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Cheers,
Christine

RIP Kate Fitzgerald.

Very poor judgement on the part of The Irish Times. It’s very disappointing to see the Irish ‘Paper of record’ behave in such a shameful manner.

I read the article online. I was surprised that the Irish Times carried it. May be I am out of step with fashion, but I felt the circumstances and background merited something more muted. In 1989 a relative of mine disappeared into the sea in the south coast. He left behind a neat fold of clothes and to be absolutely honest hardly a month goes by without some memory or other surfacing.

it is a pity that the media here and even the ‘new media’ are so often silenced by apparent legal threats.. especially when there is a history of this threat being empty.. well there is plenty of commentary elsewhere… (broadsheet of course and irish times facebook page….) so…., no comment.

one observation though… how much ‘news’ never becomes news because publications are afraid or just unwilling to go to court? (not worth the while, sure, news, here today gone tomorrow) ok, there’s much to be said for the legal system here too, but it is really sad when you realise how much glad-handing goes on in this country.

Glad to see you finally covering this story.

There are many parts missing such as relevant connections between different stake holders, such as the Communications Clinic and personal relationships.

For other readers interested in further detail, it can all be found elsewhere online.

Well I’ve written and I’ll be cancelling my delivery unless they publish a retraction and apology to the Fitzgeralds. This hastily written article is neither. The editor himself needs to grow a pair and admit he made a balls of this.

As trust with IT readers is broken, much greater action is needed to rebuild. There is a huge awareness opportunity. Well done PM, God bless Kate’s family and friends.

No acknowledgement that the Irish Times themselves caused this problem by drawing the dots on where she was working by naming her.

I’m not at all impressed with the original article having been edited without a note at the bottom acknowledging that until broadsheet made a point of highlighting that. At that point, the note re the editing was subsequently added. When the Guardian edits an online article, even to correct a typo, there’s always a note of it at the bottom of the article. That encourages openness and eliminates post hoc secretive revisions and revisionism. The Irish Times, as the generally-regarded closest thing this country has to a paper of record, should have included that note at the time of the original edit. That’s ignoring whether or not it was a good idea to edit it in the first place, bearing in mind that they caused the issue themselves.

They could still do better by directly admitting that they cocked up. Anything less than that is below the standard to which they should aspire.

Surprised it took so long for the journal to write about this, but i guess better late than never. Disappointed in the Irish Times, which I thought was the only Irish paper that wasn’t absolute shite..

I notice how everyone is so terrified of libelling Kate’s former employer, which I won’t name for fear that my comment be censored! However, little is said of the Irish times blatant slandering of a deceased girls good name claiming that some of Kate’s comments in her original article were “not factual”. Here the IT avoid directly calling Kate a liar but the implication is there. The IT are so scared of the might of PR giants that they are willing to cause untold distress to Kate’s family and friends, alienate much of their readership and essentially imply that people with mental health issues can’t be trusted. Disgraceful and cowardly.

Why did it take so long for The Journal to pick this story up?

No, if you read the article posted by Kate’s parents below on broadsheet it clearly states that it was Kate’s initial article that was edited and that caused all the legal issues. Peter Murtagh was careful to make no reference to her employer. I think the journal might have made a boo boo here in saying that it was the Peter Murtagh article that was edited.

http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/12/16/let-kate-have-the-final-word/

What is legally correct is morally repulsive here. Ruat caelum, fiat iustitia.

The legal argument is, frankly, a crock. Even the IT in their crazen apology to the communications clinc acknowledge no legal representation has been made. This is because there is NONE to make. This is not a case of libel or slander, precisely why TCC have no legal leg to stand on and has chosen to exert pressure.

I’m quite happy to name them – Kate didn’t name anyone, specifically she did not assign blame , but the Irish Times were happy to apologise to the previously unnamed communications clinic and in doing so made it public record. Media new and old should have more journalistic fortitutude and cease pussy footing about the issue it would seem to me.

In any case, I have written about this before, and I include Kate’s final article before the butchering – I have had a lot of traffic on this for almost 2 weeks and I have yet to receive any legal threats. Why ? Because they have no grounds for complaint, otherwise it would be gone.

http://goo.gl/QgF42

I advise everyone to continue the pressure of the Times, who have many, many questions to answer now. Youi can express you discontent in writing or email to the editor (kosullivan@irishtimes.com) and on their facebook page; facebook.com/irishtimes.