THE STOOGE ?

The more I look at all the evidence around the persecution of Albert Folens in Ireland, the more I am convinced there is a bigger game playing out here than I have understood to date.

There is some mystery about how the "informed journalist and author of the highest integrity" got put onto Albert Folens in the first place. It has been claimed that it was some "prelate" or other who indicated to the journalist's family that Folens' wartime past was not all that it seemed to be.

Then there was the journalist attaching to his letter, seeking the dirt on Folens, two photographs which could only have been obtained orginally from someone who had access to confidential official records.

And this confident assertion in the journalist's letter

He is charged with having killed, tortured, and mistreated Belgians in Brussels and in other locations, 1940-44. But his file is private.

Whoever told the journalist this clearly raised his expectations of an all-time scoop, rooting out a brutal Nazi war criminal in our midst. Perhaps that is why he didn't recognise the scoop he actually got out of his interview. It was too mild when measured against his inflated expectations. He clearly believed his source and continued going for the jugular despite a complete lack of evidence or corroboration. This was not the sort of journalism I aspired to in my youth.

A possible additional factor to bear in mind is the all out war between educational book publishers which emerged as soon as Folens looked like becoming a significant force in the market in the 1960s. I don't know how long this continued but it's worth remembering that the existing publishers would probably have had a close relationship with the religious (and particularly the teaching orders) and the church. Certainly in the early days of that war, publishers had succeeded in getting Folens publications banned in a number of bookshops.

Given his penchant for presenting speculation as hard evidence, I wonder did the journalist think, when he found out Folens' file was private, that this was further evidence that he must have committed some really horrible crimes. Just wondering.

Now let the "informed journalist and author of the highest integrity" get his teeth into this mystery. He would certainly have a head start. He could start by revealing who got this ball rolling in the first place.

Anyway these are my thoughts for now. A reasonable working hypothesis which I hope to develop further over time.

And just in case the journalist thinks he's off the hook, here is an extract from the NUJ code of conduct, which journalists are expected to observe.

A journalist:

• Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair.
  
• Does her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies.
  
• Differentiates between fact and opinion.
  
• Does nothing to intrude into anybody’s private life, grief or distress unless justified by overriding consideration of the public interest.

https://www.nuj.org.uk/about-us/rules-and-guidance/code-of-conduct.html


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