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NUJ demands justice for Martin O’Hagan The Truth Matters


The NUJ has accused the British and Irish governments of turning a blind eye to the failure of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to secure a conviction for the murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan. In a joint statement marking the 19th anniversary of the murder of the Sunday World journalist, Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary, and Séamus Dooley, assistant general secretary, called on the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Micheál Martin to support the union’s demand for an independent, international investigation into the killing. The NUJ statement said: "The two governments


By Jon Williams RTÉ News has launched a high-profile campaign built around one simple statement: “The truth matters”. ‘Fake news’ is nothing new. Three hundred years ago,


Jonathan Swift warned that “falsehood flies and the truth comes limping after it”. Swift, born in Dublin and educated at Trinity, is best


The late Martin O’Hagan. Photo: Kevin Cooper


known for 'Gulliver’s Travels’. But he was also a journalist, editing London’s Examiner newspaper for four years. So, he knew the importance of fact as well as fiction. But three centuries later, with the world in the grip of the global coronavirus pandemic, the truth is under attack like never before. The World Health Organisation says it is not just


can no longer turn a blind eye to the failure of the policing authorities to properly investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the murder of Martin O’Hagan. "There are many unsolved murders in Northern


Ireland and the pain and suffering of Martin’s family, colleagues and friends is shared by too many families and communities across Northern Ireland. “In the case of Martin O’Hagan the identity of the


perpetrators of this vile murder has been openly discussed in the media yet no one has been convicted of his murder.” The statement continued: "He was murdered


because he was fearless in pursuit of the truth. Martin always asked the difficult questions. Today, we ask - why are two governments who condemn the undermining of human rights across the globe apparently content with the failure to secure a conviction for the murder of a journalist in Northern Ireland?


"On this the 19th anniversary of the killing in


Lurgan on 28 September 2001 we once again call on the British and Irish governments to give priority to investigating the murder of Martin O’Hagan. "Only an independent, external investigation can


allay the strong suspicion that those responsible for ordering the killing and those who carried out the murder may be immune from prosecution. If there has been official collusion of any type by anyone associated directly or indirectly with the police that must be exposed. “Journalists in Northern Ireland continue to face


threats and intimidation. Recently freelance journalist Patricia Devlin made public the appalling threats made to her, her infant child and family over the last 12 months. Journalists from the Irish News and Sunday World have also faced serious threats in recent months. Against this backdrop failure to secure convictions for the murder of Martin O’Hagan emboldens those who see themselves as being above the law."


fighting an epidemic. It has warned of an “infodemic” of fake news that spreads faster and more easily than Covid-19, and is just as dangerous. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that false information on social media spreads six times faster than the truth. Harmful health advice and wild conspiracy theories posted online have helped to drive polarisation, deception and fear. Ironically, the pandemic has also driven demand for the


exact opposite: rigorous, fact-based journalism, from traditional, trusted news sources. Covid means more people than ever are reading, watching and listening to what journalists produce. Facts, and expertise matter more now than ever, and not just from RTÉ. But the challenges facing our industry have never been


greater. Even pre-Covid, the business of journalism was struggling. The numbers reading newspapers and watching linear TV are falling. So too is commercial revenue. But the pandemic has become an existential threat to many newsrooms. On both sides of the Atlantic, those who seek to delegitimise journalism are massing. In Ireland, so-called “anti-mask” campaigners claim Covid is a hoax and have accused the media of conspiracy. In the United States, as election day approached, routine verbal attacks on the media had grown into targeted physical attacks against journalists. Their aim is the same – to sow suspicion and doubt. That’s why, at this key moment, RTÉ News launched


“The truth matters” campaign, designed to make the audience question where they get their news. Running on radio, TV, in print and on social, the campaign seeks to draw a clear distinction between accurately sourced news and the rage and noise in social media. Irish journalism matters – and, collectively, we have a


good story to tell. On local radio, in print, online and on- air, Ireland’s journalists worked through the State’s lockdown, ensuring our audiences had the information they needed to remain safe. In the words of then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, we "redefined what frontline work really means”. As scientists race to find a vaccine for Covid-19, the


antidote to that “infodemic” of fake news is all around us: verified, scientific, fact-based reporting and analysis, on air, in print and online. The truth matters.


— The Irish Journalist invited Jon Williams, managing


director of RTÉ News and Current Affairs, to talk about the new RTÉ campaign, The Truth Matters.


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