Monday, August 20, 2007

Ireland - Tension between media and sports people

The Joe Duffy Show -hosted today by Damian O'Reilly featured a heated debate on media treatment of sports people. Babs Keating -ex Tipperary hurling manager- launched a slashing attack on his critics some of whom he named. Verbal punches were traded with one of these journalists. Babs was careful to name prominent journalists whom he considered fair.

The parent of one player alleged that one journalist was engaging in a personalised campaign against her son.

Jessica Kuerten was criticised for comments which she made to an RTE journalist.

There is increasing tension between some GAA players and managers on the one hand and journalists on the other hand. GAA players as amateurs sometimes feel that they are subjected to criticism- by journalists- which should only be meted out to professionals. Journalists will argue that they are objective in their comments.
Tension between both groups is at an all time high. They are both interdependent. Possibly some journalists could temper their comments a little whilst each county team should have a PRO to liaise with journalists. That would make their task easier.

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