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Updated – 11:35am
THE PRESS COUNCIL has upheld a complaint by Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams that the Irish Independent distorted comments he made in speech at a fundraising event in New York earlier this year.
A report published in the paper on 9 March claimed that the Louth TD had “openly joked about holding the editor of the Irish Independent at gunpoint”.
Adams’ solicitors said his remarks, which referred to the actions of Michael Collins in 1916, were taken “entirely out of context”.
They provided the paper with a transcript of the speech, in which Adams said:
Mick Collins’ response to the Independent’s criticism of the fight for freedom was to dispatch volunteers to the Independent’s offices. They held the editor at gunpoint and then dismantled and destroyed the entire printing machine! Now I’m obviously not advocating that.
Responding to Adams’ solicitors, the editor of the Irish Independent said that the article was “a fair and accurate account of [his] speech” and was “viewed by some as a veiled threat”.
The Press Ombudsman upheld Adams’ complaint on 7 May because it said readers of the article could “reasonably be expected to assume that [his] remarks as reported referred to the current editor of the Irish Independent and not to an event a century ago”.
The paper should have clarified that he was speaking about events in 1916, it said.
The Ombudsman’s decision was appealed by the Irish Independent.
That appeal was heard and rejected at a meeting of the Press Council on 3 July.
‘Concerted campaign’
Adams’ lawyers had also claimed that the paper had subjected him to a “concerted campaign… over many months”.
The Ombudsman dismissed this part of the complaint, saying it can only consider objections to specific individual articles.
In a statement, Adams said he hoped the ruling would “further bolster the case for fairness and objectivity in political coverage in the Irish media”.
The constant stream of biased and offensive coverage of Sinn Féin by the Irish Independent, and of myself in particular, is unprecedented in the history of Irish newspapers. The decision of the Press Council to uphold the Press Ombudsman’s findings is another significant and positive development.
Read: An election-ready Sinn Féin wants to raise wages by €1 and cut politicians’ pay >
Read: So what articles in the press had people complaining last year? >
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All those counties are cold on sunny days
Jealous
@Dave: all the comments on the travellers in Mayo are deleted and no more comments allowed. Has Trump taken over the Journal?
Nope! It’s a minefield for liberal progressives. They don’t know who to support for fear of being labeled a racist, bigot, literally Hitler etc.
Good. Most of the commenrs were disgusting and / or infantile. If you don’t like being censored, try saying something constructive instead of indulging yourself in an orgy of filth.
I hope the protesting travellers are wrapped up nice and warm in someone else’s coats
A bit of cold and they issue a warning. Christ we are soft these days.
You’d want to be careful walking up the mountain in this weather but if you’re not and slip sure you can always sue.
Once its not Dublin. Who cares.
I’m sure all the anti water protesters will be running their taps overnight to stop the pipes freezing
I think anyone is Anti Water.
*don’t
@Peter Cavey: by not paying water charges I have more money to keep background hearing on and thereby to avoid frozen pipes. I don’t need to run the taps.
A lot of people in these counties are on rural group water schemes and this pay for their water. Thus running taps would be an incredible foolish thing to do.
Twit
@Peter Cavey: I think those water meters were suppose to crack under certain frosty conditions, here’s hoping?
Up the Dubs
I’m anti water too. Hate the stuff.
Your right too. Scary fact: 100% of organisms that consume water will die.
But if you do skid on the black ice, and slide into a wall and damage your bumper, and perhaps even scratch your knee off the underside of the dash, – don’t worry, . You can sue the NRA for not salting the road, Sue the wall owner for the damage to your car, and Sue the car manufacturer for the scratch on your knee.
The judges in this banana republic are bound to pay out on one of them …
Be careful out there – sort-of.
These counties otherwise known as the Provinces of Connaught and Ulster in the Republic…just in case you aren’t sure which of the four you are situated!
Just sayin….it’s easier to name the two provinces than list every county in them!
BORING!
So more than that then?
Oh feckk.
Funny how it freezes in Cavan, Monaghan & Donegal but not in Fermanagh or Tyrone. Strange stuff this frost!
have your say