Irate Irish

    If some news writers are to be believed, the Irish excel only at drinking and fighting. Our Dublin correspondent collected a few examples of 19th Century stereotypes perpetrated in reports on the London Olympics by media clowns around the world, even as they showed their ignorance of political reality.
   For example, the Daily Telegraph in England had a headline, "Can anyone beat Britain's Katie Taylor?" The boxing gold medalist is Irish. The newspaper apologized.
   Example 2: A commentator on ESPN Australia wanted to know why the Irish athletes do not compete for Great Britain in the Olympics. The answer is that Ireland is an independent nation, and has been for nearly a century. Moreover, Ireland has never been part of Great Britain. That term applies to the union of Scotland and England (and Wales), which happened during the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who became known as James I of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth I. That was in Shakespeare's time.
   Example 3: A publication in Australia ran a piece about drunkenness and fighting among the Irish. After the Irish ambassador objected, the publisher apologized.
   Example 4: USA Today reported that after Katie Taylor's victory, "Back home on the Emerald Green Isle, pints of Guinness flowed freely, perhaps enough to replenish the Irish Sea." The report also noted that bettors "wagered pounds as if they were bits of candy," and that the young boxer is from Bray county. The writer, one Joe Saraceno, also made references to scuffles and fighting, leading to another apology by USA Today after many people complained about the inference that the Irish drink and fight too much.
   Corrections: Bray is a city in Ireland, not a county, and the nation has not used the pound as a monetary unit since joining the Euro Zone.
   "As for the level of drink consumed," says our correspondent, "pubs in Ireland are closing at a great rate. Mr. Saraceno seems to have written his piece based on cliches rather than fact."
   Editor's guideline: When in doubt, check it out. The problem is a lack of doubt. Too often, belief trumps fact.