From top: Noel Rock TD; Ellen Coyne of The Times Ireland edition; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dáil on Tuesday and a segment of an email from Mediaforce Ireland to certain newspapers

Readers may know that The Times Ireland edition has been highlighting how the government’s Strategic Communication Unit’s promotional campaign for Project Ireland 2040 – involved paying for editorial content in local, regional and national newspapers.

The SCU was set up by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, after he was elected leader of Fine Gael and became Taoiseach last year.

It employs 15 people and is led by John Concannon, former head of Creative Ireland. The Government has budgeted the SCU will cost €5million this year.

Times reporter Ellen Coyne is reporting that ad agency Mediaforce Ireland, on behalf of the unit, advised newspapers not to mark the content as advertorial.

And they made the same demands during a similar campaign last summer for Creative Ireland.

Ms Coyne has tweeted a segment of an email sent to newspapers by Mediaforce Ireland, on behalf of the Strategic Communications Unit.

It states

“Part of our deal is that we won’t have any moniker such as ‘advertorial’ or ‘special feature’ or anything like that – it simply runs as normal editorial.”

Ms Coyne has further tweeted that the bold and red highlighted sections in the twee (see above) were exactly how they were presented in emails to newspapers.

During Leader’s Questions on Tuesday, Taoiseach leo Vardkar told the Dáil:

“We have already explained how this [the paid content] works. The communications unit entered into media partnerships with media organisations. What happens there is that those organisations have editorial control over content.“

Meanwhile….

Readers may recall last Monday’s Today With Sean O’Rourke, when Fine Gael TD Noel Rock had the following exchange.

Noel Rock: “They’re [the paid content] clearly identified, from the reader’s perspective. I mean, I’ve yet to see a single example of one that hasn’t been clearly identified. All I’ve seen so far are the ones in the [Irish] Independent, in The Herald, on the Journal, which said at the top and the tail ‘sponsored content’.”

Sean O’Rourke: “Maybe if we had a copy of one of those 15 regional print and online news titles, you’d get a different impression.”

Rock: Perhaps but they have yet to be produced. All I’ve seen is a trumped-up charge and a press release.”

O’Rourke: “Oh, hold on now. Trumped-up charge. That’s a pretty loaded statement. I mean you’re suggesting that there’s fake news on the front of the Times Ireland edition today?”

Rock: “What I’m saying is there’s a complaint been made to the ASA about legal, decent, honest and truthful standards in advertising. And I’ve yet to see any proof whatsoever in that regard…”

Oh.

Meanwhile…

Katherine Zappone and Denis Naughton demand urgent meeting with Leo Varadkar following revelations by @thetimesIE on state funded advertising @KZapponeTD @DenisNaughten https://t.co/uMPitGDiBF — Ellen Coyne (@ellenmcoyne) March 1, 2018

Ministers demand to meet Varadkar over Ireland 2040 (Ellen Coyne, The Times Ireland edition)

Lessons to learn (Editorial, The Times Ireland edition)

Previously: ‘You Don’t Want People To Hear About The Government’s Vision’

Meanwhile…

Some articles which ran in regional newspapers last August about Creative Ireland…

Donegal News

Meath Chronicle

Leinster Leader

Kilkenny People

Donegal Democrat

Anglo-Celt

Leitrim Observer