- Pronunciation: \ˈsa-ˌtī(-ə)r\
- Function: noun
- Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin satura, satira, perhaps from (lanx) satura dish of mixed ingredients, from feminine of satur well-fed; akin to Latin satis enough
- Date: 1501
1 : a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
2 : trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly
It's not pretty, is it? Neither is the state of the so called 'freedom of press' in Ireland. As i mentioned in this post it's not about the incident involving the paintings anymore. It's about how a national broadcasting body apologised, completely unnecessarily in my opinion, to a politician and his family for "any embarrassment caused" by a piece of news.
The apology wasn't issued because the information that was broadcast was inaccurate or untrue. RTE reported the facts as they stood-it was a legitimate story. It merely didn't sit well in the rotund belly of Mr Cowen. After a bout of informational indigestion a wobbly was thrown along with demands for the removal of the 'offending' images. If he'd had the sense to take the incident with a pinch of salt or in good humour; the chances are that it would have been forgotten in a few days.
By having a hissy fit and demanding the removal of the information that shows him in a less than flattering light; he really has shown what he thinks of the Irish people. Protecting his/Fianna Fáil's reputation and image (no pun intended) are seemingly top of the agenda. Are we not entitled to voice our opinions, be it on a TV station, newspaper or blog on how shoddily the government are dealing with the dire economic situation? Is the use of Satire offensive to him? Or does it sail over his head?
Is this the way information will be distributed in future? The government are terrified of being portrayed in a negative light hence RTE won't run any items which may question or offend the government. Should we just remain quiet and unquestioningly watch reruns of fair city whilst the country continues to fall to pieces. How does that work for you Mr Cowen?
RTE should have stood by their story instead of regularly editing the website, removing the video footage and photographs. The apology was the final straw. Y'know what? I want an apology from RTE for issuing an apology to Cowen. The money which pays the TV license fees and the taxes that pay the salaries of the politicians should give me enough of a right to throw some demands around. Do you think if i call them and express my opinions they'll put it on the 9 o'clock news?
Images via: http://www.caricatures-ireland.com/blog/
