A look behind the headlines
By Rui Niu, GAP Intern
GAP is currently running a project called Ballymun is Brilliant, and we believe that it is. We see the energy, creativity and resilience in the community every day. But do the media see Ballymun the same way? Do the stories told in newspapers, radio reports and online articles reflect the Ballymun that we know?
To find out, we looked at media coverage of Ballymun from 2020 to 2024. What we found was a mix of progress and persistence: while negative portrayals still exist, there’s also a growing number of positive, hopeful stories that show a more encouraging picture of the area.
Two sides of the story: Crime and community
Ballymun, in North Dublin, has been through major change, especially during the regeneration of the last two decades. But what often gets overlooked in public conversation is just how engaged, active and connected this community is. It seems that too often, the media focuses on crime or social issues, ignoring the bigger picture of everyday life here.
To find out if that impression is correct, we had a look at media coverage of the town.
We analysed 195 media reports that mentioned Ballymun between 2020 and 2024. Most of them appeared in print newspapers (117 articles), followed by online outlets (48) and a smaller number on radio and television (14).
We found that the most frequent topics in those stories were:
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- Community initiatives (44 articles)
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- Crime (41)
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- Sport (39)
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- Politics (36)
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- Cultural events (27)
Interestingly, there were more positive stories overall (98) than negative ones (70), and this trend was fairly consistent year on year. That’s an important finding, and a promising one.
Who is telling the story?
Different types of media outlets covered Ballymun in different ways. Online platforms like The Journal.ie had a nearly even split between negative and positive stories. Traditional newspapers, like The Irish Times or The Irish Independent, often showed a divide depending on the subject, reporting crime stories in a more negative tone, but taking a more positive approach to cultural or community-based news.
Community-focused platforms like The Dublin Inquirer and organisations like the Law Society were more consistently positive. In fact, government and business-related publications didn’t produce any negative stories at all during this period.
Still, crime stories were often the most emotionally charged, and overwhelmingly negative. Reports on violence, drugs or safety concerns tended to overshadow other stories of life in Ballymun. In some cases, even stories focused on community or culture included subtle negative framing that reinforced older stereotypes.
This trend isn’t unique to Ballymun. As sociologist Kieran Allen notes in his study of media coverage in Limerick’s Moyross area, disadvantaged communities are often framed through a narrow lens, especially when it comes to crime reporting. (See: Behind the Headlines)
What is changing, and what still needs to change
Despite these challenges, the overall picture isn’t bleak. Stories about local regeneration, youth projects, the arts, and grassroots action are becoming more common, and they often carry a tone of optimism and respect. One example is a piece from The Dublin Inquirer in July 2024, about the Ballymun shopping centre; one of the most positively rated articles in our analysis.
In total, our research recorded 98 positive stories about Ballymun over the four-year period. And while the media still often leads with crime stories, that balance is beginning to shift.
The story of Ballymun
What is written in headlines matters; it shapes how others see us, and even how we see ourselves.
But the real story of Ballymun isn’t found in media headlines or crime statistics; it’s in the conversations at the local café, in the art made in community groups, in the cheers at local sports events.
The future image of Ballymun won’t be shaped by old labels. It will be shaped by the people who live there, who care deeply about the community, and who continue to build something better.
Want to see more of that story? Visit www.ballymunisbrilliant.ie and see for yourself what makes this community shine.
Finally, a few words about our methodology:
We began by searching for news about Ballymun on Google News and sorting the key terms that came up. For News Category, we grouped things like books and paintings under “Culture”, and local group activities under “Community”. As there were quite a few sports stories, we gave “Sports” its own category.
For Sentiment Analysis, we used both an AI tool (DanielSoper.com) and manual checks. Articles linking Ballymun with crime or horror vibes marked as negative. Those highlighting positive developments were marked as positive. Some articles simply report facts, like policies not directly linked to community building, are marked as neutral. These gave us a clear dataset to work with and use in the final report.