Mary Coughlan Interview on Media Relations

“The politician is trained in the art of inexactitude. His words tend to be blunt or rounded, because if they have a cutting edge they may later return to wound him.”

Edward R. Murrow

“The media serve the interests of state and corporate power, which are closely interlinked, framing their reporting and analysis in a manner supportive of established privilege and limiting debate and discussion accordingly.”

Noam Chomsky
The cosy relationship between the media and politicians has come under scrutiny this past year following a raft of controversial leaks and non-leaks.
Our Minister for Justice passed confidential Gardai files to Sam Smyth in the Irish Independent sparking reports that led to the downfall of Frank Connolly and his Centre of Public Inquiry. McDowell was then accused of abusing his powers by coaxing the media to do his dirty work.

However, as Bertie discovered after leaving political correspondents flummoxed when their predictions of Ivor Callely’s replacement proved wide of the mark, newspapers can attack politicians for failing to dispel the rumours that journalists stoke up. McDowell and Bertie were roundly criticised for their contrasting attempts at media manipulation. But does this government view the media as a foe or ally? This reporter met with Mary Coughlan, Minister for Agriculture and Food, to examine how she views her relationship with the media.

Outside the minister’s constituency office, on the first floor of the Pier One complex in Donegal town, the sunlight glistens on the water in Donegal Bay as pleasure boats bob in the high tide. The minister shares this picturesque view with the offices of the Donegal Democrat, the biggest selling paper in her constituency - only an elevator separates their domains. So much for keeping the media at a distance then.

It’s Saturday afternoon and the local hacks have the day off but the local minister does not. When the lift opens bearing the minister in mud spattered jeans, she apologises for arriving late. “Word of advice, never become a minister!” she warns.

Coughlan is fresh from the Donegal Ploughing Championships in Ballybofey and she obviously revels in her image as a politician who doesn’t mind getting her hands or her feet dirty. “You should see the state of the wellies in the boot of the car,” she says, noting the state of her jeans.

The symbiotic relationship between journalists and politicians is a vexed one. Politicians have information and power - journalists want that information but can’t be seen to give the politicians an ‘easy ride’. With local hacks based right on her doorstep, surely Coughlan and the Donegal media have a chummy rapport?

“I would have a very close relationship with the written press and the three local radio stations,” she confirms. “And that’s based on the fact that I am almost twenty years in politics and now that I am a minister, people are more anxious to get access to you on particular issues. And because of the fact that they are local, they like to have a coup every now and again.”

The minister knows how important a ‘scoop’ or exclusive interview can be for a journalist and classifies their interdependency as “a good working relationship.”

Despite a modest population of 140,000, Donegal boasts nine local papers and two nationals – the Marine Times and the Skipper based in Killybegs – and Coughlan believes the fierce competition for readers means local journalists don’t use kid gloves when dealing with the local minister.

“The local media can still be sharp,” she says. “They can ask very hard questions because they know more on the local issues. I would say our media because of competition on the ground… can be as vociferous as the national media. Though I know how to get round them every now and then,” she says with a smile.

There probably isn’t a politician alive that doesn’t feel hard-done-by from some media coverage and Coughlan believes a lack of fairness is what separates the national media from the local.

“I would have to say (local media) are fair, which sometimes you don’t necessarily get in the national media. They are fair on the basis that they know you, you have a good working relationship and they want to continue that relationship.”

Coughlan came to national attention while as a minister in the Department of Social and Family Affairs she made a series of cuts to welfare payments. The Sunday Tribune began a campaign against what they termed ‘Coughlan’s Savage Sixteen Cuts.’

“Sometimes you can take that to heart because it can be wrong,” she says of the criticism. “You don’t mind things like caricatures in the Farmer’s Journal where you can laugh at it and say ‘well maybe they have a point.’ The thing about the welfare issue was that there was some of the newspapers, in my view, went over the top. But sure then that’s the way it is. I know them and they know me.”

Clearly media criticism has stung her but did it influence her policy stance? Not exactly.

“It would influence me in one or two of the articles that were written. It would mean that if that person looked for another interview, I wouldn’t make myself available. There are very few people I would say that about, to tell you the truth, but there is one particular person and he’ll be waiting along time.” she says laughing.

Evidently, Coughlan believes there is a line journalists should not cross if they want the “working relationship” to continue.

Although much of Coughlan’s media attention focuses on how she brings a splash of colour and glamour to events like ploughing championships and Dail debates, the minister is not impressed by the new Irish Daily Mail who target female readers with large amounts of fashion content.

“It depends what they think we are interested in,” she says. “If you wanted to buy (fashion) you would buy a magazine. If you want to read the news you will read a newspaper. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or woman; you want to hear arguments and counter-arguments and read the editorials.”

Agriculture is one of the most demanding ministries in terms of dealing with media because as well as facilitating the nationals, who require updates on topics as diverse as the implementation of the EU nitrates directive to the spread of avian bird flu, there is also a plethora of specialised farming press.

“It is more challenging dealing with the specialised media,” she says. “They reflect maybe certain sections of the industry and they’re very au fait with it and they know all the nuances and idiosyncrasies of policies.

“It can be disconcerting. Sometimes what happens, if there are really, really specific things, the press office provides the statistics and whatever is needed - and I give an overall view of where the policies are. But you are right it keeps you on your toes.”

However, not all media attention is critical or demanding. During the national ploughing championships in Cork last September the Sunday Independent ran a fawning piece entitled ‘Mary would be able to run the county,” talking up her chances of becoming Taoiseach. Did she take much heed of it?

She nods towards a large bookcase of assorted reports and files. “I have that article in there, I do yeh.” she laughs sheepishly as if caught with her hands in the cookie jar.

But what did she think when she saw it?

“I say Mary needs to get re-elected first and then we need to get into government,” she answers but this politician knows journalists can have ulterior motives for penning such flattering prose.

“Sometimes that’s just skulduggery too, trying to create a bit of tension. But that doesn’t happen… when (the Taoiseach) decides to retire, it will be himself that’ll decide it.”

But isn’t leadership the long term ambition of every politician?

“I don’t have a long term ambition,” she states. “Eighteen months before a general election, very few TDs have long term ambitions except to get re-elected.”

In pursuit of this short term goal Coughlan will have her hands full with problems that regularly make front pages, such as dealing with the fallout from the death of the Irish sugar beat industry and heading Ireland’s response to the spread of avian flu.

However, she realises what matters most for her re-election prospects is her ability to push her cabinet colleagues for, as she terms it - “positive discrimination,” - to create jobs in Donegal to stem the recent flood of job losses.

As ever, how her successes and failures are portrayed in the media will be of vital importance to any future plans.