Whether we like it or not, social media is now an inherent part of the wider media, and journalists, editors and consumers need to understand the role it plays in disseminating news and information. But there is also a deeply personal element to how we interact online, so I spoke to academic Ciarán McMahon about his new book "The Psychology Of Social Media" to tease out some of the strands of social networking, how we present and perceive ourselves there and where all this is leading us in...
Aug 20, 2019•45 min
As a child Zainab Boladale would pretend to read the news by grabbing a paper and making things up based on the pictures she saw, and ever since she has wanted to be a journalist. She made her way from Co. Clare on Ireland's west coast through one of the country's best journalism programs and on into the hallowed halls of public service broadcaster RTE where she has been a huge success - but as a woman of colour from a not-exactly-privileged background, it hasn't always been easy. Sh...
Aug 13, 2019•37 min
A new podcast series on the same feed, featuring interviews with some of the interesting people I meet on my travels. First up is a recent conversation I had in Reyjavik with Gunnar Nelson - a fighter, a father and a man not to be trifled with at daycare...
Aug 02, 2019•39 min
Hannes Halldorsson is not just a top-class international goalkeeper for Iceland - he's a scriptwriter, movie-maker and director back operating in a small national market where budgets are tight and dreams are big. I spoke to him in Reykjavik about making ends meet in the movie business when he's not between the sticks.
Jul 29, 2019•27 min
Together with Julian Assange and Wikileaks, activist and "poetician" Birgitta Jonsdottir turned the world on its head by releasing the "Collateral Murder" video, which featured the slaying of two Reuters journalists by American forces in Baghdad, Iraq. Jonsdottir may have ended her association with Wikileaks but her commitment to art, activism and politics is still as strong as ever, and I met her in Reykjavik to talk to her about her life and work, as well as the importance of the Interne...
Jul 22, 2019•52 min
I have met almost every MMA journalist at one time or another, but not Karim Zidan - then I realised that the reason he doesn't attend events is that his writing about sport and politics, and in particular about MMA and some of the former Soviet republics - means that it's not safe for him to attend. In a world powered by social media, blogs and fan-generated content, Karim's work in untangling the web of "sportswashing" is absolutely crucial to understanding how and why tyrants use athlet...
Jul 09, 2019•51 min
When it comes to media, marketing and journalism, Media HQ CEO Jack Murray has done and seen it all. A former political advisor and government spokesperson, he has been in the room as some of the biggest Irish political scandals of the last two decades have gone down. Many senior politicians have wisely acted on his advice, and many more have lived to regret not doing so. His Media HQ business is now the leading publisher of media intelligence in Ireland and the biggest organiser of ...
Jul 03, 2019•36 min
Long before the glossy production and the fan zones, long before the slick social media presence and the souvenir stores in host cities, Ann Odong and her friends were covering women's soccer. A lawyer and journalist, she essentially used her profession to fund her obsession, often allowing her heart to rule her head, and she has finally been reaping some reward as a digital content producer for FIFA at the Women's World Cup. She told me about making the athletes visible, how to buil...
Jun 25, 2019•29 min
Summer is a time when sport takes over and who better to talk to than Irish-born, Brazilian-based sportswriter Ewan MacKenna? Often dismissed as a professional contrarian, Ewan's writing and workflow is both deep and complex, showing us things about our heroes and ourselves that sometimes we'd rather not see - so what's it like to be on the receiving end of such negative attention? What is his agenda? And how did he manage to write a book about Conor McGregor without a single word form the man h...
Jun 18, 2019•47 min
With the sudden - and very welcome - interest form media outlets in the Women's World Cup, many reporters whose beat is normally men's soccer find themselves putting their shoulders to the wheel to cover it. Here's five pitfalls to avoid when writing about women in sports.
Jun 10, 2019•23 min
The Index on Censorship are the watchdog that ensures that you and I can exercise our freedom of speech, and they kick up an almighty fuss about those places in the world that don't allows us to do that. But the recent rise of far-right hate speech, boosted and amplified on social media, has proved a danger to our democracies and our most basic human rights - so in these battle for rights, who wins out in the end? I spoke to IoC CEO Jodie Ginsberg, a vastly-experienced journalist who...
Jun 03, 2019•33 min
Why journalists should never be surprised by election outcomes, the end for private religious fundamentalist lobby groups in Ireland's public debate, and a perfect example of how no-platforming benefits democracy.
May 29, 2019•11 min
As teenagers around the world skip school to protest the destruction of the planet and a "Green Wave" sweeps through European politics, I spoke to veteran environmental correspondent Alister Doyle about how to report on the climate crisis. We talked about everything from landing on now-disappeared ice shelves in the Antarctic and dealing with Texan cranks to why climate science skeptics are really deniers trying to sow doubt, and how environmental journalism is key to helping the world und...
May 28, 2019•35 min
Sports media is a beast that mus be constantly fed with news, views and comment, and nowhere is that more true in America, where seasons bleed into one another in a never-ending carousel of coverage. The quality of the coverage (on both sides of the pond) is often dependent on access to the athletes themselves, and on them being willing to tell their stories. European sports are becoming more and more restrictive with this access in the belief that "less is more", while in the States you c...
May 20, 2019•34 min
Sarah Maria Griffin is a novellist and poet who effortlessly flits between the worlds of fiction and non-fiction, engaging in occasional (and often regular) acts of journalism. Her approach to writing and her thoughts around how we express ourselves are well worth a listen for any journalist or writer trying to find their own unique voice.
May 14, 2019•34 min
The way we consume video has changed, but the old way is not dead yet - what do we need to consider when shooting for mobile devices and linear TV? Is there a difference in how stories are told and presented? What factors need to be taken into account when selecting our shots?
May 07, 2019•23 min
I love radio. It's where I started, and if forced to choose, it's what I'd do full time. And one of the most creative, knowledgeable and smartest people I've met in the field is Irish producer/presenter/all-rounder Pat O'Mahony. Amid an audio background of seagulls, leaf-blowers and passers-by, we sat down in Dublin for a coffee recently to discuss what makes it such a great medium to work in and what you need to succeed.
Apr 29, 2019•57 min
Journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead while covering disturbances in Derry last week, and today she will be buried after her funeral in Belfast. What can journalists and in particular editors learn from her life and her untimely passing? How can we keep freelancers safer while still reporting from dangerous situations?
Apr 24, 2019•26 min
Over the weekend a broadcaster in Ireland came under fire for apparently using audio belonging to a freelance journalist without her permission. Though they have since agreed to pay her for her work, the case illustrates the laissez-faire many media houses have towards the copyright of freelancers. This podcast is a brief rundown of what freelance work is, who owns it (spoiler - them, not you), and what to do if you find something using it without your permission. ...
Apr 08, 2019•27 min
As Ireland's far-right desperately tries to get off the ground and the tech giants are once again in the firing line for giving them a platform to spread hatred, I spoke to journalist and academic Niamh Kirk about information networks, regulation, and what free speech actually means in the digital age.
Apr 02, 2019•36 min
When writing or broadcasting, journalists have a responsibility to tell you how they got to know what they know - and if they don't explain it properly, you have no way of knowing if you can believe them or not.
Mar 27, 2019•20 min
Apart form a sharp mind and some tough questions, the most important thing for any journalist is the contents of the bag slung over their shoulder - choose well and you can tell any story, anywhere in the world, for hours at a time without running out of power. Choose badly, and you can end up talking to yourself while history is made in front of you. Christian Payne (aka @Documentally) is a former professional photographer who now tells stories in any medium you can mention, and he is for...
Mar 11, 2019•45 min
Dion Fanning was one of Ireland's most well-known sports journalists when he suddenly stepped away from the Sunday Independent and into the wild online world of Joe. In doing so he left behind much of his past, moving on from writing about sport to working with video and long-form interviews. We talked about coming from Irish newspaper royalty, annoying Roy Keane, Pele's problem when discussing erectile dysfunction in conference calls and what the future holds for both sports coverage and ...
Feb 22, 2019•1 hr 11 min
When a presenter on Newstalk said that women might bear some of the blame if they get raped, he was suspended and eventually reinstated - but when Dil Wickremasinghe criticised him and the station, she was sacked and her show cancelled. Her emails to RTE suggesting she taker her "Global Village" show - a calm oasis of diversity in a sea of click-bait and bile - went unanswered. Now a trainee psychotherapist, Dil joined me at the International Bar in Dublin for a gripping discussion a...
Feb 22, 2019•1 hr 5 min
A small but dedicated group attended the first-ever live OMIS podcast in Dublin, and for almost an hour they listened to journalist, broadcaster and communications consultant Margaret E Ward talk about diversity, media capture, the effects of journalism on vulnerable people and a whole lot more besides.
Feb 18, 2019•53 min
Why make a one-hour radio documentary when you can make a six-and-a-half-hour podcast series spanning 13 episodes about infamous boxer Ruben "Hurricane" Carter and his wrongful conviction for murder? I spoke to BBC sports journalist and broadcaster Steve Crossman about how the discovery of 40 hours of taped conversations with Ruben Carter finally gave the "Hurricane" the chance to tell his own story - a story of poverty, racism, violence, and almost 20 years behind bars for a crime he didn...
Feb 11, 2019•35 min
Framing is a term we use in journalism when we decide what you could call the “terms of reference” for a story - and how you do it is of vital importance.
Jan 22, 2019•11 min
Danny Robins is one of the finest comedy scriptwriters and documentary-makers I know - my fellow freelancer is also married to a Swede in what is an uncertain time both professionally and politically for us all. I met him last week on what is most likely my final visit to the UK before Brexit, and on my return to Sweden I called him up to talk about his background in comedy, his brilliant audio documentary about Johnny's Cash's legendary gig at Folsom Prison, and humour might help us to bo...
Jan 18, 2019•48 min
Women's sport might be getting more and more space in the media, but there is still a lot to do - I spoke to producer Elaine Buckley about her efforts to raise the profile of female athletes and what fans and journalists can do to help.
Jan 06, 2019•42 min
A picture is worth ... what, exactly? Photojournalism is powerful, immediate and perhaps more undervalued than ever before - but it is no less important. I spoke to Dylan Martinez, Reuters Chief Photographer in the UK and Ireland, about how he got started, the life of the agency photographer and what the future holds for this vitally important form of journalism.
Dec 31, 2018•34 min
