THE BOMBSHELL ANNOUNCEMENT that Leo Varadkar is resigning as Taoiseach and as leader of Fine Gael has been reported on by newsrooms internationally.
There has been mixed reaction to the announcement globally. Some outlets opted to play it safe while others have chosen alternative angles.
BBC in the United Kingdom and CNN in the United States were those who went with a straight-news headline.
Fox News, also in the US, went with an equally factual headline. But chose to include Varadkar’s middle name… maybe a bit too factual?
The Express Newspaper in the UK chose to remind its readers of Varadkar’s stance on Brexit – in case anyone over there had forgotten.
Irish historian and writer Ruth Dudley Edwards penned her opinion piece for The Telegraph in Britain very quickly, wishing Varadkar farewell before handing him the bad news.
The European branch of Politico – one of the biggest international, political news outlets – also reported on the story. Its subheading labelled the move a “surprise”.
Qatari and Middle Eastern News network Al Jazeera also covered the surprise announcement. The outlet briefly profiled Varadkar, describing the rotating Taoiseach arrangement with Tánaiste Micheál Martin as a “job-share”.
Other international news agencies, Associated Press and Reuters, also covered the Taoiseach’s departure. Reuters’ World News section currently leads with Varadkar’s resignation.
Associated Press took a factual and informative approach to its headline.
Israel’s The Jerusalem Post chose to include Varadkar’s “lost and found” comment in its headline.
In November, the Irish ambassador to Israel was summoned by the Israeli Foreign Minister after Varadkar quoted a bible verse when nine-year-old Emily Hand was released by Hamas from Gaza after almost 50 days.
Israeli officials were outraged by the Taoiseach’s remarks, which was misquoted on a number of occasions – including in this headline. The body of article does not give any mention to the remarks.
The New York Times newspaper omits Varadkar’s name from its headline, going with the short and simple:
The Guardian in the United Kingdom leans on the shock element of the announcement, describing the move as causing a “political earthquake” in its first paragraph.
As news of Kate Middleton’s data being allegedly breached makes shockwaves across the UK, Varadkar’s announcement managed to trump it.
Sky News knocked Middleton’s alleged data leak from its lead story this afternoon and replaced it with the Taoiseach’s “emotional” announcement.
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