Dealers targeting "professionals" with "Snow Blow"..Jesus Wept!!

Degsy

GreeBo wrote: »

Free Snow? Balls.

Young "professional"?

Bollocks!

Reloc8

Jesus wept...christmas gets earlier and earlier ever year.

flyton5

Ever so slightly off topic. Someone left a Herald in work earlier so I had a flick through it. The standard of journalism in this country is appalling.

A number of children were walking to school at around 7.45am when the robbed Mitsubishi Carisma crashed into public gates.

The journo in question is Geraldine Gittens. Surely she could've referred to it as stolen rather than robbed? I wonder if herself an Alison sat next to each other in their FETAC journalism class?

Sykk

http://i55.tinypic.com/2zyx2jk.jpg

AnonoBoy

This is like the Irish version of Shattered Glass except Alison has absolutely no talent at writing and nobody at any stage believes her stories.

bonerm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

This is like the Irish version of Shattered Glass except Alison has absolutely no talent at writing and nobody at any stage believes her stories.

Much more difficult to make puns about her as well. Best I could come up with was Mockwork Orange.

Wertz

Biggins wrote: »

The tactic itself is nothing new.

The tactic doesn't exist. It's an urban myth at best.
In all my years of sticking sh*t up my nose, no-one has ever provided it for free, apart from friends who you'd sort out another time.
If it were happening, how could said dealer procure future business from the sample-taker? They'd have to leave a phone# and would leave themselves open to being caught by cops, taxed by other dealers or killed by some local anti drug vigilate group. Why go to all that risk and trouble? You'll find for the most part, that users seek out the drugs, not the other way around.

O'Riordan's piece is downright laughable in terms of the way it's written (very poorly), the subject matter (urban myth), the backing up of same by quotes and names of those quoted (non-existent apart from one, and some quotes seem out of context) and an overall smell of non-story from the whole thing.
Who the hell would leave arsenic on your doorstep? Has she any idea how hard it is to obtain arsenic? Arse more like.
Heroine? Dictionary love, read one. Or was it a freudian slip about the author herself?

Mephedrone has about doubled in price since the ban...but this is mainly because much of it is now being sold as low grade cocaine to people rather than as a legal high. There is nothing new about the fact that mephedrone has become a staple of illegal supply; it was foretold that that would happen 6 months before any ban and it has.
Also the piece about 37 dying is tenuous...in many of the cases polydrug use was cited above any single substance. That figure was lifted straight from somewhere that lifted it from Sky news or the Daily Mail. In many of those cases coroners reports have not come back yet. Anyway this isn't the UK...how about trying to source some Irish stats for what is a perceived Irish problem?

The sad thing is that there are countless stories about drugs out there that are 100% real and loads of issues surrounding them that could do with the public exposure such a newspaper can give...but she's not out writing these stories, instead choosing to write something from the corner of her sofa that is mostly fabrication IMO (or possibly plagiarism according to others on here).

If this girl isn't careful she'll be out on her backside with no way to pay off all that debt.
Where are her investigative pieces about who made the real money in Ireland during the boom (from her and people like her)...how about some interviews with the brokers and bank managers that gave her her half million mortgage, an in-depth analysis of docklands development since the early 80's, a side by side comparison of Ireland property bust with other such busts throughtout history, etc etc.
Guess things like that require actual work and a journalistic ability to see them through...

Rockn

Dealers? Snow blow? Nonsense. This is confectionists targeting "professionals" by leaving Dib Dabs on their doorsteps.

Riesen_Meal

Every article from this woman has me in absolute ****s and giggles, and she is a blatant plagiarist by the looks of things, hopefully the sindo will give her the boot and her and her rich cinema-owning family may have to fork out for her 2 bedroom 500K development that the local scrubs have moved into, she really would want to take her head out of her arse....

And for the record, the "coke on the doorstep" thing is an urban myth, thats probably as old as the tinternets itself...

Blisterman

Glad I found this thread. I actually complained to the Press ombudsman after I read the frankly ridiculous article.

Got a reply which basically said that since tnobody was personally affected by the article, there's nothing they can really do.

oceanclub

Blisterman wrote: »

Glad I found this thread. I actually complained to the Press ombudsman after I read the frankly ridiculous article.

Got a reply which basically said that since tnobody was personally affected by the article, there's nothing they can really do.

You can appeal that decision to the Press Council of Ireland:

http://www.pressombudsman.ie/making-a-complaint.24.html

Can there be an appeal against a decision by the Press Ombudsman?
Either party can appeal a decision of the Press Ombudsman to the Press Council. Any appeal must be made to the Press Council of Ireland, 1, 2 & 3 Westmoreland Street, Dublin 2; fax: 01-6740046;
email: chairman@presscouncil.ie, within ten working days of the date of the decision. It must state grounds and show reasonable cause, either in relation to significant new information, or to any error in procedure or in the application of the Principles of the Code of Practice. Mere disagreement with the Press Ombudsman’s decision cannot be grounds for appeal. The Press Council of Ireland will decide, in the first instance, on whether the appeal is admissible. If the appeal is admitted, it will then decide on the appeal itself.

The Press Ombudsman has no function in relation to appeals

Wertz

Blisterman wrote: »

Got a reply which basically said that since tnobody was personally affected by the article, there's nothing they can really do.

I'm sure anyone trying to sell or let a property in the immediate area would be negatively affected. Given the indo's predisposition to all things property during the tiger years, surely they would understand this...

Surely it should be up to that ombudsman to protect journalistic standards (it should be up to the papers themselves in reality)...the court and legal system is there to protect against libel/slander of the "personally affected"...

http://www.pressombudsman.ie/code-of-practice.10.html

According to the very first principle of their code of practice, this type of article is well within their remit.
Why bother having such an ombudsman if it's only to wrtite people PFO letters after they complain?

Capt'n Midnight

Degsy wrote: »

These dealers left bread outside people's gaffs,presumably in the hope of getting them addicted.

Next thing you know it'll be cake


has it been done already ? snow news is good news.

Blisterman

Wertz wrote: »

I'm sure anyone trying to sell or let a property in the immediate area would be negatively affected. Given the indo's predisposition to all things property during the tiger years, surely they would understand this...

Surely it should be up to that ombudsman to protect journalistic standards (it should be up to the papers themselves in reality)...the court and legal system is there to protect against libel/slander of the "personally affected"...

http://www.pressombudsman.ie/code-of-practice.10.html

According to the very first principle of their code of practice, this type of article is well within their remit.
Why bother having such an ombudsman if it's only to wrtite people PFO letters after they complain?

I lodged the complaint under 2.2, which I felt summed the article up perfectly.

"2.2 Comment, conjecture, rumour and unconfirmed reports shall not be reported as if they were fact."

Miguel_Sanchez

Proven to cause acute health problems and lead to dependency, "snow blow" now has the same illegal status as cocaine, hash and heroine.

Dear lord, not only does she not know the difference between heroin and heroine but it seems her editor doesn't either.

Absolute joke of an article. I'm genuinely surprised that this woman is still being paid to write for anybody, let alone a national newspaper.

Ash.J.Williams

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

Dear lord, not only does she not know the difference between heroin and heroine but it seems her editor doesn't either.

Absolute joke of an article. I'm genuinely surprised that this woman is still being paid to write for anybody, let alone a national newspaper.

Ah it's too obvious...
She's so bad perhaps they are using her to get more hits online, as she has brought serious attention to the indo.

take everything

One thing i don't get is nobody in AH admits to reading the Sindo yet this one ends up as a major thread every week.

Ash.J.Williams

take everything wrote: »

One thing i don't get is nobody in AH admits to reading the Sindo yet this one ends up as a major thread every week.

Allow me!
i read it religiously online every morning

strobe

take everything wrote: »

One thing i don't get is nobody in AH admits to reading the Sindo yet this one ends up as a major thread every week.

Well you don't exactly have to read the Sindo to hear about Ali's articles. They get linked to on pretty much every Irish website around within a couple of days of being written so we can all have a giggle and/or rage. I'm actually starting to believe she is a marketing genius. I'd say her articles draw more hits and provide a higher google ranking for the independents website than all their traditional advertising combined.

K-9

The media’s MMR hoax – Bad Science

Always thought that was a good read on Journalism and what it has become.

Facts are unimportant, opinions and readership figures are what matters.

AnonoBoy

K-9 wrote: »

The media’s MMR hoax – Bad Science

Always thought that was a good read on Journalism and what it has become.

Facts are unimportant, opinions and readership figures are what matters.

Ah don't do that! You'll have the CT regulars in here clammering on about how vaccines are part of the New World Order designed to keep us buying Corrs records.

Logical Fallacy

Blisterman wrote: »

Glad I found this thread. I actually complained to the Press ombudsman after I read the frankly ridiculous article.

Got a reply which basically said that since tnobody was personally affected by the article, there's nothing they can really do.

I was personally affected, i've been down to the front door a dozen times today and no free drugs.

RIP OFF IRELAND! etc

ringadingding

Im starting to think she is a Satire character.

No way can a genuine journo write this, nor can an editor rubber stamp it.

It actually beggars belief that people can dream up something so ridiculous as to dealers doing this, either someone threw away there stash to avoid the old bill, or simply accidentally dropped it.............God knows i've lost countless baggies when i've been off my trolley.

Absolute pure horse**** and the editor should be morto.

I'm still shocked about how some people can live in the same city as others and still be as ****ing clueless as to the real goings ons, she's as tick as **** that one.

mojesius

ringadingding wrote: »

Im starting to think she is a Satire character.

I'm also leaning that way, but then again, she has been in both The Indo and The Times quite recently. If the Indo were making a bad attempt at their own Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, The Times surely wouldn't give their main competitor publicity?

Unfortunately, I think it's probably real - certain sub-editors in our national press have a lot to answer for.

amacachi

K-9 wrote: »

The media’s MMR hoax – Bad Science

Always thought that was a good read on Journalism and what it has become.

Facts are unimportant, opinions and readership figures are what matters.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/24/1

K-9

amacachi wrote: »

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2010/sep/24/1

Very good.

There was a book out a few years ago about the huge drop in journalistic standards and the reasons for it. Can't for the life of me find the piece on it.

desertcircus

I think it might be Flat Earth News, by Nick Davies. Very good read; he goes into a fair bit of depth on the subject.

kowloon

Do they wet the powder first? I'm trying to start up in the business but I keep finding that my product and business card blow away when left on a doorstep.

Rowley Birkin QC

On the off chance anyone has missed the Photoshop Competition featuring Alison here it is. Definitely some of the funniest stuff I've seen on boards.

On topic, it really does beggar belief that she can be employed by a newspaper that expects itself to be taken seriously. The article on the prospective tenants for her apartment was, and I'm not being facetious here, reminiscent of that written by an Ordinary Level Junior Cert student. Absolutely shocking stuff.

strobe

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

On the off chance anyone has missed the Photoshop Competition featuring Alison here it is. Definitely some of the funniest stuff I've seen on boards.

Ye undershot your link by 100 pages there Rowley. Here's Ali http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055727020&highlight=alison&page=158