Is collusion news?

[JFH]

The Irish News carried a front page story on what appears to have been endemic collusion in the UDR, collusion which the British Government seems to have been well aware of and which it took little or no action to eradicate. On the contrary some evidence appears to point to the state making use of this channel to the Loyalist terrorists to up the ante in the war against the IRA. The Irish Independent on its online site also carried a short on the story in its 'Breaking News' section yesterday.

Expecting a fuller exposition on the story in the Independent today I had a browse online today, but, lo, not a word. Instead I was able to get myself bang up to date on the minutae of Nessan Quinlivan's accommodation difficulties.

I would have thought completely ignoring a story as significant as this collusion story appears to be might be classed as a rather negligent decision by the editor. But, how a story on the Nessan Quinlivan's planning problems could be viewed as being of more relevance to the people of Ireland I'm at a loss to understand.

[civic_critic]

Simple. The Micks deserve to be shot, nobody can be surprised about that. Sure they brought it on themselves after all - they're criminal by nature, just look at their simian foreheads for god's sake! Totally different to the appalling violence these thugs visit upon Roman ... I mean, British citizens.

[cain1798]

I would have thought completely ignoring a story as significant as this collusion story appears to be might be classed as a rather negligent decision by the editor. But, how a story on the Nessan Quinlivan's planning problems could be viewed as being of more relevance to the people of Ireland I'm at a loss to understand.

Not negligent, deliberate.

Start from the basis that the current editor of the Irish Independent is a virulently anti-republican hack even by Independent House standards.

Any story that could be seen as supporting Sinn Féin or Sinn Féin's analysis or Sinn Féin's claims on collusion is to be undermined or, if possible, ignored.

Any story that attacks or undermines Sinn Féin, republicans, ex-prisoners and so on is to be inflated.

The news values in the Irish Independent are neither negligent nor inexplicable, you just need to start from the right place and it all makes sense.