MA in Journalism and Public Relations

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Browsing MA in Journalism and Public Relations by Author "Malone, Abigail"

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    The role of the Irish Times opinion pages in the formulation of public opinion and shaping the political agenda in Ireland: A case study of the 2018 8th Amendment Referendum in Ireland.
    (Griffith College, 2019) Malone, Abigail
    The research question proposed is an analysis on ‘The role of the Irish Times opinion pages in the formulation of public opinion and shaping the political agenda in Ireland: A case study of the 2018 8th Amendment Referendum in Ireland.’ The opinion pages of print media have the ability to change minds and influence the political agenda. In an era where fake news and biased reporting is prevalent, the need for diverse viewpoints to be represented in a balanced manner in the opinion columns of national newspapers across the world is more urgent than ever. Representation within the powerful opinion columns is needed to encourage healthy discourse and democratic conversations and prevent individuals and politicians from being immersed in an echo chamber of their own opinion. It is widely recognised that newspapers, editors and journalists have a professional obligation to maintain a balance and impartiality in their publication. This thesis demonstrates the ability that the opinion pages have to change the mind of the reader and be a powerful actor in setting the political agenda by influencing the elite members in society. The nature of opinion pages in the Irish Times, in relation to the 2018 8th Amendment referendum in Ireland, is analysed. The 8th Amendment recognised the equal right to life of the unborn child and mother and, with exception to limited circumstances, prevented abortion services being available in Ireland. The referendum in May 2018 sought to remove this amendment and legislate for abortion in Ireland. A mixed method research approach was utilised in this study which included qualitative and quantitative analyses on the persuasion of the selected opinion pages. The findings showed that the Irish Times opinion pages published in relation to abortion and the 8th Amendment in Ireland during the month of May 2018, before the referendum took place, were dominated by the pro-repeal, ‘Yes’, side of the abortion debate. Out of the forty-nine Irish Times opinion pages studied, twenty-eight of the opinion pages proposed a repeal of the 8th Amendment in Ireland while twelve opinion pages argued in favour of keeping the 8th Amendment. In addition to this, six opinion pieces were neutral on the topic while three opinion pieces were excluded from the content analysis data set as they were irrelevant to the debate. This research illustrates the need for a more varied discourse within national media outlets in Ireland regarding topical social and political issues. The research exemplified the need to challenge the biases prevalent in the opinion pages of national and widely read newspapers in Ireland and demand more representation of differing viewpoints within the national media.