Are you interested in one week's work placement in The Irish Times? Transition Year students can learn first-hand about the workings of this newspaper if their submission is published in Media Scope's weekly Over to You column. Just send us a 200-word piece on a media-related topic.
Jill Hamilton, Omagh Academy, Co Tyrone
I'd heard of the Flood Tribunal - and that was where my knowledge ended. However, as I snaked through the bustling streets towards Dublin Castle I found that I was rather intrigued. How did the whole thing work, I wondered?
I entered the building and found that all proceedings were being ably handled by Mr Justice Flood. I watched as he scanned around the room, like a closed-circuit TV camera, scrutinising the subjects he held power over. His authoritarian air filled the room. I was scared. He reminded me of the Demon Headmaster from the programme on CITV. I sat down quickly and quietly for fear that I might break his concentration on the frightening glare he was currently giving and had obviously worked hard over the years to achieve. Next I noticed the squirming witness, who was being asked various yes/ no questions regarding certain documents. His ability to avoid giving a straight reply was completely astounding.
Four o'clocked rolled on and I was pretty tired; I'd been watching the tribunal for over an hour now. The Demon Headmaster must have felt the same way too as he called a halt to the ongoings, in his usual short manner, soon after. We all stood as he did and remained so until he departed.
It was then that I thought: "Hey, that was pretty cool (as we teenagers say) - I have just witnessed something that goes down in the books of history."
William Lyall, St Andrews College, Booterstown, Co Dublin
One man decides what films the public of Ireland gets to watch: Seamus Smith, the film censor for 13 years. The opinions of one person contain prejudices, and Mr Smith, I feel, prejudicially certifies films made for teenagers due to under-estimating the maturity of our age.
Two recent examples are South Park: The Movie and American Pie - both certified 18s here in Ireland and 15s in the UK. South Park admittedly has a high language content, but at 18s a lot of fans were unable to see the film.
American Pie, the new teenage comedy, is also 18s. This film contains quite a number of sex-related jokes, but there is nothing about "doing it" in this film that an 18-year-old could handle and a 15-year-old couldn't.
Mr Smith thought there was and that's all that matters! There is an appeal board to change a certificate but it only meets three or four times a year.
So why is it then that teenagers have to suffer when this man believes that we are too immature to watch these films - and that we will become sex-obsessed foul-mouthed brats if we do?
Write to media scope by posting your comments to Newspaper in the Classroom, The Irish Times, 11-16D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, or faxing them to (01) 679 2789. Be sure to include your name, address and school, plus phone numbers for home and school. Or you can use the Internet and email us at mediapage@irishtimes.ie
media scope is a weekly media studies page for use in schools. Group rates and a special worksheet service (see `fax-back', right) are available: free-phone 1-800-798884.
media scope is edited by Harry Browne.
