Media

Amongst the coverage on the Bertie payments scandal meaningful questions were conspicuously absent.

The Irish Times and its editor, Geraldine Kennedy, have come into direct conflict with the judiciary in breaching a court order and in destroying a document that the newspaper was legally obliged to produce to a tribunal. By Vincent Browne and Colin Murphy

As the Bertie scandal disappears in a welter of smoke and plain glass, we are left with two not very consoling points. Firstly, even though a majority of voters don't believe that Bertie was right to take the money given to him, that majority still prefers to see him in charge of government than the Rainbow alternative. It's a bit like the Huey Long slogan when he campaigned for governor of Louisiana: "Vote for the crook you know!"

It was called the artistic crime of the 20th century. It started even before he had seen the towers. He was sitting in a dentist's waiting room in Paris when he flicked open a newspaper and saw a drawing of the projected buildings. At the time, Philippe Petit was a vagabond street artist with a toothache. Six years later, he was walking the air between the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Luckily for Dermot Bolger, the Ryder Cup is like a bout of measles: you get it once and it never comes back

What charity was founded by Paul Newman in 1994? What were the Nolan sisters in the mood for in their hit single? What is the name of Dublin's 28-acre neighbourhood that hosts 50 cultural sites? Where in Ireland is Smithwicks made?

The story about payments to Bertie Ahern – dubbed "Bertiegate" by the Independent – dominated the newspapers after 21 September, when the Irish Times first reported the leaked information. In the following five days, every lead article of every Irish broadsheet focused on Bertiegate. It was the subject of 45 news stories, 26 opinion pieces and 9 editorial comments.

RTE Radio's audience ratings have been in decline for some time.

Gerry Adams recently visited Israel and the Palestinian territories. In the second of two articles reflecting on that visit, he looks at how international assistance could bridge the gap between the two warring sides

One of the great American myths is the westward journey. The high-angle shot of the imagination is the long line of white canvas wagons bumping across the wind-tilted grass. The fiddles come out. The sun falls red on the horizon. A coyote howls in the distance. Night, John Boy. Night, Grandpa. Night, Mary Ellen.