Putting manners on people and chill factors

I was at a Feile an Phobail event yesterday, where there was some discussion of Gerry Adams’s case against the BBC, and how  he was glad to win and  so ‘put manners on the BBC.’ Robin Livingstone was on the panel and suggested Gerry’s phrasing was a joke/barb against the Beeb. Gerry A was in the audience and he corrected Robin: he was totally serious in his wording.

Personally I think Robin was right. Not that Gerry Adams didn’t aim to deliver a chastening blow to the BBC, but that the phrase ‘put manners on’ someone has echoes of hitting an unruly child a slap. But what the hell- a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

There were some other interesting points raised. For example, that if a journalist doesn’t have two sources for a story, it normally doesn’t run. The BBC had one  – anonymous – source. After they lost the case they said they’d five sources, they just hadn’t included them. Auntie Beeb, you’re a bloody scream.

There was also talk of the ‘chill factor’, that might give journalists pause before doing a story on a prominent Sinn Feiner in the future.  I would argue that the notion of a ‘chill factor’ is largely ridiculous. Any journalist writing in uncomplimentary terms about a prominent figure – or anyone else – should be sure their words are true. In which case, what’s the problem? Where’s the chill?  For decades, the media north and south have been kicking prominent Shinners, confident in the knowledge that they can say what they want, since Sinn Fein would never dare take them to court. Which tells you something about the media and the law.  But what’s my core point? Either an article is telling the truth and can verify it, in which case why would they be concerned. Or the article is telling a lie, in which case a ‘chill factor’ should tell them to stop telling lies.

All that said, there are still ways in which newspapers like The Irish Times  can still churn out their many anti-republican columns. There was one the other day, talking about Irish people tending to forget the many great things that were done by Irishmen and women as part of the British Empire. To keep on confining  Irish history to English injustices is to be narrow, linear, hung up on just one issue.

Mmm.  That’s a bit like telling the people of Gaza it’s time they concentrated on the many benefits brought to them by Israel. Sorry, guys. You may want to praise the great men and women who worked hand in hand with the British Empire. Allow the rest of us to say ‘Not in my name’.