Young Progressive Democrats - Media Coverage

Media Coverage

The Young Progressive Democrats earned coverage in the national media in the past. In 2003 they received media attention after the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, was allegedly almost assaulted by protesters while trying to address the UCD branch of the Young Progressive Democrats.

The following September, a satirical leaflet produced by the Young Progressive Democrats that compared all of the political parties to pizzas was covered in the Sunday Independent.

In November 2004 a debate organised by the Trinity College, Dublin Young Progressive Democrats between the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, and the General Secretary of Sinn Féin, Robbie Smyth, received front page coverage on the Sunday Independent and was also covered in the Irish Examiner.

In September 2005 the Young Progressive Democrats received huge media coverage for a leaflet which compared politics to Star Wars. They received front page coverage on the Irish Independent and the Sunday Tribune as well as coverage from the Irish Sun, the Irish Mirror, the Sunday Times, the Observer, 98FM and several other radio stations.

In November 2005, comments made by the Tánaiste Mary Harney at a Trinity College, Dublin Young Progressive Democrat event made the front page of the Sunday Tribune. They quoted her as saying that she had no preference as to whether she was in government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.

In March 2006 a Young Progressive Democrat workshop on the future of the Irish language received broad coverage throughout the Irish-language media.

They have also received mixed coverage from the political satire magazine The Phoenix. Two articles were printed highlighting bitter fights between the Dublin and Cork regions of the youth party. A "young blood" profile was published of the then Chairperson Diane Duggan. In April 2006, The Phoenix published an article detailing how the Young Progressive Democrats had successfully launched a campaign to prevent Ógra Fianna Fáil becoming members of the European Liberal Youth.