The MOTH NEWS Podcast

Six years after 14-year-old Noah Donohoe disappeared in Belfast, the inquest into his death has concluded.The jury found Noah drowned in a storm culvert and identified serious failings in the subsequent investigation which affected its ability to reach conclusions on aspects relevant to his death.Afterwards, Noah's mother Fiona said:“I came to this inquest seeking answers, and I leave it with one clear answer. Noah was failed.”This week on MOTH News Live, we examine what the jury actually found, what remains unanswered, and what happens now.PLUS:🔎 THE EPSTEIN FILES: Johnny Vedmore continues digging through the documents, looking at the Irish names, businesses and institutions that appear, why they're there, what the evidence actually shows and what questions it raises.🤖 AI: WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE?Some of the people building advanced AI are warning that it could threaten humanity. But critics say there are enormous financial interests behind the warnings, while others argue that fears about a future AI apocalypse distract us from how the technology is already being used.🇮🇪 AND WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN FOR IRELAND?Data centres already consume more than a fifth of Ireland's electricity. Are we building an Irish technology economy, or providing the infrastructure for somebody else's?

This week on MOTH News Live, we hear extraordinary audio from Seán Quinn's new podcast The Quinn Files.
Quinn recounts a private conversation he says he had with then Taoiseach Brian Cowen during the crisis surrounding his business empire — including claims about what the Government knew about the financial position of his companies.
We play the audio and ask: if Quinn's recollection is accurate, what does it tell us — and what questions still need answering?
Also this week:
Johnny Vedmore continues his investigation into Alan Merriman, founder of Elkstone, examining his appearance in correspondence released through the Epstein files, his business history and the relationship between Elkstone, Enterprise Ireland and Irish start-ups.
We discuss the cases of Simon O'Donovan and Isobella Perrie Sullivan, both charged with explosives offences and both granted bail.
Al asks whether we'd actually allow Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot into our homes as Elon Musk predicts public sales by the end of 2027.
And then the darker side of AI: researchers working at the forefront of the technology are warning that superintelligence could pose an existential risk to humanity. How seriously should we take them?

Is Ireland really a weak link in Europe's defences, and should Irish journalists be campaigning for increased military spending? This week on MOTH News Live, Johnny Vedmore looks at recent commentary from Irish Independent journalist Fionnan Sheahan about the threat posed by Russia, Ireland's military vulnerability and the case for significantly increasing defence spending. We examine the argument itself — but also ask a different question: when a prominent political journalist starts advocating for a major change in government policy, where does journalism end and political advocacy begin? Also this week, the tables are turned on Keith Walsh. Johnny and Al interview Keith about his High Court proceedings against RTÉ, his years presenting Breakfast Republic while classified as a freelancer, the subsequent Department of Social Protection decision on his employment status and why he has now taken his former employer to court. Plus, we look at Enterprise Ireland's participation in the €3 million Full Health Medical investment led by Elkstone and the questions MOTH News has put to Enterprise Ireland and Full Health Medical about due diligence.

This week on MOTH News Live, Johnny Vedmore investigates Ireland's elite schools. Which schools have educated some of the country's most powerful figures — and do the friendships and networks formed there continue to matter in politics, business and public life?Keith Walsh shares part of his new interview with journalist and media critic Mic Wright, author of Breaking: How the Media Works, When It Doesn't, And Why It Matters. Using one of Irish broadcasting's most notorious editorial failures as a starting point, we ask what the mistakes of the media's past should teach us about trusting and questioning the news today.The full Mic Wright interview is available now on the MOTH YouTube channel.Al then looks at an extraordinary admission from lawyers representing Andrew and Tristan Tate: some of the luxury cars and imagery used to project their “uberwealthy” online lifestyle were rented or promotional. What does that tell us about the influencer economy — and the lifestyles being sold to young men online?And finally: PFAS and our food. Following testing of Tesco own-brand products, we examine what was detected, what the science actually tells us and what consumers need to know.MOTH NEWS LIVE — Friday 28 August | 11am

Keith Walsh sits down with journalist, author and media critic Mic Wright to talk about who really decides which stories become news, and which ones don't.
Mic is the author of Breaking: How the Media Works, When It Doesn't, And Why It Matters, now out in paperback, and writes the media criticism newsletter Conquest of the Useless.
The conversation begins with a surprising Irish connection: Alfred Harmsworth, the Dublin-born founder of the Daily Mail, and the man who helped transform popular journalism more than a century ago.
From there, Keith and Mic explore how newspapers learned to capture mass attention, the political power of media owners, the relationship between journalists and politicians, bias and groupthink inside newsrooms — and what happens when the media simply gets a story wrong.
And in an age when newspapers are competing with X, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, have we really escaped the power of the old press barons, or have we simply replaced newspaper editors with algorithms?
Keith Walsh in conversation with Mic Wright , author of Breaking: How the Media Works, When It Doesn't, And Why It Matters.