Connacht Tribune
Local news publishers highlight critical challenges facing independent journalism
Over 30 representatives from Ireland’s local and national publishing news publishing industry – including the Connacht Tribune – gathered in Leinster House last week to speak with members of the Oireachtas on the challenges facing independent journalism in Ireland.
The media representation included CEOs, editors and journalists, while over 50 Oireachtás members – including Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Government Ministers Michael Ring, Regina Doherty and Helen McEntee.
Galway/Roscommon public representatives included Minister Seán Canney, Deputies Anne Rabbitte, Denis Naugnten and Eugene Murphy and Senator Pádraig Ó Céidigh, while the Connacht Tribune was represented by Declan McGuire, who is also Vice-President of Local Ireland.
Also among the TDs were Brendan Smyth, Timmy Dooley, Catherine Murphy, Dara Calleary, Jan O’Sullivan, Roisín Shorthall and Mattie McGrath.
Organised by Local Ireland and Newsbrands Ireland, the representative bodies for the local and national news publishing industries, the event highlighted practical steps the government could take to ensure a sustainable future for journalism in Ireland.
These include a reduction of the VAT rate on print and digital newspapers to 5% in Budget 2020 – and ultimately to zero on printed newspapers as is the case in Britain and other EU countries.
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- Deputy Anne Rabbitte with Declan McGuire (left) of the Connacht Tribune and David Burke of the Tuam Herald at the Oireachtas Open Day as the newspaper industry lobbied for libel reform and reduction in VAT.
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- Pictured are, left to right: Dermot Berry, Mayo News, Westport; Deputy Michael Ring, Minister for Rural and Community Development; Deputy Dara Calleary, Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Community and Rural Development and Declan McGuire of the Connacht Tribune and Vice-President Local Ireland at the Oireachtas Open Day at the newspaper industry lobbied for libel reform and reduction in VAT.
The industry has also called for action on the long-overdue review of the Defamation Act.
It’s now almost three years since the review was announced and 40 submissions were made to the Department of Justice. The laws, as they currently are, have a chilling effect on democracy and a free press.
And the industry also wants to see an extension of the Minister for Communications’ brief to include all media and not just the broadcast sector, ensuring the Minister has full oversight of a complex and ever evolving media landscape and that public service journalism is supported across all media.
“Our titles are newspapers of record in their communities,” Local Ireland President David Ryan told the Leinster House gathering.
“We are trusted to record and report local news and sport. As you know we lead on issues that are important to our communities.
“Imagine a community without a local paper, no local government reporting, no health, education, court, sports covering, leaving a huge democratic deficit.
“The measures we are proposing today will go some way towards ensuring a sustainable future for my members, but the time for action is now,” he added.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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