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Iconic comes under fire in the Dáil over its treatment of staff
The manner in which staff employed by Iconic Newspapers have been treated by the company was strongly condemned in the Dáil when independent Tipperary TDs Michael Lowry and Mattie McGrath raised concerns at the threat to media diversity in the regional press sector. Outlining the position in Tipperary and Offaly, Deputy Lowry told Communications Minister Richard Bruton that staff had suffered “a crude swing of the axe and a distant diktat” with no consultation on their future “They now control these three titles that heretofore
thrived on their competitiveness and individuality. This clearly represents a media monopoly, which in turn is a disincentive to journalistic autonomy and traditional rivalry. Dedicated local journalists and contributors made these titles household names. Their hard work, local knowledge and empathy with communities, combined with the integrity of their reporting, built a bond and trust with the public. These titles are being ransacked of their unique, distinctive style and character. It is no longer about bringing the stories and spreading the news. Local papers are now the focus of ambition and greed,” Deputy Lowry declared. Deputy McGrath echoed criticism of Iconic, accusing owner Malcolm Denmark for his “appalling treatment of hard-working journalists, staff journalists and local correspondents.”
Not the full story
NUJ Irish Secretary Séamus Dooley has accused Communications Minister Richard Bruton of failing to acknowledge his own failure to deal with the emergence of a media monopoly across the Midlands and Mid-West region. Reacting to the Dáil discussion on Iconic
Newspapers, he said Bruton had failed to tell the full story.
“Deputy Michael Lowry raised legitimate concerns about the lack of diversity in Tipperary and the wider region. In doing so, he referred to the need for greater regulation of the regional newspaper sector. “The reality is Mr Bruton did not use his powers to
refer the acquisition of the Midland Tribune and Tullamore Tribune to the BAI for examination. Had he done so, the issues of editorial diversity and independence would have formed part of a BAI investigation and been debated in public at an Oireachtas committee.”
Mr Bruton told the Dáil: “Any takeover of a
newspaper will be judged by the Competition Commission and by my Department in the context of plurality. Concentration in the market and the plurality of information available are both examined.
“I cannot give the Deputy an answer as to why
any particular takeover was approved but the reasons will be on record as each case will have gone through the process that has been put in place.”
“In reality,” Séamus Dooley added, “the minister
did not use all the processes at his disposal and ignored NUJ representations asking him to do so.
“That’s why readers of the Midland Tribune and Tipperary Star can now find the same front page story in two competing titles, why editorial roles are being combined and across Laois, Offaly, Tipperary and Limerick the distinct character of individual titles are being diminished.”
“This pandemic is a scamdemic for big businesses. This behaviour was happening before the pandemic ever started. This man [Denmark] has destroyed the local papers and does not care about them. He paid himself the handsome sum of €3.1m last year, yet staff have not received a wage increase since 2008.” Mr McGrath added: ”He is recklessly riding
roughshod over good, decent, hard-working journalists with families and who have served their communities well for decades. To add insult to injury, he is claiming the Covid payment to pay his staff even though the business is profitable. He is not interested in the Tipperary Star, The Nationalist, The Midland Tribune, or any other newspapers, right up as far The Donegal Democrat in Deputy Pringle's constituency.” At the time of going to press, consultations on redundancies were ongoing.
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