Irishโ Media’s Dismissal of Violenceโข Risks Obscuring Real Concerns, Newโข Outletโฃ Argues
DUBLIN – โขA newly established Irish media โขoutlet, Gript, is challenging the โestablished narrative surrounding violence โand social โขunrest in Ireland, โarguingโข that mainstream media routinely โdismisses โฃlegitimate concernsโ by attributing them to theโ “farโ right.” In a founding statement published on its website, Gript โfounderโข John McGuirk โasserts that a significant gap exists in Irish โjournalism, characterized by a reluctance to challenge prevailing consensus and aโข tendency to “herd around” established viewpoints.
McGuirk contends that this โapproach prevents a genuine understanding of the anxieties felt by โmany Irish citizens, โคboth ordinary and prominent, who โprivately expressโ concerns unaddressed byโ larger publications.He explicitly states Gript’s intention to move “beyond that cheap โsloganeering” of โblaming all dissent on โextremist groups and instead focus on the underlying issues driving publicโฃ sentiment. The outlet’s commitment to independence is underscoredโ by its rejection of government funding, a decision McGuirk believes is crucial to maintainingโฃ editorial integrity and avoiding self-censorship.โข
“We reject Government funding, because, in our view, that would beโ the end of our โคindependence,” McGuirkโ wrote. โค”The momentโ we did so, we would begin looking over โour shoulder, and wondering โคif our โcoverage of a particular issue might lead to that moneyโค being taken away.”
Gript is soliciting subscriptions to fund its operations, โคframing financial supportโค from readers as a necessary conditionโ for its continued independence andโฃ accountability. The outlet pledgesโค to be “open, honest, andโ brave,” acknowledging that its reporting may โoccasionally provoke disagreement but emphasizing its commitment to unbiased journalism, โfreeโ from serving any single cause.