Brian Lenihan diagnosed with cancer

[RMDrive]

RTE are not running the story (probably as it's so sensitive) but tv3 are all over it.


TV3 News has learned that the Finance Minster Brian Lenihan has been diagnosed with cancer.

Earlier this month Mr. Lenihan admitted himself to hospital after losing sleep and experiencing discomfort with a suspected hernia problem.

TV3 News understands that initial tests revealed that the Minister is suffering from a malignant tumour, that Mr. Lenihan has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within the last fortnight and that he is set to undergo further tests and treatment.

This afternoon the Department of Finance issued the following statement to TV3.

"The Minister is well and enjoying Christmas with his family. He does not propose to talk to the media about anything until the new year".

Brian Lenihan was appointed to the job of Finance Minister in May 2008 and the following 18 months have brought some of the greatest economic challenges the country has ever seen.

Mr. Lenihan has recently passed a third Budget in 14 months, along with the NAMA legislation and the Govt. bank guarantee scheme.

http://www.tv3.ie/article.php?article_id=28526&locID=1.2.&pagename=news

[orangeman]

Very sad - the stress can't have been good for him.

[mylestheslasher]

Don't like the mans politics but if he wanted this "story" left till after christmas surely the smarmy pricks in TV3 could've done that. Now his family will be getting pestered about cancer by the media. At least RTE, to date, had the sense to leave this be.

[RMDrive]

Don't like the mans politics but if he wanted this "story" left till after christmas surely the smarmy pricks in TV3 could've done that. Now his family will be getting pestered about cancer by the media. At least RTE, to date, had the sense to leave this be.

Seems I was wrong and they had it on the 6 o'clock news.

[Barney]

Typical sensational journalism from that daft bitch Ursula Halligan. An embarassment to journalism. No respect for the Minister or for his family. It is a private matter for them to grasp with and Christmas allows them the time to reflect on what he will need to do professionally. There is no benefit to any of us knowing this news today. I wish Mr Lenihan all the best. I don't know if the decisions which he is making are right but I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless.

[magickingdom]

Typical sensational journalism from that daft bitch Ursula Halligan. An embarassment to journalism. No respect for the Minister or for his family. It is a private matter for them to grasp with and Christmas allows them the time to reflect on what he will need to do professionally. There is no benefit to any of us knowing this news today. I wish Mr Lenihan all the best. I don't know if the decisions which he is making are right but I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless.

well said, i believe him to be a genuine person doing his very best. he has been under some stress this past year and i hope all works out well for him

[Tony Baloney]

Is there anything in this story that couldn't have kept for a few weeks? Bullshit journalism the day after Christmas. Give the man break on his holidays whether you agree with his politics or not.

[INDIANA]

Is there anything in this story that couldn't have kept for a few weeks? Bullshit journalism the day after Christmas. Give the man break on his holidays whether you agree with his politics or not.

Couldn't agree more. Most journalists it seems would sell their own mother for a story.

[Rossfan]

Disagree with just about everything him and his Government have done but surely he could have been left in peace till Christmas weekend is over anyway.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Typical sensational journalism from that daft bitch Ursula Halligan. An embarassment to journalism. No respect for the Minister or for his family. It is a private matter for them to grasp with and Christmas allows them the time to reflect on what he will need to do professionally. There is no benefit to any of us knowing this news today. I wish Mr Lenihan all the best. I don't know if the decisions which he is making are right but I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless.

If this story is true - and if it's not it would have been denied by now - then TV3 had no option but to run with it once they knew it. News does not last - being first with a scoop counts. To suggest that the RTÉ had the story but were sitting on it out of some notion of nobility is to associate the National Broadcaster with ethics and standards that it seldom shows. If RTÉ didn't have the story earlier it's only because they're asleep at the wheel. High mindedness has nothing to do with it. Personal abuse of a reporter who is only doing her job is absolutely out of order.

Barney actually explains why TV3 and their "daft bitch" reporter had to run with the story himself, even though he doesn't realise it:

I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless

If Barney is correct in saying that without Lenihan the Government would have been absolutely rudderless, then the Government is now in that rudderless situation that Barney fears. Reporting that grim news indeed is the TV3 reporter's duty, as it absolutely in the public interest. It does not make her a "daft bitch." This is a legitimate news story. Terrible for the Minister and his family of course, but one with profound - profound - implications for the nation and the nation's future.

If you want to have a pop at the national media and their sense of priority there are loads of targets, but Ursula Halligan doing her job isn't one of them. If anyone wants to do anything useful, he or she can light two candles at Mass tomorrow. One for Brian Lenihan himself, one for the country, that they can find someone in the cabinet who has the skills to be Minister for Finance in the NAMA era. Because I ran through the candidates in my head just now, and the pickings are slim indeed.

[tyronefan]

very sad story

Sad first and foremost for him and his family but also for the country because he seems to be the only one in the government with a bit of cop on

[INDIANA]

Typical sensational journalism from that daft bitch Ursula Halligan. An embarassment to journalism. No respect for the Minister or for his family. It is a private matter for them to grasp with and Christmas allows them the time to reflect on what he will need to do professionally. There is no benefit to any of us knowing this news today. I wish Mr Lenihan all the best. I don't know if the decisions which he is making are right but I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless.

If this story is true - and if it's not it would have been denied by now - then TV3 had no option but to run with it once they knew it. News does not last - being first with a scoop counts. To suggest that the RTÉ had the story but were sitting on it out of some notion of nobility is to associate the National Broadcaster with ethics and standards that it seldom shows. If RTÉ didn't have the story earlier it's only because they're asleep at the wheel. High mindedness has nothing to do with it. Personal abuse of a reporter who is only doing her job is absolutely out of order.

Barney actually explains why TV3 and their "daft bitch" reporter had to run with the story himself, even though he doesn't realise it:

I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless

If Barney is correct in saying that without Lenihan the Government would have been absolutely rudderless, then the Government is now in that rudderless situation that Barney fears. Reporting that grim news indeed is the TV3 reporter's duty, as it absolutely in the public interest. It does not make her a "daft bitch." This is a legitimate news story. Terrible for the Minister and his family of course, but one with profound - profound - implications for the nation and the nation's future.

If you want to have a pop at the national media and their sense of priority there are loads of targets, but Ursula Halligan doing her job isn't one of them. If anyone wants to do anything useful, he or she can light two candles at Mass tomorrow. One for Brian Lenihan himself, one for the country, that they can find someone in the cabinet who has the skills to be Minister for Finance in the NAMA era. Because I ran through the candidates in my head just now, and the pickings are slim indeed.

I don't agree. Nobody dislikes FF more than me but TV3 were way out of line IMO. For starters its pure speculation it is pancreatic cancer- the fact is there has been no announcement to this effect from either him , his family or the Dail.
Secondly Halligan was on TV asking an oncologist on live TV as to the status of a possible condition the Minister may or may not have.
Scandalous journalism in my opinion and evident again its a profession only for chancers and people with all the good grace of someone like Stalin himself. Imagine if you were one of the Lenihan family watching that this evening. Outrageous in my opinion.

[IolarCoisCuain]

Typical sensational journalism from that daft bitch Ursula Halligan. An embarassment to journalism. No respect for the Minister or for his family. It is a private matter for them to grasp with and Christmas allows them the time to reflect on what he will need to do professionally. There is no benefit to any of us knowing this news today. I wish Mr Lenihan all the best. I don't know if the decisions which he is making are right but I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless.

If this story is true - and if it's not it would have been denied by now - then TV3 had no option but to run with it once they knew it. News does not last - being first with a scoop counts. To suggest that the RTÉ had the story but were sitting on it out of some notion of nobility is to associate the National Broadcaster with ethics and standards that it seldom shows. If RTÉ didn't have the story earlier it's only because they're asleep at the wheel. High mindedness has nothing to do with it. Personal abuse of a reporter who is only doing her job is absolutely out of order.

Barney actually explains why TV3 and their "daft bitch" reporter had to run with the story himself, even though he doesn't realise it:

I do believe that he is a genuine man doing an impossible job, but providing the leadership we need in such difficult times. Without him the Government would have been absolutely ruderless

If Barney is correct in saying that without Lenihan the Government would have been absolutely rudderless, then the Government is now in that rudderless situation that Barney fears. Reporting that grim news indeed is the TV3 reporter's duty, as it absolutely in the public interest. It does not make her a "daft bitch." This is a legitimate news story. Terrible for the Minister and his family of course, but one with profound - profound - implications for the nation and the nation's future.

If you want to have a pop at the national media and their sense of priority there are loads of targets, but Ursula Halligan doing her job isn't one of them. If anyone wants to do anything useful, he or she can light two candles at Mass tomorrow. One for Brian Lenihan himself, one for the country, that they can find someone in the cabinet who has the skills to be Minister for Finance in the NAMA era. Because I ran through the candidates in my head just now, and the pickings are slim indeed.

I don't agree. Nobody dislikes FF more than me but TV3 were way out of line IMO. For starters its pure speculation it is pancreatic cancer- the fact is there has been no announcement to this effect from either him , his family or the Dail.
Secondly Halligan was on TV asking an oncologist on live TV as to the status of a possible condition the Minister may or may not have.
Scandalous journalism in my opinion and evident again its a profession only for chancers and people with all the good grace of someone like Stalin himself. Imagine if you were one of the Lenihan family watching that this evening. Outrageous in my opinion.

I don't think it's speculation Indiana. If it was they would have stomped it by now. The story shows all the signs of being on the level.

I didn't see an interview with an oncologist or otherwise so I can't speculate on that. But of all the things that the Lenihan family are worrying about tonight, the standard of the Irish media isn't one of them. It really isn't. God give them strength.

[Minder]

What odds if he had cancer, leave him and his family in peace. It's not asif this is a Tiger Woods situation where he had to come out and feed the frenzy by making a statement. I have always maintained journalists are scummers yet some folk on this board take every word as gospel.

[IolarCoisCuain]

He's Minister for Finance Minder. He's the second most important person in the country, if not the most. That's why it's news.