The Minister of State for Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has joined many angry Irish Twitter users in lambasting the New York Times for an article in which they linked the Berkeley tragedy - where six Irish students lost their lives, and seven more suffered life-threatening injuries - to a binge drinking and partying.
.@nytimes Your newspaper's reporting of the #Berkeley tragedy is a disgrace.
— Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD (@AodhanORiordain) June 17, 2015
The Minister continued,
"I think it would be the right thing to do to withdraw that report and apologise. We have six Irish people who are now dead as a result of a tragedy because a balcony collapsed. No other reason. The nature and tone of the article is a disgrace … newspaper editors, not just in New York, but in Ireland, need to realise how sensitive this issue is.
Minister Ó Ríordáin also supported journalist Matt Cooper's assertions that our very own Daily Star's front page coverage of the tragic accident was in wholly poor taste.
@IsFearrAnStar dreadful choice of photograph on your front page. Highly insensitive and unnecessary. — Matt Cooper (@cooper_m) June 16, 2015
Though there is no formal complaints process, the New York Times can be contacted from Ireland using the phone number on this page, or by emailing their customer service team here.
Tags:
