Finding Ways to Localize the Irish catholic Abuse Story, Al Tompkins, Poynter Online, May 21, 2009

Finding Ways to Localize the Irish-catholic Abuse Story

By Al Tompkins
Poynter Online
May 21, 2009

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2&aid=164045

Al Tompkins

I opened the paper Thursday morning and saw an Associated Press story about an investigation that uncovered years of child abuse in Ireland at the hands of Catholic priests and nuns. The abuse victims are now 40 or 50 years old. We can suppose that many of the abusers are dead.

The story shook me.

Gena Fitzgerald, executive director of the Journalism Center on Children & Families, pointed out in a note to me this morning that this story has local implications. In her letter below, she provides some related background:

"Though the report is focused on Ireland, it's important for journalists to note the ripple effects here in the U.S. The abuse spanned a period from the 1930s to the 1990s, and some victims are now adults living in the U.S. Over the years, they've traveled to Ireland to testify and to lobby for an official investigation. There are also reports that priests accused of abuse were not only transferred to parishes within Ireland, but sent to other countries, including the U.S.

"But the greatest fallout from the report is perhaps the fact that none of the abusers are named. Christian Brothers, a Catholic order that ran several of the institutions, successfully sued to protect the names of all of its members, dead or alive. There will be no criminal prosecutions. Survivors groups throughout the U.S. are outraged, believing that monetary payouts to victims may not be full justice if the names of the abusers remain a secret. Terence McKiernan, president of the U.S. group BishopAccountability.org, told Reuters the report had failed by not going far enough.

"The Journalism Center is featuring a series of backgrounders on how to report on child sexual abuse. Visit "Beyond the Headlines" for tips and ideas on how to cover a difficult issue. You can also read an interview with journalist Kristen Lombardi, who covered the Boston clergy child abuse scandal."