A leading columnist has accused the Irish media for being “completely corrupt” on the issue of child abuse. 
Speaking on Newstalk, Irish Times and Mail on Sunday columnist John Waters (pictured) said that the coverage of Senator David Norris’ request for clemency in respect of for his former partner who was convicted of the statutory rape of a 15 year old boy and the coverage of sex abuse by Catholic priests were in complete contrast.
This contrast, he said, was also in evidence in respect of the media treatment of Irish language poet Cathal O’Searcaigh, who has also been accused of engaging in sexually exploitative relationships.
Mr Waters suggested that the contrast posed the question as to whether the aim of those covering clerical child abuse was simply to attak the Church.
Mr Waters said: “Really you have to ask the question, coming out, seeping out from all under this: Are the people who talk about paedophilia now in our society, are they really serious about it, or are they simply using it as an instrument to destroy the Catholic Church?”
He also suggested that his own paper’s defence of Senator Norris meant it had no credibility in respect of condemning child abuse.
He said: “What credibility do these people have now, when they continue to defend this man, who has defended a paedophile in a legal procedure, and has also sought to use his influence as a public figure to change our minds with regards to our attitudes to paedophilia.
“What credibility do the Irish Times have, writing editorials about Bishop Magee or any other bishop, if it continues to defend David Norris. None! None!”
He added that journalists who pointed to this double standard in respect of Senator Norris, a leading gay rights campaigner “barely have the right to point it out for fear that we ourselves will be daubed with this homophobe brush”.
Newspapers and other media outlets, he said, were “either in the business of journalism or we’re not”.
“If we’re in the business of campaigning then let’s set our newspapers and our television and radio stations up as political parties and forget about journalism, because that’s basically what we’re doing,” Mr Waters said.
