«America’s lack of a common understanding of the objective truth of today is a troubling sign of things to come,» said Donnie O’Sullivan, a CNN reporter who stands out from his quiet reporting on the riots by Donald Trump. of his supporters at the United States Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on January 6 this year.
That night was «surreal and amazing but not surprising,» journalist Jennifer O’Connell of the Irish Times told the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Nights Festival in the papers on Monday. He said that in the months before the attack, he heard supporters of the then-president say that «the elections were stolen from them and they would not contest it.»
I had a rather hellish year in 2013, with anxiety and depression. It was terrifying, and I always worried he would come back. But I also realize that it’s not the thing that defines me. You can go on and live a normal life
O’Sullivan, who was in Parade in Ohio At the weekend, he said Trump supporters still believed the election had been stolen from them, and that what was most worrisome was that many of them said the Capitol Hill attack «was not the work of Trump supporters but the work of some left-wing group, the FBI or life Blacks matter.»
The 30-year-old journalist, who was born in Ko Keri and now resides in New York, said that on a broader level, we are only beginning to deal with disinformation – not just the fake posts on social media but also deep fake, or the audio or video has been tampered with. «It’s a decades-old issue because we see technology being used in ways we haven’t dealt with before, and Ireland is not immune to these things either,» he said.
O’Sullivan said he thinks you don’t have to be crazy to believe crazy ideas. «Conspiracy theories have all the answers in a nice and easy to digest way, and people find their community on social media – especially [as the pandemic] It means that people spend much more time alone on their screens and smartphones.” He added that “sympathy and empathy” are the most valuable ways for family members or friends to help people stay away from conspiracy theories.
Irish Summer Nights: Jennifer O’Connell’s talk with Donnie O’Sullivan opens this year’s festival
He said he grew up in Cahersiveen, and learned how to talk to people by working with his father in the town’s fish shop. “You had to talk to rich people in their vacation homes buying hundreds of euros of prawns, and then also a 70-year-old bachelor who buys him three or four euros of mackerel.”
The journalist also talked more about his mental health, which is an issue for him first talk about In an interview with the Irish Times earlier this year with Simon Carswell, the newspaper’s former Washington correspondent. O’Sullivan said he took the opportunity to make other young people feel confident about bringing up the topic. “I had a pretty hellish year in 2013 [with anxiety and depression]. It was terrifying, and I always worried he would come back. But I also realize that it’s not the thing that defines me. You can go on and live a normal life. I am very happy now. I feel so grateful and privileged to do the job I do.”
The Irish Summer Nights Festival, sponsored by Peugeot, is an online series of conversations between Irish Times journalists in conversation with local and international authorities. It runs until Thursday, July 1. Here are the festival attendees: Mary Lou MacDonald in conversation with Kathy Sheridan; Chris de Berg talking to Paul Howard; Maureen Dodd interviewed by Hugh Linehan; Gordon Brown and Roddy Doyle talking to Fintan O’Toole; Mona Eltahawy with Rosen Engel; and Joe of Spain talking to Bernice Harrison. A ticket covering all events costs €50 or €25 for Irish Times subscribers. Full schedule and tickets at irishtimes.com/summernights.