Donaldson's defence says his convictions 'obliterate' his achievements; The Irish Times leads instead with the 'lengthy sentence' he accepts
The former DUP leader was in court on Friday before being sentenced for abusing two girls. Irish outlets led with different things: his barrister's words, the sentence he faces, or the victims in the room.
What happened. Jeffrey Donaldson, the former DUP leader, sat in the dock at Newry Crown Court on Friday for a pre-sentence hearing, The Irish Times reports. His barrister, Kieran Vaughan KC, told the court: "I readily accept that these convictions obliterate all those achievements that he has made in his life." The defence accepted that a "lengthy custodial sentence" would follow.
Three outlets, three leads.
| Outlet | What it leads with | Its word for the crimes |
|---|---|---|
| The Irish Times | the "lengthy sentence" | "child sex offences" |
| TheJournal.ie | the barrister's "obliterate" | "sex crime convictions" |
| RTÉ News | the victims facing him "across a courtroom" | "abusing them as schoolgirls" |
The victims. In the text we hold, only The Irish Times carries their impact statements, which the prosecutor, Rosemary Walsh, read out. One victim described the abuse as the "worst moments of her life". The other said her childhood had been "stolen".
The prosecution. Only TheJournal.ie carries the prosecution's line that the "aggravating factors are considerable".
Not settled. - The sentence. The judge, Paul Ramsey, said he would sentence Donaldson "as soon as I can next month". Only The Irish Times reports this. - The convictions. The Irish Times reports that Donaldson is seeking to appeal them. - We hold only one line each from TheJournal.ie and RTÉ News. Their full reports may carry more.
What this is about. A former leader of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party is waiting to be sentenced for sexually abusing two girls.
How it got here. Jeffrey Donaldson was one of the most senior unionists in Northern Ireland. He was MP for Lagan Valley from 1997. He sat first for the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), then for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which he joined in 2004. He became DUP leader in 2021. He led the party through its boycott of the power-sharing government at Stormont, a protest against the trade arrangements that followed Brexit. The boycott ended in February 2024. In March 2024 he was charged with historical sexual offences. He resigned as leader and was suspended from the party.
In June, a jury found him guilty of 18 offences committed between 1985 and 2008, The Irish Times reports: one count of rape, four of gross indecency with or towards a child and 13 of indecent assault. The verdicts were unanimous. The two victims were children when the abuse happened. By law they cannot be named.
The actors. Donaldson, who is seeking to appeal his convictions, The Irish Times reports. His two victims. Judge Paul Ramsey, who will pass sentence. Donaldson's wife, Eleanor, whom a trial of the facts found to have aided his offending. She plans to appeal that finding.
What is at stake. How long a man who helped shape Northern Ireland's politics for almost three decades will spend in prison. And how the parties he belonged to deal with it: The Irish Times reports that the UUP is running a safeguarding review.
Where it stands. Donaldson is held at Maghaberry Prison. The judge has said he will sentence him next month.
What is being argued about
- What the defence conceded: a lengthy prison sentence
- What the victims told the court through their impact statements
- How each outlet named the crimes
- When sentencing will happen, and the planned appeal
Claims and verdicts
Jeffrey Donaldson facing ‘lengthy sentence’ for child sex offences, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
Donaldson conviction obliterates achievements, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
T
TheJournal.ie
The 5 at 5: Friday
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Jeffrey Donaldson facing ‘lengthy sentence’ for child sex offences, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Jeffrey Donaldson facing ‘lengthy sentence’ for child sex offences, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
Who wrote it
Coverage, outlet by outlet
The 5 at 5: Friday
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at TheJournal.ie →
What we have measured
Accuracy of attribution The report calls the Tánaiste the Taoiseach partway through. That puts his words under another office. ×1Accusation carried without a reply a charge against a named party, no answer from it in the text held ×1Actor labelling calls the accusers 'opposition parties' when the named accuser is the deputy First Minister ×1Actor mislabelled The first line calls the accusers 'opposition parties', but the accuser quoted is the DUP deputy First Minister, who sits in the same executive ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
—
Jeffrey Donaldson facing ‘lengthy sentence’ for child sex offences, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at The Irish Times →
What we have measured
Actor framing The release is framed as a joint agreement, with no pressure mentioned ×1Actor named Names the residents as the ones who blocked the road ×1Actor named killers named as 'loyalist gunmen'; verb 'shot dead' ×1With no actor named construction no actor named for the theft or the driving in the standfirst ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
—
Donaldson conviction obliterates achievements, court told
Open this report in The AI Times →
Read it at RTÉ News →
What we have measured
Abstraction as the actor the dispute acts and no one in it is named ×1Account taken as default the police description of the crowd as 'hostile' is carried with no other account ×1Accuracy the Slovenia entry in the country list repeats Austria's name ×1Active voice offender Donaldson is named as the one who did the abuse, in the active voice. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
— PUBLIC
ABC News (Australia)
ABC News (Australia)
🇦🇺AU ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Actor label and hedge The same man is called 'far-right' and named by his legal name. The act is hedged with 'allegedly', where the longer report states it flat. ×1A different count, stated flat one dead and 140 missing, unattributed, earliest of the four ×1Affected counted The only report to count the local people affected ×1Are the dead named one of the dead named, through a relative at the hospital ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Guardian
The Guardian
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Actor named Denial in the passive voice, with no one named as the person who dismissed it ×1Actor named names Israel as acting and states the death toll flat, with no source ×1Actor named Ireland named as the side that ended the conference ×1Allegation omitted the police statement is cut with an ellipsis where the other two reports carry the controlling or coercive behaviour allegation ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
C
CBC News
BBC News
BBC News
🇬🇧UK ·
public broadcaster · public-service
What we have measured
Dating and attribution 'It was not until Tuesday' is a judgement about delay, not a date. No other report we hold comments on how long the German finding took. ×1How hard the claim is stated Headline says the UN voted to adopt and replace; the last sentence of the report says the vote is non-binding ×1How hard the claim is stated The qualification arrives in the last sentence and is immediately overridden by an effect the report gives no source for. ×1Which figure is used States the replacement as done — the Assembly voted to replace the map — where the resolution urges states to use a different projection. ×1
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →
The Times
The Times
🇬🇧UK ·
newspaper · independent
What we have measured
Outlet profile in The AI Times →