That trial media frenzy

gurramok

Referring to the recent Brian Murphy murder trial, does anyone find it a bit disturbing how the media have reported it.?

For the last 3 days, the 'Herald' have dedicated a solid 9 pages at most to coverage
of the trial. The same could be said for any other broadsheet.

Just because the victims and perpetrators came from a 'middle class' background it gets national headlines all week.
There have been a few murder trials in the last few involving people from 'non-middle class' backgrounds yet which have had at most a solid single page devoted to them.

Is it a case of the media favouring their coverage of one section of society over the rest of us because that section has more money to burn ?

swiss

Is it a case of the media favouring their coverage of one section of society over the rest of us because that section has more money to burn ?

The media has definitely favored this particular trial over similar trials. It hardly needs to be said that sadly this kind of violence is not a rare occurance. IIRC, there was a very similar case involving the death of a youth in Dublin which received little to no media coverage - of course the defendant was from Tallaght.

What I found the most interesting facet of this case is that it brought into stark reality the age old adage that money cannot buy class. We like to blame many of societies problems on poverty, on underprivilege, on drugs and on various other problems generally associated with the poor or marginalised in society. The defendants in this manslaughter trial had no such defence. Whether it is fair or not, if people are subjected to a certain upbringing, go to certain schools, and generally associate with a certain stratum of society, they are often deemed exempt from loutish or violent behaviour, as if they should somehow 'know better'. This has very real repercussions for how we view ourselves as a society.

What this case has also exposed is the very real problem with irresponsible attitudes in general towards alcohol. Many tales have emerged about the amount of alcohol that everyone had consumed that night. I'm sure quite a number of people here can recall (or not recall as the case may be) situations where alcohol consumption led to violence. This in itself isn't particularly noteworthy - it happens all the time. Again, the fact that these were people who society would deem to know better about the dangers of excess alcohol consumption has very real repercussions on how we, as a society have overlooked the problem of excess alcohol consumption. Age of majority for alcohol consumption, pub opening times, garda presence on areas where people congregate after drinking are all issues that have come to the fore as a result of this trial.

I for one, find it macabre but strangely riveting.

mike65

Ditto all of the above.

Mike.

therecklessone

Agree with most of whats been said.

If Anto had been kicked/punched to death by Johner and his mates outside Shooters on Parnell St. the trial would have been ignored.

Maybe the Irish Times (the paper that above all others has been transfixed by this) needs to examine its own role in encouraging inter-school rivalry on the rugby field, with the inevitable spill over off the field...

mycroft

Actually what I found truly loathsome about the weekends coverage is the T&A photos of the "model" who alledgedly was the center of it all.

Shame on her for using this event to promote herself, shame on Ireland on Sunday the Sunday Indo and their ilk for taking that kind of angle on the story......Any excuse to get a "fit bird" on the front cover eh lads.

Ethics and journalisms don't really meet these days.

Nuttzz

Originally posted by mycroft
Actually what I found truly loathsome about the weekends coverage is the T&A photos of the "model" who alledgedly was the center of it all.

Shame on her for using this event to promote herself, shame on Ireland on Sunday the Sunday Indo and their ilk for taking that kind of angle on the story......Any excuse to get a "fit bird" on the front cover eh lads.

Ethics and journalisms don't really meet these days.

Bravo, my thoughts exactly, she was hardly "beautiful" as described in the Sunday World (i know i know).

I dont have a lot of sympathy for Murphy either, he threw the first punch. The lesson is dont start something unless you can finish it

Sleipnir

Originally posted by Nuttzz
I dont have a lot of sympathy for Murphy either, he threw the first punch. The lesson is dont start something unless you can finish it

Well, he did throw the first one alright, no doubt about that.
But he didn't throw a punch at each of the guys who ended up taking turns kicking him in the head.

Which fella was it that held Murphy with one hand while repeatedly punching him with the other?

Have to agree about the media coverage, there were another few serious murders up in court last week. One was the corkman who killed a woman after breaking into her apartment and said that he killed her "for the laugh".
And tried to make it look like suicide by using the knife like "a hammer and chisel"

What a sicko.
But, he didn't go to a very expensive private school so it didn't get as much media attention.

ixoy

Originally posted by gurramok
Just because the victims and perpetrators came from a 'middle class' background it gets national headlines all week.
There have been a few murder trials in the last few involving people from 'non-middle class' backgrounds yet which have had at most a solid single page devoted to them.

Isn't that the point though - that there's already a few involving non-middle class folks? The fact this is upper-middle class makes it unusual. Unsual events get reported. I also thought people would enjoy the upper middle-class getting highlighted for once, instead of papers always picking on other groups. I know I thought it was good, and I'm from a similiar background to the lads who were on trial.

therecklessone

Originally posted by Sleipnir
Well, he did throw the first one alright, no doubt about that.
But he didn't throw a punch at each of the guys who ended up taking turns kicking him in the head.

Which fella was it that held Murphy with one hand while repeatedly punching him with the other?

I'm nearly sure it was Dermot Laide who alledgedly held Murphy with one hand while lamping him with the other.

And the image of Murphy that emerged during the trial was far from flattering. He was thrown out of the Palace 2 weeks before he lost his life for headbutting somebody. He was no angel.

monument

Originally posted by mycroft
Ethics and journalisms don't really meet these days.

Try http://www.guardian.co.uk/ - I'd love if they had an Ireland edition which covered all of Ireland – one can only dream.

mycroft

Try http://www.guardian.co.uk/ - I'd love if they had an Ireland edition which covered all of Ireland – one can only dream.

Guardian reader since I lived in London, always get mine on the way to work, excellent sports and media on the monday, friday review is always brilliant, and it's the best saturday paper in the world. The only complaint I have is it's northern Irish coverage is very thin on the ground.

Oh and apologises to the girl, apparently the story was written without her consent, and the photos are from years ago.

Makes the gutter scum who wrote the features that extra bit loathsome.......

RainyDay

Originally posted by Nuttzz
The lesson is dont start something unless you can finish it

This makes little sense. How do you have a snowballs chance in hell of making a serious assessment of whether you can 'finish it' when this kind incident occurs. Even if you take the inevitable complications of drink & ego out of the equation, you just can't look at another guy and make a sensible decision about how you can 'finish it'. Do you know how many mates he has round the corner? Do you know if he has a knife or a baton under his jacket?

The lesson is just don't start something. And if someone else starts, just get the hell out of there.

uberwolf

Originally posted by therecklessone


Maybe the Irish Times (the paper that above all others has been transfixed by this) needs to examine its own role in encouraging inter-school rivalry on the rugby field, with the inevitable spill over off the field...

Maybe the poster should reconsider before outrageous leaps of faith. :rolleyes: Drink and loutishness closer to the truth.

mike65

Originally posted by mycroft
Actually what I found truly loathsome about the weekends coverage is the T&A photos of the "model" who alledgedly was the center of it all.

Shame on her for using this event to promote herself, shame on Ireland on Sunday the Sunday Indo and their ilk for taking that kind of angle on the story......Any excuse to get a "fit bird" on the front cover eh lads.

She did'nt - those pictures are 3 years old and were used without permission of the girl. She has'nt spoken to the press and is curently in hiding from them. Just to clear things up.

Mike.

therecklessone

Originally posted by uberwolf
Maybe the poster should reconsider before outrageous leaps of faith. :rolleyes: Drink and loutishness closer to the truth.

They play there part I agree.

But when the paper themselves draw attention to the fact that a schools rugby competition gets pages and pages of coverage from themselves, I begin to wonder where the perspective is in relation to schools sporting rivalry.

So roll your eyes some place else...

mycroft

She did'nt - those pictures are 3 years old and were used without permission of the girl. She has'nt spoken to the press and is curently in hiding from them. Just to clear things up.

and

Oh and apologises to the girl, apparently the story was written without her consent, and the photos are from years ago.

I think I corrected myself before you got there Mike

mike65

Originally posted by mycroft


I think I corrected myself before you got there Mike

Indeed! Did'nt spot that bit...

Mike.

Nuttzz

Originally posted by RainyDay
This makes little sense. How do you have a snowballs chance in hell of making a serious assessment of whether you can 'finish it' when this kind incident occurs. Even if you take the inevitable complications of drink & ego out of the equation, you just can't look at another guy and make a sensible decision about how you can 'finish it'. Do you know how many mates he has round the corner? Do you know if he has a knife or a baton under his jacket?

The lesson is just don't start something. And if someone else starts, just get the hell out of there.

exactly my point