While reading the IT yesterday evening within the first few pages Blurred Keys found a bit of disgusting news, maybe more disturbing, then disgusting. When one thinks the Irish Times couldn’t get worse under Madam Editor’s rein, the Irish Times has to prove one wrong.
The news in question was that a former political editor the Sunday Tribune is joining the Times as political editor. This shouldn’t evoke such a reaction, but while Mr Stephen Collins is a highly capable
journalist, some of his passionate rants at Tribune have shown has active and obsessive anti-republican streak.
An anti-republican streak would be justified if it stopped at a fully justified disgust for the Provos past use of violence, or even their use of a threat of violence. It’s possible I’m wrong, it is fully possible that Mr Collins’ obsessive ends there, but his past writings have convinced me otherwise. His writings have lead me to believe that he is of a mindset, or close to a mindset, or a mindset underlined by the idea that there is no place for the Provos in politics.
With the Indo now at the helm of the Tribune, one would have thought Collins would have been even more at home there, but with respect, maybe even he saw that paper’s move from the serious to there trivial. But then again, will he be even more at home at the PD Times of Geraldine Kennedy?
Of course, the Irish Times has always been known for its anti-republican leanings. But with a somewhat shift to a more neutral stance, or at least a perception of such, which may have ended with Brady’s role as editor, this is a step backwards.
It’s very much so open to Collins to prove me wrong, and for the sake of the Irish Times I hope he does.
The Irish Times states that the ‘common purpose’ of all who work for the paper is to “to publish an independent newspaper primarily concerned with serious issues for the benefit of the community throughout the whole of Ireland free from any form of personal or of party political, commercial, religious or other sectional control”. The Board, and more so the Trust of the paper, allowing PD-minded people take such a grip hold of the paper, looks to be failing in this matter.
Comments