Sunday Independent (Ireland)

Last updated

Sunday Independent
Sindomasthead.JPG
Sunday Independent front page 21 July 2024.webp
TypeSunday newspaper
Format Broadsheet
Owner(s) Independent News & Media which is a subsidiary of Mediahuis [1]
EditorAlan English
Founded1906
Political alignment Conservative
Left of centre [2]
Anti-Sinn Féin [3] [4] [5]
Headquarters Talbot Street, Dublin
Circulation Unknown; No longer ABC audited for circulation. [6]
ISSN 0039-5218
Website www.independent.ie

The Sunday Independent is an Irish Sunday newspaper broadsheet published by Independent News & Media plc, a subsidiary of Mediahuis.

Contents

It is the Sunday edition of the Irish Independent , and maintains an editorial position midway between magazine and tabloid.

History

This photo of Passage West appeared in the Sunday Independent on 13 August 1922, with the caption: "A Dangerous Corner - This photograph was taken in one of the towns captured during the past week by the National Army. It shows an armoured car "manoeuvring for position" at the end of a street facing the post office. Irregulars occupy the further end of the street, and are being quickly dislodged by infantry supported by the armoured car." Armoured Car, Passage West, Cork (6652701421).jpg
This photo of Passage West appeared in the Sunday Independent on 13 August 1922, with the caption: "A Dangerous Corner – This photograph was taken in one of the towns captured during the past week by the National Army. It shows an armoured car "manoeuvring for position" at the end of a street facing the post office. Irregulars occupy the further end of the street, and are being quickly dislodged by infantry supported by the armoured car."

The Sunday Independent was first published in 1905 as the Sunday edition of the Irish Independent. [7] Following the creation of the Irish Free State, the Sunday Independent followed its daily counterpart's political line by supporting Cumann na nGaedheal and its successor Fine Gael. [7]

From the 1940s until 1970, the paper was run by Hector Legge (1901–1994). Legge's time at the paper was notable for the Sunday Independent in 1948 leaking the news that the Irish government were going to leave the British Commonwealth by repealing the External Relations Act. [8] Legge also published a series of articles by the writer Frank O'Connor (under the pseudonym "Ben Mayo") in the paper. [9]

In the 1970s, under the editorship of Conor O'Brien, the Sunday Independent became known for a series of investigations by journalist Joe MacAnthony into the activities of the Irish Sweepstakes. [10]

O'Brien was succeeded as editor in 1976 by Michael Hand. [11] [12] Aengus Fanning became editor following Hand's departure in 1984. [13]

In 1984 the Sunday Independent logo changed from black to purple in colour.

Anne Harris succeeded her husband Aengus Fanning after his death in January 2012. [14] [15]

On 20 December 2014, Harris ended her tenure as the Sunday Independent's editor; [15] at her going-away party, the marketing department of Independent News and Media gave her a painting of the number "30%" to commemorate the fact Harris had raised the newspaper's circulation to 30% of the Irish market. [15]

Cormac Bourke, the former executive editor of the Irish Independent, became the new editor of the Sunday Independent in January 2015. [16]

Alan English, who was previously the Editor of the Limerick Leader, was appointed as editor of the Sunday Independent in January 2020. [17]

On 17 October 2021, the paper launched a Northern Ireland edition with some localised content. [18]

Digital archives

The Sunday Independent is available on the Irish Newspaper Archives and from 1959 to October 2006 at the British Newspaper Archive.

Content

The newspaper is a general Sunday newspaper, covering news and politics. It is published in five sections: News, Sport, Business, Property, and Living, as well as a magazine section. In terms of news, while the newspaper maintains a broadsheet outlook, it has come in for much criticism lately due to its increasing emphasis on lifestyle features in the main section. It has also been criticised for regularly tending towards sensationalism, and for the often opinion-focused, rather than news-focused nature of its articles. [19] [20] It is probably better described as a middle-of-the-road newspaper, rather than a newspaper of record. In the 1980s and 1990s, the deputy editor was Anne Harris. [21]

A 1997 article in Magill magazine about the newspaper stated, "Its critics have characterised it as nasty and narcissistic, its supporters as lively and libidinous, a tornado of fresh air in a stale and shrinking industry". [22]

It often supported Fianna Fáil, particularly Bertie Ahern and then Brian Lenihan, with articles focused on that party and its policies.[ citation needed ] That Government's former Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea has written columns for the newspaper.[ citation needed ] Other politicians to have written columns for the newspaper include Fine Gael's former Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and former Labour Party TD Michael McNamara.[ citation needed ]

Articles on transgender topics feature, often written by Eilis O'Hanlon, Mark Tighe, and Tommy Conlon. [23] On 27 August 2022, a protest outside the newspaper's office taking issue with the Sunday Independent's coverage of transgender issues was organised by Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin. [24]

Popularly nicknamed The Sindo, the paper has been a zealous critic of the Provisional IRA and Sinn Féin for many years. [25] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Sunday Independent was reproachful toward SDLP politician John Hume, whom the newspaper accused of being insufficiently attentive to the needs of the Ulster Unionists. [26] Many of the Sunday Independent's columnists also criticised Hume for negotiating with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, accusing Hume of being naive about Adams. [22] [25] [27]

Editorial policy

The editorial policy of the Sunday Independent can be described as support for laissez-faire policies in economics and strong opposition to armed republicanism; some have described the newspaper's policies as those of the New Right. [22] It was strongly supportive of the Progressive Democrats and in favour of income tax reduction and the rolling back of the state.[ citation needed ] Issues of interest have included big government, the size of the public sector, terrorism, and the Republic's regime of stamp duty on newly acquired property.[ citation needed ] Brendan O'Connor contributes a weekly write-up for the newspaper's front page.[ citation needed ] Prior to his death, former editor Aengus Fanning also contributed editorial material.[ citation needed ] When he was deputy editor Willie Kealy did.[ vague ] Anne Harris did.[ vague ] Jody Corcoran did.[ vague ]

The Sunday Independent has, historically, been quite hostile to the Irish Labour Party and social democratic policies; in the early 1990s, the paper singled out Labour politicians Mary Robinson (then serving as President of Ireland), Dick Spring and Michael D. Higgins for intense criticism. [22] [28] The Sunday Independent also took a negative tone towards rival media outlets RTÉ and The Irish Times , objecting to perceived left-wing and pro-nationalist bias in these organisations. [22]

The Sunday Independent's editorials came out strongly against Martin McGuinness's campaign to become President of Ireland in 2011, claiming McGuiness's IRA past made him unsuitable for the role: "Those who contemplate voting for ... McGuinness should ask if, within the context of the murders committed by the IRA on our security forces, they are prepared to force our soldiers and gardai to salute President McGuinness with equally heavy hearts.". [29]

Year (period)Average circulation per issue
January to June 1999 [30]
315,600
June 2004 to January 2005 [31]
291,323
January to June 2012. [32]
238,798
July to December 2012. [33]
237,185
January to June 2016. [34]
199,210
July to December 2016. [35]
191,594
January to June 2017. [36]
185,080
July to December 2017. [37]
178,323
January to June 2018. [38]
176,580
July to December 2018. [39]
165,334
2023 (March) [40]
102,000

In 2019, Independent News & Media exited the ABC auditing process. [6]

Controversies

The newspaper has been the source of many controversies over the years:

Bishop Casey controversy

In 1993, the Sunday Independent advertised what was claimed as a "world exclusive" interview with Bishop Eamon Casey after he had fled Ireland following the revelation of his affair with Annie Murphy. However it was later revealed that Casey had refused to speak to the Sunday Independent and the "interview" was in fact a telephone recording of Casey speaking to a friend. The Sunday Independent later apologised for this incident, stating "We are not satisfied the bishop was interviewed in any normal sense of the word". [22] [41]

The Keane Edge

The Keane Edge was a gossip column written by Terry Keane, a fashion journalist and estranged wife of former Chief Justice of Ireland, Ronan Keane. It was frequently the subject of successful libel actions by persons angered by accusations therein. [22] In it there were often hints of a relationship with a prominent political figure, named in the column as Sweetie. In 1999, it was revealed by Keane on the RTÉ One programme, The Late Late Show , that the figure had been the former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey. Keane gave the story as an exclusive to rival newspaper The Sunday Times, while still employed by Independent News and Media. She abruptly left the newspaper (amid much recriminations) and her column continued as Not The Keane Edge, soon renamed The Double Edge.

Mary Ellen Synon controversy

Mary Ellen Synon, a columnist with the newspaper, caused much controversy when she attacked the Paralympic Games as being "perverse", in an article of 22 October 2000. This became the subject of much public debate and lead to the columnist being criticised in the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). Initially, the editor, Aengus Fanning, defended the columnist, however he eventually issued an apology, after the then health boards threatened to withdraw advertising from the newspaper. Synon has not written for the newspaper since, although it was denied that she had been dismissed from the newspaper. [42]

The 03 team

The 03 (later 04) team were a group of young female journalists who appeared in the Sunday Independent during 2003 and early 2004. The articles, originally appearing in the Living supplement but soon promoted to the main section, comprised the various members of the team writing usually very poor quality short articles on a common subject. However, they were usually accompanied by a large colour group photo of the team posing scantily clad and very occasionally topless. Eventually the feature was dropped, [43] but not before the team had made a television appearance on the RTÉ One show Open House . They occasionally featured as a fantasy figure for fictional Sunday Tribune character Ross O'Carroll-Kelly.

Death of Liam Lawlor

On 22 October 2005, the controversial Irish politician Liam Lawlor was killed in a road traffic accident in the Khimki district of Moscow during the early hours of Saturday morning. His driver was also killed in the accident, and a female passenger in the back seat of the car was slightly injured. The Sunday Independent edition of 23 October published a story on its front page, written by Ciarán Byrne, Jody Corcoran and Nick Paton Walsh, claiming that Lawlor's car had been travelling "from a red-light district" of Moscow and that police had claimed that the female passenger was a teenage girl who police claimed was "likely to be a prostitute". Reports later during Sunday revealed that the female passenger was actually a 32-year-old Ukrainian national who worked in Prague as a legal secretary and interpreter and who had worked in that role for Lawlor before during previous business trips to Russia. [44] As the furore over the accuracy of the article continued on the Sunday, the article disappeared from the front page of the newspaper's website (although it could still be accessed by specifying its URL), and the PDF copy of the front page of the newspaper (usually available on the website) was also taken down.

On Monday 24 October, the managing director of Independent Newspapers, Michael Denieffe, admitted in an interview on RTÉ Radio 1's lunchtime news programme, News at One , that the report had been "inaccurate" and apologised to the Lawlor family for the distress caused. The original article had by this point disappeared from the website entirely, and the PDF copy of the front page had reappeared on the website with the offending article blanked out. [45] Later that afternoon, the editor of the Sunday Independent, Aengus Fanning, also apologised to the Lawlor family and said that he "took full responsibility" for the inaccurate report. [46] There had been considerable outrage about the report during the day, with calls being made on phone-in radio programmes for a boycott of the newspaper unless the editor and others responsible for the report resigned or were sacked.

On Tuesday 25 October, The Observer , whose Moscow correspondent Nick Paton Walsh had been one of those by-lined in the original story, issued a statement acknowledging that there had been "serious discrepancies" in the article it had published (also claiming that the woman concerned was a prostitute), apologised for the distress caused, and removed the article from its website. In addition, Paton Walsh stated that he had had "no hand" in the drafting of the Sunday Independent article. Paton Walsh said that "an editor" in the Sunday Independent had contacted him on the Saturday seeking help to confirm reports that Mr Lawlor had died. Paton Walsh said that he had spoken with an official police spokesperson and relayed only the contents of three conversations with this same person to their news desk, saying that he had stressed that it was "only a possibility the girl was a prostitute". [47]

It was reported on Wednesday 26 October that the interpreter, Julia Kushnir, was seeking apologies from those newspapers who had published erroneous reports that she was a prostitute, and that she was likely to sue for damages if the newspapers did not comply.

The controversy sparked a debate over press standards in Ireland, with the Labour Party Senator Kathleen O'Meara calling for the establishment of a Press Council to monitor standards in the print media. [48] The then Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, stated that the print media coverage of Mr Lawlor's death was "grossly offensive, cruel and lacking in foundation and fact", and that defamation was not enough to deal with this kind of posthumous coverage. He said that legislation was being drafted to establish an appropriate press complaints council. [49]

On 10 June 2006, the Irish Times reported that Kushnir was to sue The Observer, the Sunday Independent, the Sunday Tribune, the Sunday World, the Irish Sunday Mirror, and the Irish Independent over the erroneous claim that she was a prostitute. [50] On 6 November 2007, the four Irish newspapers agreed to pay Kushnir libel damages totalling €500,000 before libel proceedings began in the Irish High Court and lawyers for the four newspapers apologised in court for the offence caused. The Observer newspaper had earlier settled its libel action for approximately €100,000. [51]

Death of Sgt. Tania Corcoran

The Sunday Independent sparked another furore in March 2007 when the newspaper featured a front-page report of the death in childbirth of Garda Sergeant Tania Corcoran. [52] A headline noted that Sgt Corcoran was the wife of the ERU Garda who had fired a fatal shot in the Abbeylara siege, incensing friends and relatives of the couple. [53]

Pat Finucane controversy

The newspaper was sued by relatives of the murdered solicitor Pat Finucane over allegations that Finucane was a member of the Provisional IRA. Finucane was a solicitor who came to prominence due to successfully challenging the British Government over several important human rights cases in the 1980s. [54] He was shot fourteen times as he sat eating a meal at his Belfast home with his three children and wife, who was wounded in the attack. [55] His killer was a member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and an informer called Ken Barrett. [56] The Stevens Report found that Pat Finucane was never a member of the Provisional IRA and that his death was the result of collusion between the UDA and members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The paper was sued by relatives of Finucane over comments made by their security correspondent Jim Cusack, and over an opinion piece written by the Unionist writer, Ruth Dudley Edwards who claimed that various "relatives, friends, associates and clients" of the Finucane had killed people. The paper was forced print an apology to the family of Finucane. The political magazine, The Phoenix, estimated that the libel action cost the Sunday Independent €500,000 in damages and legal costs [57]

Supporting Bertie Ahern

The newspaper strongly supported Bertie Ahern during the 2007 Irish general election and continued to support him during his appearances before the Mahon Tribunal. Columnists Eoghan Harris and Brendan O'Connor have been particularly strong in supporting Ahern. In August 2007 Harris was appointed to Seanad Éireann by Ahern. At the same time as supporting Ahern, the newspaper has been strongly critical of Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. Several front-page articles, written by Jody Corcoran and Daniel McConnell, have accused him of mishandling the economy since the May 2007 election. According to McConnell's recent articles, Cowen has refused repeatedly to deal with Sunday Independent information requests.

Familial ties

The Sunday Independent is noteworthy for the numerous familial ties within the publication.

Anne Harris, is now editor of the Sunday Independent, her daughter Constance Harris writes for the newspaper as a fashion writer. Anne Harris is the former wife of Eoghan Harris who is an opinion columnist for the newspaper and she was the partner of the previous Sunday Independent editor, the late Aengus Fanning whose son Dion Fanning also writes for the newspaper as a sports writer covering soccer. Another of Fanning's sons, Evan also writes for the newspaper while his nephew, Brendan Fanning is rugby correspondent.

Sarah Caden and Brendan O'Connor, a married couple, are both columnists; however, they met while both were working for the Sunday Independent. [58]

Shane Ross is a former Business Editor of the Sunday Independent, he was succeeded by his son-in-law Nick Webb. Ironically, Ross was a frequent critic of nepotism, cronyism and under-performance in Irish companies, particularly the Smurfit family's influence [59] within the Smurfit Group despite the family status as minority shareholders. [60]

Despite being a publicly listed company, the parent company Independent News and Media employed as its CEO Gavin O'Reilly whose father was the largest shareholder and Chairman Tony O'Reilly. Gavin O'Reilly was ousted as CEO after INM's share price collapsed and Denis O'Brien became the largest shareholder.

INM plc support and Denis O'Brien

The Independent group has often been accused of supporting the business interests of the O'Reilly family and in particular the parent group INM plc. Shane Ross, business editor and columnist, in particular has repeatedly praised the performance of Independent News and Media and its largest shareholder Tony O'Reilly and refrained from commenting on the subsequent collapse in the INM share-price and debt restructuring. Denis O'Brien in contrast has been the frequent subject of critical comment, in particular when his business activities conflicted with the O'Reilly family.

In the 2001 battle for control of Eircom with then-largest shareholder Tony O'Reilly, the Sunday Independent wrote of the inevitability of the sale to O'Brien, writing "The Employee Share Option Trust (ESOT) has made its position clear: better dead than Denis. If they stick to this line it will be almost impossible for him to secure the votes needed to capture Eircom. Deadlock looms. And what happens if Valentia then walks away, leaving Denis as the highest bidder? Not yet likely, but possible. Sir Anthony is not going to pay a silly price for Eircom." [61]

In a 2002 article headlined as "tough questions for the INM board", Tony O'Reilly was referred to as the "noble Knight" by Shane Ross, who reminded shareholders of historic share-price performance and "good dividend" while referring to the "well-publicised woes of the Irish Times" and refraining from comment on the €400 million spent on The Belfast Telegraph . In 2006 he wrote glowingly of "success fuelled by global strategy" [62] and referred reverentially to O'Reilly "global nature of INM's earnings is surely its strength? Tony O'Reilly has exploited an enviable knack of targeting the right geographical zones with an uncanny anticipation of future trends."

While Denis O'Brien is often newsworthy, the Sunday Independent has paid particular attention to him when his business activities conflicted with Independent News Media. Denis O'Brien has perceived bias in the Independent Group's coverage and in a 2003 letter to Gavin O'Reilly wrote "As far as I am concerned, Independent News and Media have spent the last seven years trying to destroy my reputation. Some of the coverage of my affairs, both business and personal, in the Sunday Tribune, Sunday Independent, Irish Independent and Evening Herald have caused hurt and enormous damage to my reputation, not to mention the emotional distress suffered by my wife, Catherine and my family. I very much doubt whether you or your family could have survived a similar onslaught." [63]

After this O'Brien began to build a personal stake in INM plc at huge cost[ clarification needed ] and in 2007 as O'Brien stepped up his criticism of the O'Reilly management Shane Ross labeled Denis O'Brien as a dissident shareholder and accused him of launching "a destabilisation strategy" [64] due to the critical report into INM's corporate governance. Ross also described the critics as "human stooges" and lauded the share price under O'Reilly, and looked forward to a "bright future" "Shareholders in Independent Newspapers have never been better off. On Wednesday its stock stood at €3.66, close to its high. In the last year it has outperformed the Irish index. A record dividend is due to drop into shareholders' letterboxes . The stock yields 3.5 per cent. While the future looks bright, the past is dazzling. Any shareholder who invested €1,000 in the Indo's shares in 1973, when O'Reilly took over, will now have €580,000" [64]

In a 2008 commentary on the INM plc AGM Shane Ross referred to O'Brien as "an ordinary, likeable bloke ... from a solid middle-class background" but a "little businessman" and "no star", and mocked his Malta residency, although not only was Chairman Tony O'Reilly a resident in an offshore tax haven (Bahamas) but 70% of CEO Gavin O'Reilly's remuneration was paid into an-off shore Jersey entity. [65] "Whatever the source of the obvious personal resentment which the man from Malta feels for Sir Anthony O'Reilly, this weekend let us show him some gratitude. He gave us shareholders a clear choice. In return we gave him an unambiguous verdict. Vacate the pitch." After Ross wrote the article the share price collapsed and the company was restructured, without attracting additional comment from Ross's column. [66]

In 2009 in a phone call to Gavin O'Reilly, O'Brien, by then a 26% shareholder in INM, criticized O'Reilly's stewardship of the company and issued a series of ultimatums and threatened to call an extraordinary general meeting if not implemented. O'Brien's criticisms intensified, culminating with Mr O'Brien's threat to Mr O'Reilly: "I will destroy you and your father and I will go after everything." [63]

Main writers

Veronica Guerin memorial, Dublin Veronica Guerin.jpg
Veronica Guerin memorial, Dublin

Related Research Articles

<i>Irish Independent</i> Irish daily newspaper

The Irish Independent is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony O'Reilly</span> Irish businessman and rugby player (1936–2024)

Sir Anthony John Francis O'Reilly was an Irish businessman and international rugby union player. He was known for his try scoring in rugby, his involvement in the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from 1973 to 2009, and as CEO and chairman of the H.J. Heinz Company. He was the leading shareholder of Waterford Wedgwood and a founder and major supporter of The Ireland Funds. A citizen of both Ireland and the United Kingdom, he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor for his services to Northern Ireland.

The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Previous editors were Conor Brady, Vincent Browne, Peter Murtagh, Matt Cooper and Paddy Murray. The Sunday Tribune was founded in 1980, closed in 1982, relaunched in 1983 and entered receivership in February 2011 after which it ceased to trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Browne</span> Irish journalist

Vincent Browne is an Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with The Irish Times and The Sunday Business Post and a non-practising barrister. From 1996 until 2007, he presented a nightly talk-show on RTÉ Radio, Tonight with Vincent Browne, which focused on politics, the proceedings of tribunals on political corruption and police misconduct. From 2007 to 2017 he presented Tonight with Vincent Browne on TV3, which was broadcast from Monday to Thursday at 11:00pm.

The Irish Examiner, formerly The Cork Examiner and then The Examiner, is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country.

Mediahuis Ireland is a Belgian/Dutch-owned media organisation that is based in Dublin and publishes national daily newspapers, Sunday newspapers, regional newspapers and operates multiple websites including Independent.ie. Mediahuis Ireland operates throughout Ireland. Its titles include the highest circulation daily and Sunday papers in Ireland. Mediahuis Ireland is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mediahuis.

<i>Prime Time</i> (Irish TV programme)

Prime Time is an Irish current affairs television programme airing on RTÉ One on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis O'Brien</span> Irish billionaire businessman

Denis O'Brien is an Irish billionaire businessman, and the founder and owner of Digicel. He was listed among the World's Top 200 Billionaires in 2015 and was Ireland's richest native-born citizen for several years. His business interests have also extended to aircraft leasing, utilities support (Actavo), petroleum, football, and healthcare. As former chairman of the Esat Digifone consortium, O'Brien was questioned by the Moriarty Tribunal, which investigated the awarding of a mobile phone licence to Esat, among other things.

<i>Irish Daily Star</i> Newspaper

The Irish Daily Star is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by Reach plc, which owns the British Daily Star.

The Herald is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the Evening Herald until its name was changed in 2013.

<i>Business Post</i> Irish national financial Sunday newspaper

The Business Post is a Sunday newspaper distributed nationally in Ireland and an online publication. It is focused mainly on business and financial issues in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Finucane</span> Irish radio presenter and chat show host (1950–2020)

Marian Finucane was an Irish broadcaster with RTÉ. Finucane began working with the national broadcaster in 1974, starting as a continuity announcer. She went on to host Women Today (1979–1983), the first Irish women's affairs radio programme presented and produced by women, as well as its successor, The Women's Programme (1983–1986); she was the first presenter of Liveline (1985–1999); and she also presented The Marian Finucane Show at weekend lunchtimes on RTÉ Radio 1 until her death.

The Sunday World is an Irish newspaper published by Independent News & Media. It is the second largest selling "popular" newspaper in the Republic of Ireland, and is also sold in Northern Ireland where a modified edition with more stories relevant to that region is produced. It was first published on 25 March 1973. Until 25 December 1988 all editions were printed in Dublin but since 1 January 1989 a Northern Ireland edition has been published and an English edition has been printed in London since March 1992.

Aengus Fanning was an Irish journalist and editor of the Sunday Independent from 1984 until his death in 2012. Originally from Tralee in County Kerry, he was also a former editor of farming for the Irish Independent. Fanning was listed at number 31 on a list of "most influential people" in Irish society compiled for Village magazine.

Eoghan Harris is an Irish journalist, columnist, director, and former politician. He has held posts in various and diverse political parties. He was a leading theoretician in the Marxist-Leninist Workers' Party. Harris was a fierce critic of Provisional Sinn Féin, from which they had split, and became an opponent of Irish republicanism. For much of the Troubles, from the 1970s until the 1990s, Harris worked in Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and was influential in shaping the current affairs output of Ireland's national broadcaster. Later he began writing for the Sunday Independent newspaper.

Anne Harris is the former editor of the Sunday Independent. Her daughter Constance Harris writes for the newspaper as a fashion writer. She is the former wife of Eoghan Harris who was an opinion columnist for the newspaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Áine Lawlor</span> 21st-century Irish journalist

Áine Lawlor is an Irish radio and television broadcaster who has hosted many shows on RTÉ Radio 1. She has worked on various news and current affairs radio and television programmes, including News at One, The Week in Politics, Today with Pat Kenny, Today at 5, The Nature of Things, Tuesday File, Today Tonight, The Marian Finucane Show and One to One. On 7 December 2008, Lawlor presented the first Sunday morning broadcast of Morning Ireland, during which she announced news of the Irish pork crisis. She has also narrated States of Fear.

Stephen Rae is the former group editor-in-chief of INM newspaper publishers, including the Irish Independent, Ireland's largest national newspaper, from 2012–2018.

Sam Smyth is an investigative reporter, columnist and broadcaster. He works for the Irish Mail on Sunday and formerly worked for the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, and Sunday Tribune newspapers.

Events during the year 2016 in Ireland.

References

  1. "The page turns at INM as it ponders a digital future". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. "In praise of Gene Kerrigan as he pens his final regular column". 19 November 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024. Left of centre, he stood up for the disadvantaged and sometimes was described as an odd fit by those who lazily perceived the Sunday Independent as a right-wing publication — it was never that. It was, rather, a broad church.
  3. "Sinn Féin's success shows revisionist history is dead". IrishCentral.com. 12 February 2020. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  4. Finn, Christina (25 June 2016). "RTÉ, the Indo and the Times were "very, very hostile" towards Sinn Féin: Pearse Doherty". TheJournal.ie. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  5. "#GE2020: And in the final week it starts to get really interesting…". 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Irish Newspaper Circulation Jan–June 2019 Island of Ireland Report Print". 22 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
  7. 1 2 The Blackwell companion to modern Irish culture Edited by W. J. McCormack. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001 (pp. 304–5). ISBN   0-631-22817-9
  8. "Hector Legge" (Obituary) in The Times, 11 November 1994.
  9. James H. Matthews, Voices: a life of Frank O'Connor, Atheneum, 1983 (pp. 196–7, 360). ISBN   0-689-11272-6
  10. Irish Media: A Critical History since 1922 by John Horgan, Routledge, 2001.(p.105). ISBN   0-415-21640-0
  11. "Independent Newspapers' Appointments". Irish Independent, 2 February 1976, (p.4). Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  12. Obituary of Michael Hand Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine by Alan Morgan. The Independent, 12 July 1997. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  13. Horgan, 2001 (p. 107).
  14. "Sunday Independent editor Aengus Fanning dies" Archived 19 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine . RTÉ News, 17 January 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 Sunday Independent editor Anne Harris departs after final edition Archived 19 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 21 December 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
  16. IMN Unveils Sheahan and Bourke as new editors. Archived 19 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine Irish Times, 9 January 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  17. "Alan English appointed as editor of Ireland's best-selling newspaper, the Sunday Independent". Independent.ie. 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  18. "Sunday Independent to launch new Northern Ireland edition". 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  19. "Making a "tabloid broadsheet" work", Michael Foley. Irish Times, 21 March 1997, p.6. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  20. "The absence of critical journalism is most obvious in the pages of the Sunday Independent. The paper is low on actual hard news content and instead places an emphasis on colour pieces or features. As well as promoting its "personality journalism", the newspaper dwells on the trials and tribulations of the elite personalities in Irish society". Quoted in "Trivial Pursuits" by Eoin Devereux, Magill magazine, May 1998, (p.56).
  21. Emily O'Reilly, Veronica Guerin-The Life and Death of a Crime Reporter. Vintage, 1998 (p.73). ISBN   0-09-976151-3
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "No More Vanity Fare?" (Profile of the Sunday Independent) by Eddie Holt, David Quin and Catherine Logan. Magill Magazine, November 1997, (p.36-41).
  23. "Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  24. GCN, Intern (29 August 2022). "LGBTQ+ community and allies gather outside the Independent to protest anti-Trans media coverage". Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  25. 1 2 The Troubles: Ireland's ordeal, 1966–1996, and the search for peace by Tim Pat Coogan. London: Arrow, 1996 (p. 395). ISBN   0-09-946571-X
  26. "The SDLP leader John Hume still has some public explaining to do. ... Why has he refused to make any concession to Unionist difficulties on the whole question of the Anglo-Irish Agreement?"Sunday Independent editorial, quoted in "The lead for the leader writers", Fortnight Magazine , No. 271, March 1989, (p. 15).
  27. Modernisation, crisis and culture in Ireland, 1969–1992 by Conor McCarthy. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000. (p. 220). ISBN   1-85182-475-8.
  28. Emily O'Reilly, (p. 68).
  29. "Penny drops on McGuinness". Editorial, Sunday Independent, 16 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  30. "Good times begin to roll for hard-pressed newspaper sector". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  31. "Unknown".[ permanent dead link ]
  32. "Irish Sunday Newspaper ABC Circulations, Jan–June 2012 – SEO Ireland, Search Engine Optimisation, Media and Marketing Consulting". ilevel.ie. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  33. "Sunday Newspapers ABC July–Dec 2012 – SEO Ireland, Search Engine Optimisation, Media and Marketing Consulting". ilevel.ie. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
  34. "Paid Newspapers - Sunday Independent (Series) - January to June 2016" (PDF). 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 September 2016.
  35. "Paid Newspapers - Sunday Independent (Series) - July to December 2016" (PDF). 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2017.
  36. "Paid Newspapers - Sunday Independent (Series) - January to June 2017" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2022.
  37. "Irish Newspaper Circulation July–Dec 2017 Island of Ireland Report Print". Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  38. "Paid Newspapers - Sunday Independent (Series) - January to June 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2022.
  39. "Paid Newspapers - Sunday Independent (Series) - July to December 2018" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2022.
  40. "Some Newspaper Sales update". 27 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  41. "Paper admits errors in Casey Report", Irish Times, 26 April 1993, (p.2). Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  42. Disability and Social policy in Ireland by Suzanne Quin and Bairbre Redmond, University of Dublin Press, 2003 (p. 174).
  43. "Sunday Independent" (PDF). unison.ie. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2005.
  44. RTÉ News: Lawlor family 'saddened' by media coverage Archived 3 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine . RTÉ.
  45. "Irish Independent | Breaking, Irish & World News – Independent.ie" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2005.
  46. "Newspaper apologises for Lawlor report". RTÉ.ie. 24 October 2005. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2005.
  47. "The Irish Times – Wed, Oct 26, 2005 – Apology from newspapers sought …". The Irish Times . Archived from the original on 4 September 2012.
  48. "BreakingNews.ie – Irish News – Breaking News from Ireland". iol.ie. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012.
  49. "Lawlor's son slams newspaper reports". RTÉ.ie. 25 October 2005. Archived from the original on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2005.
  50. Unknown [ permanent dead link ]. The Irish Times Online, 2005.
  51. "€500,000 libel damages in Lawlor crash case". The Irish Times . 11 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2011. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  52. "Garda who lost wife and son in childbirth shot John Carthy Archived 12 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine ". The Independent , 11 March 2007. Retrieved on 8 March 2008.
  53. "Newspaper under fire over garda death coverage". Irish Examiner, 13 March 2007. Retrieved on 8 March 2008. Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  54. "Interview with Geraldine Finucane: Breaking the glass ceiling". politico.ie. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  55. "Pat Finucane: A controversial killing Archived 16 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine ". BBC, 13 September 2004. Retrieved on 9 August 2008.
  56. guardian.co.uk, Monday 13 September 2004 Loyalist informer admits Finucane murder Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  57. Unknown [ permanent dead link ]
  58. "The Heart of Saturday Night". RTÉ. 27 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  59. "Top of the agenda. Shane Ross". independent. 11 May 2002. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  60. "Top of the Agenda - Shane Ross". independent. 22 June 2002. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  61. "Time to sell Irish shares". independent. 28 July 2001. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  62. "INM success fuelled by global strategy". independent. 26 March 2006. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  63. 1 2 "I will destroy you and your father and I will go after everything". independent. 5 September 2009. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  64. 1 2 "O'Brien's guns misfire". independent. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  65. "How the O'Reillys lost battle for INM". The Irish Times. 8 June 2012. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  66. "Money can't buy me love". independent. 17 February 2008. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.

Further reading