Traditionally offering musical programming, KPFT’s Sunday night ‘Irish Aires’ dedicated a show in August to the peace crisis in Northern Ireland. Adopting a talk show format, the program offered listeners an education and a venue to voice often-unheard opinions. Members from the Houston unit of Irish Northern Aid presented a brief history and analysis of current events surrounding the peace process. It was a refreshing voice rarely heard in conventional media, in particular our own Houston Chronicle. Live audience participation was welcomed and encouraged, and subsequent feedback was virtually 100 percent favorable.

Forty-four million Americans lay claim to an Irish heritage. And the large population of both Irish Americans and native Irish residing in the Houston area supports a wide array of Irish cultural, social and political organizations. Probably newest on the scene, though no less enthusiastic, is the local chapter of Irish Northern Aid (INA). Formed after Sinn Féin president Gerry Adam’s visit to our city over 2 years ago, the Houston chapter boasts members not only from all sectors of the community but from varied political and religious persuasions. As a nonprofit American organization, INA has, for over 30 years, provided support through political action and educational outreach for the cause of a united and democratic Ireland, independent and free of British misrule. Working with charitable trusts in Ireland, INA has offered financial aid to the families of Republican prisoners. The organization’s role evolved after the1998 peace accord, and now not only supports the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners but also the sustained political struggle for the right of the Irish people to national self-determination.

Eight centuries of British colonialism endeavored to extinguish the indomitable Irish spirit. The language and religion were forbidden. The land confiscated. And while shiploads of food left Irish ports under guard, the people starved. The country was ultimately and cruelly partitioned. Yet three years ago citizens on both sides of Ireland’s artificial border overwhelming ratified the "Good Friday Agreement" in search of a peaceful solution. Provisions mandated therein included a power-sharing government, police reform, demilitarization and a wide array of civil and human rights agendas. However pandering to a minority of obstructionists averse to concepts of democracy, London has yet to implement even one provision as ratified creating the current precarious political vacuum. Rather than honoring its commitment, the British government has turned a blind eye while one diversionary tactic after another, including the most recent clamor for unilateral decommissioning, are allowed to forestall Ireland’s inevitable, peaceful and democratic future. Consequently, the basic human and civil rights inherently due all citizens are now deemed negotiable ‘concessions’. The province's sectarian police force, censured for years by numerous human rights organizations and governments including our own, remains intact. The power-sharing government has been artificially and repeatedly dissolved and duly elected nationalist representatives are illegally barred from performing their functions. And notwithstanding seven years of cease-fire, Irish citizens such as those in the farming community of South Armagh continue to suffer absolute invasive surveillance tactics consequent to living in the most heavily militarized area of Western Europe.

Given our own country's history, any American, regardless of ancestry, can readily relate to the cause of Irish freedom. Furthermore, if armed with the truth, Americans would assuredly be appalled by the current situation and leap to champion Ireland’s cause. Great Britain may be our strongest ally but at what price do we sell out those principles for which Americans sacrificed their lives for over 200 years ago? But unfortunately mainstream media has failed miserably to provide Americans accurate and unbiased reporting of Northern Ireland. And despite the fact the Internet has all but torn asunder the once well-fortified British media curtain, progress remains slow. Local television coverage of ‘world news’ is dominated (and trivialized) by human-interest stories seemingly intent on ‘dumbing down’ the public. And newspapers, finding it more economically palatable to proffer articles from wire sources, invariably regurgitate well-crafted British spin.

Without a doubt, the news reporting offered to our European neighbors gives them a far keener sense of life here than we’ll regrettably ever know of them. And it is unfortunate for Houstonians that despite its size the Chronicle not only consistently and repeatedly fails to offer readers anything more than heavily biased reports and editorials but appears to censor any and all opposing views.

Bobby Sands, the first of 10 men who died on a hunger strike 20 years ago for the cause of Irish freedom and human rights, once said, ‘Everyone… has his part to play.’ It would appear my own part has evolved into addressing media concerns, notably demanding of reporters and editors accurate and unbiased reporting as it pertains to the six occupied counties. I can modestly claim nearly 100 letters published not only in the North and in the Republic of Ireland but also in US papers including USA Today, Newsday, The New York Daily News, The Chicago Tribune, and The Dallas Morning News, among others. Yet despite the fact that I have tendered rebuttals to each and every biased report and editorial printed in the Chronicle for the past two years not one has merited publication. Six months ago I enlisted assistance from other well-credentialed and editorially successful activists both here and in Northern Ireland yet the Chronicle still curiously refuses to acknowledge any opposing views. Furthermore, two professional members of our unit, one an attorney, recently petitioned the senior Chronicle editor for a meeting to discuss the issue. The subsequent rejection was curt and patronizing at best.

We firmly support the Chronicle's right to editorial bias. But that which appears to be nothing more than groundless, patent censorship of alternative views and the marginalization of a substantial number of subscribers cannot be tolerated. The right of the public to demand accurate reporting is as important as access to same. When factual information is no further away than the click of mouse, media outlets aspiring to survive would do well to take heed of the breadth and intelligence of their audience. And the Houston Chronicle would do well to realize it will not succeed where 800 years of British oppression has failed.

The Irish voice will be heard.

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