Overall, Veronica Guerin was full of truths. It had aspects of truthiness in it, just as most movies do, but most of the truthiness that was included was in minor details of some of the scenes (as stated in the Truth vs. Truthiness tab).
Framing also played a role in Veronica Guerin. One of the first frames in the movie is how awful the conditions in Ireland were, due to the massive drug problems. The movie shows the drug ghetto with needles everywhere and little children playing with them. This sets the stage for Veronica to “save the day.” It also leads into Veronica being framed as a hero throughout the movie. Veronica consistently keeps up a courageous front that she only lets down once, in front of her husband. Even then she tells him not to tell anyone that she was ever like that. This is a frame as well to show that underneath Veronica was a regular person, terrified of what could happen. On the outside, Veronica desires to be seen as a woman with no fears or worries. She wants to make a difference in Ireland and help to solve the massive drug problem. Veronica talks about her articles as meaningless before she begins writing about the drug problem, and after she changes her subject matter she is constantly excited and wants to solve it single-handedly if necessary. Even after Veronica has shots fired into her home, is shot in the leg, and is brutally beaten she doesn’t give up. Much of this heroic behavior is an actual portrayal of reality.
The only scene that made the audience question her perfection is the scene where she is unsure of what birthday present she got her son. This scene offended many Irish people and caused a bit of an uproar in Ireland, but the director put it in because he, along with the other filmmakers, felt that Veronica wasn’t a very good mother. Other people thought this as well, mostly people not from Ireland. Because it supported the filmmaker’s view of Veronica, this scene was a frame as well, but from an opposite viewpoint of the hero frame.
When her husband and other family members question her work ethic, Veronica brushes their concerns away. She appears to be focused solely on her “investigation.” This frame could be seen in two ways, either Veronica is determined and refuses to be dissuaded from what she feels is her duty, or Veronica is so concerned about what she sees as her duty that she ignores her family’s wishes and safety. The first way is how most audience members took it, due to their selective perception (see media effects). Irish people, then and now, refuse to see Veronica as anyone other than a heroic journalist who “saved” Ireland from drugs.
Part of this heroic view of Veronica came from the ideologies that the Irish had at the time. The Irish had a very traditional view of family. They believed that the husband should work and the wife should remain at home with the children. Much of this belief came from the dominant religions in Ireland, which were Protestant, Roman Catholic and Christianity. Another ideology that impacted the movie is the patriarchal society that existed in Ireland. Veronica didn’t follow either of these ideologies; rather, she fought against them. The drug barons expected her to cave into their threats and stop her reporting. Women weren’t even supposed to have jobs, let alone fight for what they believe in, yet Veronica did both. Even as a child, Veronica participated and competed with the boys. She believed in herself and her abilities and knew that she was just as good as the boys. Veronica loved soccer and never thought of it as a “boy’s sport.”
Although Veronica breaks through these ideologies, in some ways she maintains them as well. Her biggest incentive for writing her articles is to save the thousands of children who are dying due to drugs. She talks about her concerns and worries about these children and the future of Ireland. This is how women in Ireland should be- caring, loving and concerned. It is necessary for the filmmakers to show this side of Veronica as well as the tough side (just as they showed her break down to her husband) because it helps her feel more normal and makes her easier for the audience to relate to and understand.
Discovering the history of Ireland and Veronica helps to put the movie into perspective.
The history of the drug lords helps to explain how they got to be in the high position they were in and what played a role in their criminal lives. Many of the drug lords began participating in criminal activities at a very young age and their crimes continued escalating as they got older. Knowing this helps to make clear that although the drug lords were framed to appear evil in the movie, in reality they were evil.
The history of drug use in Ireland goes back a long way. Drugs in Ireland became more and more accepted and eventually became seen as “normal”. The drug lords became so powerful and rich that the local police couldn’t stop them. The drug lords had a huge influence over the public, and especially the youth. This problem is the basis for the movie. Going back to the hero frame, Ireland’s drug issues are framed to be seen as a massive problem that must be fixed in order to make Veronica look even more like a hero. If drugs were a small problem, it wouldn’t be as big of a victory when Veronica beat the drug lords. However, with or without the hero aspect, this frame is an accurate portrayal of drug issues in Ireland during that time.
Throughout the movie, Veronica Guerin, the theme is the same: good vs. evil. Veronica is the good, while the drug barons are the evil. In the end, even though Veronica is murdered, the good wins because of how the movie describes the difference she made in Ireland and in the drug war.
There was little coverage about Veronica Guerin's story in the United States media. The reason behind this has to do with both the media's reporting and with what American citizens want to read about. The media did not view this story as applicable to their readers, partly because it did not happen in the United States and partly because Ireland's drug problem is so much more extreme than the United States'. There was one very informative article about Veronica in the New York Times, but even this article was not published until four months after her death. This NY Times article portrayed Veronica as a hero who played a large role in saving Ireland from being overrun by drugs and drug lords. In the Utah papers, there were very few articles and many had limited details and information.
The media writes for American citizens, and oftentimes citizens aren't as interested in reading about what is going on in other countries, even when it concerns something as important as the story of Veronica Guerin. If Americans don't see a news story as relating directly to them, they are more likely to just skim over it. The media knows this and must write to accomodate it.
Even with the truthiness aspects of the Veronica Guerin movie, the movie was a pretty accurate portrayal of reality. The frames and them of the movie helped the audience to better understand what happened to Veronica and why she was murdered. Veronica Guerin also helped people in the United States to become more aware of the life of Veronica and what she accomplished.
There was little coverage about Veronica Guerin's story in the United States media. The reason behind this has to do with both the media's reporting and with what American citizens want to read about. The media did not view this story as applicable to their readers, partly because it did not happen in the United States and partly because Ireland's drug problem is so much more extreme than the United States'. There was one very informative article about Veronica in the New York Times, but even this article was not published until four months after her death. This NY Times article portrayed Veronica as a hero who played a large role in saving Ireland from being overrun by drugs and drug lords. In the Utah papers, there were very few articles and many had limited details and information.
The media writes for American citizens, and oftentimes citizens aren't as interested in reading about what is going on in other countries, even when it concerns something as important as the story of Veronica Guerin. If Americans don't see a news story as relating directly to them, they are more likely to just skim over it. The media knows this and must write to accomodate it.
Even with the truthiness aspects of the Veronica Guerin movie, the movie was a pretty accurate portrayal of reality. The frames and them of the movie helped the audience to better understand what happened to Veronica and why she was murdered. Veronica Guerin also helped people in the United States to become more aware of the life of Veronica and what she accomplished.
