a football supporter hoping to get one over on the other tribe. I believe you are not of Christian faith, but merely use it as a yardstick to beat the other click with.
“Ryan, you keep banging on about, Catholics. Catholics”
It isn’t me who has a problem with Catholics Kop, that’s many Unionists, not all, but still a significant amount. I’ll keep “banging on” whilst bigotry against Catholics exists, not turn a blind eye to it like you want to. The reality is your upset because I’m telling the truth. Get use to it Kop, get use to it.
“You on the other hand, haven’t a Christian bone in your body”
You don’t even know me Kop or are you taking the Orange Orders stance who say Catholics aren’t Christians?….
“You are just a fan boy who bandies the word Catholic about like a football supporter hoping to get one over on the other tribe”
I think your confusing me with many Unionists who repeatedly refer to Protestants and the new term, the “PUL Community”.
” I believe you are not of Christian faith, but merely use it as a yardstick to beat the other click with”
As I said, you don’t like hearing the truth. Believe whatever you want Kop, I know who and what I am, that’s my business, not yours.
Ryan
You are completely missing the point I have made a couple of times now.
There is a sliding scale between
a) no evidence of any kind against a person,and
b) sufficient evidence for a conviction in court
Do you accept that firstly?
Assuming you do my disagreement with Jude is where he says there is no evidence Adams was in the IRA.
Are you also saying there is no evidence at all?
Now’s your golden opportunity, Giordano Bruno,to get all the evidence into the public domain about Adams membership of Óglaigh na hÉireann (if that’s not a geographical error). Snipe no more from the sidelines. Spit it out. Put up or shut up.
fiosrach
What would be the point? You know the evidence in the public domain as well as I do.
Most people know it and have made up their minds and I have no doubt that privately you have made up your mind too.
The point is that absence of conviction is not the same as absence of evidence.
Jimmy Savile was never convicted either.
Gio …I know that the dogs in the street are supposed to know everything about everyone…and that’s just fine .Some people think that the centre of the universe is at a specific point on some Belfast street where these particular dogs have a favourite lamp post to piss on . you’d think that if you watched the local news. The rest of us are not really privy to the doings of these dogs nor to their insights.Most of the world have to make do with second-hand gossip or reports in the press so I really do like to see the evidence .I am the original doubting Thomas as you are well -enough aware, so I like to see hard evidence and “facts”.
I can understand that in Gerry Adams’ case that if walks likes a duck and quacks like a duck and so forth…that it might actually be a duck, but there’s a subtlety here you have to agree .If the man himself actually denies membership when many of his companionshave no such problem, then it might actually be possible that he is not an “official” member …however that specific initiation is performed.So he might actually , in truth , be able to deny membership. Now if someone has been witness to his official naming as such , I’d be first in the queue to have a geek at the evidence , if for no other reason but nosey curiosity. so let’s all hear the news.
paddy
I am trying to avoid getting into the pros and cons of the actual evidence because it has been hashed out so many times before as you well know.
My point is there a sliding scale between zero evidence and evidence solid enough for a jury.
The evidence against Adams is somewhere in between and it is clearly strong enough for the majority of the public, the media, the governments, Uncle Tom Cobley, and I suspect, most SF supporters too.
Jude said the claims he listed had no evidence to support them.
None, zero nothing at all. I disagree.
The point is that I would like to see the body of evidence that an open and fair man like yourself considers acceptable. If you can’t pony up, be man enough to say so. I have always suspected that you get your opinions from red top, right wing gutter press. Prove me wrong. Show the evidence.
fiosrach
With respect that is not the point.
My point is that Jude is wrong to say there is no evidence.
He and you may not like the evidence but you cannot possibly say there is none,
I have ponied up often enough on this site before about Adams. Go back and look if you like.
Your suspicions about me are quite wrong but that is not really relevant.
I say there is no evidence that Gerry Adams is/was in the IRA. Repeat no evidence. Any takers?
Was Jimmy Saville ever tryed?
Talking of media bias.The first half of BBC “Talkback” spent it’s first half hour discussing a journalist wearing a “hijab”as it might be insensitive to victims of “Islamic extremists”.Within days every BBC journalist will be sporting a poppy commemorating those who have killed our relatives,neighbours and friends.Maybe someone could go on the programme and highlight this.Jude ,I think you could use your next appearance to highlight this and give vent to what hundreds of thousands of us have to endure.
Michael, you have to wear this British Army support symbol or you will not be allowed on camera. Probably lose your job. But at least you would have your pride and your integrity.
Add the Belfast Telegraph (Malachi O`Doherty in particular) to the ever growing list of Adams haters, it is really quite astonishing. I don`t read that paper but a cursory glance most days of the week is all I need to see the sheer volume of propaganda against the man, who just happens to be the President of the party most nationalists in the north vote for.
Whether you love or hate Trump, if you regard yourself as a fair person then you should agree that he deserves to be treated like any other person by the media. Is the media bias? lol of course it is. The media, certain politicians and people with money are all very cosy together. They are far from fair.
“saying he respects all women when video evidence testifies to the fact that he certainly didn’t”
That was a recording made years ago. The reality is almost all men would say something like that about women (and vice versa) at some point in their lives. There’s an old male saying: “Women. You cant live with them or without them”. Are we becoming so uptight and politically correct as a society that we cant admit the prehistoric fact that women and men sometimes have issues with each other? Its just a fact of life, and political correctness isn’t going to change that.
The irony is some of the biggest donators to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign are Saudi Arabian businessmen. Yes, the same Saudi Arabians that have zero rights for women in their country. Where a rape victim is stoned to death for being raped. Where a woman’s testimony in court is worth only half that of a man’s.
So all these women protesting against Trump should take a holiday to Saudi Arabia and then come back and complain about misogyny from Trump. In fact, why aren’t they out there right now, protesting for the rights of their Saudi Arabian sisters? why aren’t they in China demanding an end to forced abortions? why aren’t they in South Africa where 40% of all women will be raped at least once in their lives? No, they are too busy complaining about a “lack” of women’s rights in a country where women have more rights today than maybe anywhere else in the whole of human history. Of course its the media who have these women thinking the way they think.
I like Trump, I don’t agree with everything he says, he’s very crude sometimes but no ones perfect. Do I think Trump is a misogynist? Of course not. The man maybe hires thousands upon thousands of women. He even has a wife. He loves his daughter and has her working for him.
Where the spotlight isn’t being shone is on Hillary and Bill Clinton and their past. Hillary Clinton is recorded laughing about a case where she defended a sexual predator who molested a child (post video below). Bill Clinton has been accused of raping a woman in the 1980’s and the case was apparently settled out of court where he paid $800,000. Bill was again accused of sexually harassing a woman in the late 1980’s, the woman said he tried groping her. Bill obviously had an affair with a woman whilst he was president and he lied about it before admitting to it. He looked into the camera whilst directly addressing the American public and lied. Now people will say Bill isn’t running for President, true, but his wife is and if you think he wont have influence then your foolish to say the least.
PS: did anyone watch Nolan Live last night? there was a woman in the audience who made up a complete lie that Trump is being took to court for molesting a 13 year old girl. No newspaper has ever mentioned such a thing nor has any politician. Stephen Nolan even cut across the woman and said such a thing isn’t true and said they couldn’t have said things said on the show.
This is an example of the kind of lies that are being made up out of thin air against Trump. Its also important to note the woman Bill Clinton apparently raped, the woman he apparently groped and the woman who was molested by the man who Hillary defended (and laughed about) was with Trump at the debate and back him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPpzdmQo650
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIEHhAChsYc
Could you just imagine if VP Joe Biden had ran against Hilary for nomination? He makes Trump look like a choirboy. Alas the footage of him nuzzling young and old woman, and indeed children, is certainly not proof he’s a creep. However if any man invaded a woman’s space or especially a kids like he does they’d be sure to meet resistance of some sort. Anyway there’s nothing to see here so move on, despite his Jimmy savile like behaviour, as ‘creepy joe’ is on the ‘good’ side.
The Falls Road and Wall Street, Esteemed Blogmeister, at first glance do not have that much in common.
However, on closer inspection (of the monominded media on Liffeyside, that is) it quickly becomes obvious that both thoroughfares share a common bond in Stocks and Shares.
Take (gasp) Gerry Adams for example. He has spent the last four decades of his life with his feet and wrists locked in place in Stocks, consisting of large, hinged wooden boards and thoughtfully provided by a considerate communications cabal.
There he has taken his Share of rotten tomatoes which are seemingly never out of season in the freely bought press of the Free Southern Stateen.
Stocks share a common appearance with a Pillory as in (gulp) Pillory Clinton. One always knows when this Darling of Wall Street (for it is also she !) is about to start pegging her conscientiously coiffed pile of rotten tomatoes.
That miracle of Botox, that marvel of mirthlessness, her sniggering signature expression, her squillion watt smirk makes its irksome appearance.
In the third and final De-bout of the USA Presidential Election last night, and not for the first time, the pooch which once again caught the attention (though not, curiously enough, of the group-thinking whoopers of the wireless, telly and newsprint natterati ) was the dog which failed to bark.
It hardly requires the donning of a deerstalker hat, the insertion of a meerschaum pipe or the inhalation of opium to put a name on that barkless canine. It is the non-existence of the mirror image of the m-word which has been ever present in all three Presidential De-bouts of Whataboutery :
-m for misogyny.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, not least by the cheerless cheerleading Sisterhood of the Pour-Forth Estate, by the Arch-Deaconate of the Dworkin Class in dungarees that The Donald is a (yawn, stretch, trouser cough) misogynist, a porcine chauvinist in barely human form.
It is the, erm, trump card which her cohort of spin doctors and other sleeveens, make sure is always hidden, and just above the manicured hand of President-to-be Pillory C.
Indeed, it is the same shrill Sisterhood which has seen to it that it is not ISIS which is the real enemy to (gulp) independent thought but the Sisterhood (of both genders) itself.
It wasn’t always thus: back in the first half of the last century the pre-eminent female sound was provided by the leading harmony group of the age: The Andrews Sisters. It was a sassy yet cheerful, warmhearted and sexy sound, mediated through swing, boogie woogie, traditional pop, easy listening and jazz.
They clearly liked men, and men liked them back. Simple, really. A story as old as Time, and d. sight older that even than, say, that dry object of decrepitude, The Unionist Times.
They did not at all presage the age of the dour, outspoken harpies of the broken string, the contemporary Banshees of Broadcasting. If Uncle Sam is nekked from the waist down these days it’s mebbe because Aunt Samantha is wearing his corduroys as well as his overalls.
The signature tune of the Ms. Andrews was no, not ‘Donald, where’s yours troos ?’ but,, oddly, one with a contemporary resonance:
-He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way
He did a boogie style that no one else could play
He was the top man of his craft;
But then his number came up, he was gone with the draft
He’s in the army now, and blowing reveille
He’s the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B.
Even more oddly, the missing m-word, the four-legged and tail-wagging m-word which has singularly failed to bark has a remarkable echo of the Misses. Andrews:
-misandry.
I, SIS on the MISSES ANDREWS
Those crooners do not one’s soul amuse
One ’d sooner sport The Donald tattoos
These ‘sisters’ chose to sing
With (gasp) a man called Bing
Off with it ! that final ‘s’ is theirs to lose!
Donald Trump, from before the time he announced his candidacy got so much free publicity which is what he really craves more than anything yet I don’t understand his inability to figure out that whatever comes out of his mouth will likely be fact-checked and challenged if it is wrong. The unfortunate reality is that this cluster mess of an election has contributed to holding Trump and the issues to be discussed, to a much lower bar. There were real opportunities to discuss big issues like the environment, the Middle-East, and so forth, yet when Donald starts a twitter war in the middle of the night over a former Miss Universe, that’s what we hear. He’s been train wreck from the word go. There is no comparison with Gerry Adams in my opinion. if Gerry wants to talk about water charges for example, someone brings up IRA membership – I don’t get it.