I think one of the frustrating things for those not ‘connected’ is that organizations like #RTÉ still run interviews - as if the result was in question. Hard to believe the #oireachtas interview panel for the Head of Protocol weren’t aware who Caít Hayes was 1/2

And who her brother was. Still, all the other applicants would have marched in hopefully making their pitch - and they might as well be pitching hay.
And it works across organizations. If your Dad works at the Indo, he’ll be able to get you ‘in’ at another paper or station

That’s how it works. If you’re not connected, forget it.
I’ve worked with people who couldn’t spell who were able to walk into RTÉ without a problem. Other super talented people never got a look in. And people wonder about the quality of journalism in Ireland?

The other tactic for people who won’t play ball is to either destroy their reputation or offer them a much better-paid gig. Nearly everyone goes for this because journalism is badly paid in many cases. When I worked for the Indo, for example it was a €150-€200 for a story

And nothing if they didn’t print it. Most of my best stories they didn’t print because of fear of legal action. These stories mainly concerned negligence (and death) in nursing homes - vital in the public interest but useless in terms of the Indo’s goals for readership

I’m a journalist with two decades worth of experience and I can’t even get an interview for any of the jobs at the Indo now.
I’ve been told they’re ‘just looking for people under 30 to write clickbait’. So it goes.

But if you start writing critically about people in Ireland, you won’t go far. If they can’t get to you, their friends will. You’re expected to play ball and if you don’t, you’re doomed.