Dismal MSM Reporting on Cyberbullying at Poshie Dublin School Fuels the Disease

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Tuesday January 10, 2006 20:13

by gay geori

gg at bearla dot ie

Presenters emphasise the anonymity of the process (wrongly)

Anyone listening to RTE's Tubridy show this morning would have been gobsmacked to hear the "head mistress" of posh middle class girls school Alexandra's College in Dublin refer to a site where students can post hate messages about each other.

The site mentioned is hateboard.com, registered in Germany. Seems some 13 ands 14 year old girls were posting less than flattering comments about each other on the site. Of course, it's not the only site.

Worse was to come with today's RTE 5-7 Live, with the dismal presenter saying that cyberbullying was anonymous and therefore bullies can get away with it (I think we know better than that at Indymedia.ie).

God almighty, but here we have the MSM actually encouraging cyberbullying by giving the name of the site and offering a false opinion that it's a safe place to do yer bullying...

The issue of course is a serious one, but RTE can't be arsed to ask the real questions or explore the issue properly:

* Aren't they as bad by promoting this Ross O'Carroll-Kelly (ROCK) type activity?
* Why did they allow the "head mistress" to announce the name of the site?
* Why did they think it's anonymous to bully online, providing an incentive for would be bullies?
* How do you know you're being bullied unless you go and look it up? (I mean, if someone nicks your dinner money or gives u a dig you know about it).
* Finally, it's cyberspace. Leave censorship out of it. The parents of students of Alexandra College could well afford the legal means to prosecute. So, why is it a school issue unless St Alex's are concerned about being sued for providing the means to access the site? It's not clear from the article, if you listen, but were the comments being posted using St Alex computers (the school has a "head of IT" believe it or not)?

Finally, I looked up the site and here's what they consider bullying. Maybe it's slow newsday in MSM:

http://hateboard.com/read.php?order=desc&page=168

661087733
1 comment ****** o **********
she is da biggest bitch i have eva met in me fukin life !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all her m8s r sound but her wt a dyke !!!!

859202993
15 comments RED HAIR
EVERYBODYS UGLY WIT IT

730737196
no comments SWAT ALERT, SWAT ALERT!!!
***************************** IS A COMPLETE SWAT AND I HATE HER! SHE IS SUCH A HORNY BITCH FACE AND IS THE MOST ANNOYIN PERSON I'VE MET EVER AND I WISH SHE WASN@T IN MY CLASS!!!