GMIT’s good news stories but staff leak like sieve

NUI Galway isn’t the only third level institution paranoid about its media image. Another city college, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), is also uber-sensitive.

It’s so touchy, in fact, it keeps tabs on how it is faring in media outlets, by providing a monthly ‘Media Coverage Report’ to Governing Body members.

Between plagiarism and cheating scandals, peeping Toms, financial turmoil and cutbacks that included a ban on cups of tea, as well as the usual stories that emanate from third level colleges, the report’s author must be a busy bunny.

According to minutes of GMIT Governing Body meetings, released under Freedom of Information, the institute “was continually receiving negative press externally in the recent past. Positive news stories being pushed via the media was welcomed by the meeting”.

That was last September. Things apparently improved again the following month.

The minutes recorded that the meeting “noted that positive news stories consisted of 83% of media coverage” that GMIT received last October.

Notwithstanding the difficulty in defining what constitutes a ‘positive news story’, and the Orwellian obsession with how it is perceived, GMIT’s media gurus got a first class honour for positive propaganda.

But not everyone was happy. There’s always one.

Michael Geoghegan, a member of the Governing Body, and trade union rep, at the November meeting, raised the issue of media coverage, and acknowledged that “83% of news stories were positive stories”.

“However, he expressed significant concern on how internal information still appears in the press and asked the question on how GMIT is dealing with it,” the minutes record.

Fergal Barry, GMIT President, in response to queries about leaks, “informed the meeting that in some cases the institute is given the right to reply, and in some cases we do. However, there are other cases where the journalist does not ask the institute to comment on a story they are carrying”.

One wonders what percentage of those stories are positive?

There’s no party like a Marty party

Marty Morrissey, the colourful RTÉ broadcaster, is known as a bit of a party animal.

And two Galway politicians recently found out that it’s true: there is no party like a Marty party!

City Councillor Pádraig Conneely (FG), and County Councillor Mary Hoade (FF), donned their finest finery and hit the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dublin where they wined and dined and danced the night away with the GAA commentator.

While representing Galway at the Community and Council Awards 2017, the duo scoffed Asian duck salad to start; followed by beef medallions with green beans, confit shallots, fondant potato and whiskey and mustard jus; and a warm apple and mixed berry crumble with salted caramel ice-cream.

The three-course meal, by all accounts, was quality, but the highlight of the evening for the couple from Galway’s Councils was their meeting with Marty. The feeling was mutual, as our pic shows.

We hear Marty, a bit of a ladies’ man, was quite taken with Mary, and insisted on getting his photo taken with the Headford-based public representative.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.