Leanna Byrne
News Editor
TellUsWhy.ie, which relaunched on October 3, provides candidates in the presidential election with the opportunity to tell voters what qualifies them to be Ireland’s head of state.
TellUsWhy is a non-partisan initiative founded prior to the 2011 General Election by then Trinity undergraduate Daniel Philbin Bowman. The project has been an overwhelming success with over 70,000 hits and featuring in the national press.
The website displayed each candidate’s information in an “accessible and comparable” way for voters. Its goal is to provide voters with relevant candidate information in an objective and consistent format, examining the candidates’ stance on everything from the role of the President to secularisation in Irish society.
Speaking earlier this week at a Trinity College event, project coordinator Patrick Lynch said, “In any profession, career advancement is based on merit, and we at Tell Us Why are adamant that politics should be no different. We will ask each of the candidates identical questions and allow the electorate to decide for themselves who is best qualified to become the next President of Ireland”.
Telluswhy.ie claims that they are “not a soapbox, nor is it a debating forum”. It allows the public to see candidates respond in their own way to the same questions to facilitate comparison.
Managing director Niall Morahan said, “We’re not here to sway voters in any particular direction, our mission is simply to strip away the spin, allowing the public to make confident, informed decisions when casting their votes.”
TellUsWhy will be communicating throughout the election period on Twitter @tell_us_why and on www.TellUsWhy.ie.
TellUsWhy is a non-partisan initiative founded prior to the 2011 General Election by then Trinity undergraduate Daniel Philbin Bowman. The project has been an overwhelming success with over 70,000 hits and featuring in the national press.
The website displayed each candidate’s information in an “accessible and comparable” way for voters. Its goal is to provide voters with relevant candidate information in an objective and consistent format, examining the candidates’ stance on everything from the role of the President to secularisation in Irish society.
Speaking earlier this week at a Trinity College event, project coordinator Patrick Lynch said, “In any profession, career advancement is based on merit, and we at Tell Us Why are adamant that politics should be no different. We will ask each of the candidates identical questions and allow the electorate to decide for themselves who is best qualified to become the next President of Ireland”.
Telluswhy.ie claims that they are “not a soapbox, nor is it a debating forum”. It allows the public to see candidates respond in their own way to the same questions to facilitate comparison.
Managing director Niall Morahan said, “We’re not here to sway voters in any particular direction, our mission is simply to strip away the spin, allowing the public to make confident, informed decisions when casting their votes.”
TellUsWhy will be communicating throughout the election period on Twitter @tell_us_why and on www.TellUsWhy.ie.
