Priorities

Yaaaaaaay, blogging.

I don't really get blogging, I write it, no-one reads it, the thought's may as well have stayed inside my head. That aside...

Today, while comparing and contrasting the lunchtime news shows of RTE Radio 1 and Today Fm for a college assignment, I came across something that I can't say I am a fan of.

A good half an hour out of RTE's News at One (45mins) was dedicated to the issue of the Pope and his resignation.This would have been perfectly fine had Pope Benedict XVI not announced his resignation over a week ago. Granted, today was his last day as Pope and he is now to be called Pope Emeritus (Latin for retired). I consider myself Catholic and all due respect to the man but I think a simple bulletin followed by a report from the Vatican would have sufficed.

Instead, it was the main news item coming ahead of actual news like announcements that banks have been told to foreclose on houses where mortgage payments have not been met and proceedings in the Croke Park Agreement talks etc. 

There was a bulletin in the middle of the panel's conversation with reports of a bus crash in Offaly with one confirmed death of a 15 year old boy. This however was swiftly swept aside to return to news from the Vatican. Guess what... nothing had changed.

I think RTE need to really think about their coverage if they would put coverage of The Pope's last hours in The Vatican (where nothing happened and the panel were only speculating as to what he would be doing for the final hours) above other news that actually affects people.