Sir, - Kevin Myers (An Irishman's Diary, October 10th) does not give an adequate explanation of why there has been comparatively little coverage of the death of the Sunday World journalist Martin O'Hagan. Mr Myers wrote: "No skies fell in, nor vault opened, nor lightning smote." He blames "terrorists" in general, and the peace process in particular, without examining the facts of the case.
The reason lies with the facts that: (a) Martin O'Hagan was perceived as a nationalist, not just as a journalist (despite the fact that he was a socialist); (b) he was killed by a loyalist group.
Kevin Myers also appears unable to distinguish between loyalists, who target journalists for what they write and who have an undeveloped political culture, and republicans, who do not. Perhaps he does not want to face this empirically established fact in public.
Roy Greenslade, media correspondent of the Guardian, has made the point that that there is a "hierarchy of death" when it comes to devoting comparatively less political reaction and news media space to the deaths of nationalists in the media (when those responsible are loyalist paramilitaries). He has suggested that this is a reason why the LVF killing of Martin O'Hagen has received comparatively little coverage.
This problem has also affected coverage of the sectarian loyalist protest against children going to Holy Cross School. The reporting of this sectarian and semi-fascist protest against children and their parents damages perceptions of "loyalism" every time it is aired in the media.
For example, news of the exceptional and welcome decision of the British Conservative Party spokesman on the North to accompany the Holy Cross schoolchildren through the daily gauntlet of loyalist hostility was not reported in the Guardian and only barely made it to the bottom of page 9 of The Irish Times (October 3rd).
The Tory spokesman was called "Fenian scum" for his trouble by the (permanently) confused loyalists. A dramatic picture was available depicting this newsworthy event, but not used.
The situation is even worse now of course, because a journalist has been killed who effectively attempted to redress the balance by writing extensively on the activities of the LVF and other loyalist paramilitaries. Maybe that is why he was silenced.
Kevin Myers expressed concerns for his own personal safety. It seems obvious from a perusal of the facts that his fears are not justified, given that he incessantly attacks republicans and largely ignores the world of loyalist paramilitarism. - Yours, etc.,
Anne Speed, Offaly Road, Dublin 7.