In a world of spiralling, almost out-of-control negative media, Seamus Kelly tackled the sensationalised press portrayals by creating and producing a more sensitive, positive journalistic style of news reporting. His reporting of positive news stories in Ireland's national and regional press, including his own Ballymun Concrete News newspaper, introduces a new concept in journalism.
Is the modern media world open to Seamus Kelly's new concept of positive news and prepared to steer clear of the sensationalised, negative, grizzly, horrific, front-page, in-your-face tabloid press stories? His book, It's Written in Concrete, shows his successful journey in battling against the odds to have his positive news stories, not only published in his own newspaper but also accepted and reported in national and regional newspapers.
Seamus' positive stories, over the years, have been widely publicised. He hopes that this book will help to stimulate debate in media circles and lead to a different outlook in the reporting of both negative and positive news, in which consideration for their effects on readers and society in general will be of paramount importance.
"Positive news, incorporated into everyday news reporting," Seamus says, "will not only help create a feel-good effect on readers but, will also present to the world a more powerful, positive news media."
Seamus Kelly is a retired Irish national and regional newspaper journalist and National Union of Journalists (NUJ) member for over 20 years. He is founder and editor of Ballymun Concrete News, a local Dublin newspaper edition that ran from 1998 to 2006 and still lives through his news/media Facebook pages: Ballymun Concrete News 1, Dublin Concrete News, Ballymun Concrete News photo archives and Dublin City digital library archives.