Journal 6: U.S Election Race etc.

Monday 3rd November 2008:

I have decided to take a look at both a tabloid and broadsheet paper to see reaction from the weekend and a look to the future concerning the next president of the United States. The Irish Times and the Irish Daily Star are analysed today.

The Irish Times

Above the fold are two main stories: The U.S race for election and a revelation that we are being charged 20% more for fuel than in the E.U. This seems like another commentary on the 'rip-off' Ireland that we live in today. The front page photo shows a celebratory Lewis Hamilton hugging his family following his crowning as Formula One world champion in a dramatic finale in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Apart from these stories there is a quasi-headline in the margin which reads "Kenny expects to be taoiseach soon" which for a reason best known to the editor has not made the front page proper, being relegated as it is to page 5. Certainly each headline, including the BP1 story on a Christmas light tree being built to in a "bid to spark city centre shopping", are all economy related, so perhaps the headlines in The Irish Times are currently being economy-driven also.

Turning to the presidential election, Senator Barack Obama is the man making headlines across the worlds as polls are consistently showing that he has a lead over rival John McCain - with a new poll saying that this is as wide as a nine-point lead. This doesn't mean that he has become complacent, however, as he is hitting the so-called 'red' states in an effort to gain their vote tomorrow. John McCain still believes he can win it, saying "I can sense the enthusiasm in these last few days. We're going to win this race."

It seems to me that Obama is going to win the election. It may be close in some areas, but as Ann Marie Hourihane comments on the front page of this newspaper, "Obama has become an almost religious figure - so totemic, so extraordinary, so attractive - that he hardly seems like a politician at all." I don't believe McCain is at all right for the presidency, and I also believe that it has come down to America voting for the world, voting for someone who will become one of the most powerful (if not THE most powerful) person on earth. So hopefully they'll make a good choice...

The Irish Daily Star

The Star's front page shows two court-related stories. The leftmost is about the sentencing of Sharon 'Lying Eyes' Collins, a woman convicted of conspiring to kill her wealthy partner and his two sons (by hiring a hitman from Las Vegas...?). She is due to be sentenced today and the story carries on on page ten.

The main headline reads 'Parents visit killer son in jail', relating to the imprisonment of Finn Colclough for the murder of a fellow teenager, Sean Nolan. The story continues on page four. The Star has not dealt with any political matters on the front page, concerning itself mainly with stories from home. The rest of the front page is dedicated to references to the back sport pages (e.g 'Win a trip to see Celtic v Man Utd') and Lewis Hamilton's victory.

There is not much to comment about on this page, the best stories today are being left to the sport pages.