Editorial A free press

The first victim of war is truth. And more often than not, it’s those covering war who bear the initial brunt of oppression. But even in peace time, there are those who dislike the message so much they decide to kill the messenger. The 1997 assassination in Dublin of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin was a case in point.

At present, one can point to reporters trying to cover the current situation in Kosovo, among them Irish-born Peter Finn of the Washington Post. Finn, as well as other Western reporters, were arrested by Serbian policemen last week, detained for hours, questioned and then expelled.

In an interview with this newspaper from Frankfurt last Friday, Finn said, quite correctly, as it turned out, that there was fears that Serbian forces would take out their fury on ordinary Kosovars. The current exodus of refugees from Kosovo, as well as their heart-rending stories, leave little room to doubt that once the reporters were gone, the brutal process of ethnic cleansing moved into high gear.

The story Finn and other reporters are now covering in central Europe may, at the outset, seem far removed from Irish America. However, it’s a safe bet to assume that among the U.S. pilots flying over Serbia and Kosovo these days are some Irish Americans. We pray for their safe return to their families.

On a more academic, and even perhaps more profound level, however, is the role of a free press, a basic ingredient of any truly free and democratic society. Irish Americans, like the Kosovars, comprise an ethnic group, and for any ethnic group, it could be argued that nothing’s more important that its voice. Irish America, always conscious of the value of the printed word, can boast its own rich media history. Irish American newspapers have, for decades, been the messengers, disseminating news and airing diverse opinions, as well as reflecting the trials and tribulations of a vibrant, ever-changing community.

For that, Irish America is the better, just as is any society that cherishes the freedom of its press. Even if both are not always in agreement, all of the time.