Case Study: Irish media and The Nationalist
In any small, tightly knit town, you’ll probably find characteristics about that community that set it apart. As small as it may seem, the city of Clonmel is the largest settlement in County Tipperary, Ireland, with a population of about 18,000. Here you’ll find theaters, museums, music, sports, and even the Clonmel Junction Festival. This small Irish city is as historic as it is unified, as it’s remembered for its fight against Oliver Cromwell’s army in 1650. The settlement was largely built during medieval times, with defense walls from as early as the 1300s still standing today.
Of course, a key part to any proximate community is the local press. For the citizens of Clonmel, The Nationalist serves as a main source of community news and information. For all the history that Clonmel has, The Nationalist has served the community for over 125 years, and it continues to be a part of everyday life not only for the citizens of Clonmel but for many people who have moved to other regions of the world.
According to Hofstede, Ireland is a country that believes in equality, individualism, and indulgence. The people of Ireland also emphasize tradition, creativity, and hard work as part of a very success oriented society. With that said, Irish culture is one that appreciates leisure time and other indulgences while showing a willingness to have a positive attitude. The Irish have historically been a profoundly Catholic culture, with nearly 90 percent of the population attending weekly mass. Ireland’s average life expectancy of 81 years helps the country rank eighth on the Human Development Index.
As the ninth highest ranked country in the world by the 2017 World Press Freedom Index, it would seem that all is well in Ireland’s press freedom. That is not the case, however, as highly concentrated media ownership in Ireland puts the country’s press freedom at risk. Independent News and Media (INM) currently controls approximately 40 percent of the daily and Sunday newspaper market. Defamation lawsuits are common in Ireland and the Garda Siochana Act of 2005, which requires law enforcement to have prior authorization before talking to the media, makes it nearly impossible to interview police sources.
The state of traditional print newspaper organizations in Ireland, national and regional, has always been very strong and competitive. Most newspapers were family-owned until they were bought out by major media companies. The British press has a strong presence in Ireland due to the geographic and cultural closeness of the two countries. In fact, roughly 25 percent of daily newspapers that are sold in Ireland are published in London. However, newspaper sales have been on a downward trend that has quickened during the last ten years. Out of over 100 local and regional weekly newspapers in Ireland, about 60 have significant circulations in their local areas.
Since it was founded in 1890, The Nationalist has served its community and established itself as a main source for news and information in Clonmel and South Tipperary. It was originally formed to represent Nationalist views in Tipperary, which led to the very first editor to be jailed under the Irish Coercion Act. Currently owned by Iconic Newspapers, the weekly newspaper has a circulation of about 13,000, but as discussed earlier, subscriptions have been on a downward trend for the newspaper industry and The Nationalist is no different. From 2010 to 2011, circulation for The Nationalist dropped 8 percent.
The downward trend in newspaper subscriptions has led many news organizations to expand their range and venture towards online publications and social media. In Ireland, most sites run by traditional media companies are finding difficulty making their online services feasible. Advertising and revenue are oftentimes not enough to cover operating costs. With 82 percent of the Irish population connected to the Internet, efforts towards online news continue to be made.
The Nationalist has made a number of efforts to keep its news organization as viable as possible by establishing an online presence. They have a website to which they post articles for all of their stories. Each online article is then posted on Facebook and Twitter to give readers a chance to share articles and participate in a discussion. You can find citizens of Clonmel posting comments and positive reviews to their social media accounts, which is an indication that many of their subscribers continue to follow them closely as they transition online. Oftentimes people leave encouraging comments on articles about various locals in Clonmel and take part in active discussions.
Along with posting articles for each story on their website and social media accounts, The Nationalist also has an archive of their print newspaper on their website so that people who may have moved away from Tipperary can stay up to date with news in their community. Overall, The Nationalist’s 127 years of serving their community seem to have left a mark. The citizens have embraced the newspaper as their own. They continue to buy newspapers and read their online articles, and now that The Nationalist has established a presence on social media, they should be able to grow and adapt to a changing news landscape.
The members of The Nationalist pride themselves in “providing fair, honest and accurate reporting on everything that matters in our region.” They publish stories about local news, sports, national news, and features. However, one thing that stood out was that they had a “deaths” section. Just as the name implies, this section is posted to once each day with a list of members of the community that have recently passed away. The vast majority of their stories are about the local community, and most of their feature articles about interesting members of the community get a number of positive comments on social media about that person. Clonmel is a very tightly knit town where the locals know and support each other, and based on the continued support from the community throughout their history, The Nationalist should continue to grow as they proudly represent South Tipperary.
