Powerless Forum members lamented their poor media coverage in 1996

Politicians elected to the Northern Ireland Forum complained about the media not giving them more coverage – but Forum secretary Nigel Carson admitted that was because the body was powerless.
Powerless Forum members lamented their poor media coverage in 1996Powerless Forum members lamented their poor media coverage in 1996
Powerless Forum members lamented their poor media coverage in 1996

In an October 8, 1997 memo, Mr Carson told Forum chairman John Gorman: “Since the Forum has got into its stride, many members have been frustrated that Forum plenary discussions have not received better coverage.

“Senior party members have often lamented the absence of press members on a Friday afternoon and have criticised the lack of reporting on bread and butter issues”, believing the media “are only interested in sensationalist stories”.

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However, he accepted that “constantly criticising journalists for poor coverage will not help, nor will trying to appeal to their sympathy” and had to work out how to make proceedings “more appealing”.

Noting the large number of journalists who attended the forum’s proceedings, he said: “That we don’t get more coverage is nothing to do with the presence or absence of journalists; it is to do with the Forum itself.

“Journalists see the Forum as a body which can only talk; it cannot do. It has no power to change events, to make laws, to determine spending or administer public services.

“To talk [underlined] about these things is not newsworthy...also, like it or not, the Forum has established an image for itself which is not what it might have wished for.” with conflict over tribal disputes rather than reconcilliation.”

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