Journalists in the UK are going through a hard time at the moment. So much so that one of our senior politicians suggested yesterday that we build a high wall around the offices of News Corp and call it HMP Wapping.
All a bit above my pay grade but I did get a bit wound up yesterday when I read an article about Sinead O'Connor published at the Mail On Line.
The article carried the headline 'Sinead O'Connor's sad slide from being pop's most ethereal beauty'. The article, though not the headline, was written by Richard Price.
I have contacted Richard and thank him for responding.
I was lucky enough to be in Manchester on 1st 2nd 3rd July and was able to take in Sinead's performances on those days at the festival.
Richard described Sinead at the gig as 'weary' and 'drab' I suspect anybody who was present in that theatre or the many many thousands who have seen the videos would find those comments difficult to accept.
To be fair he also commented 'When she opens her mouth to sing, however, the years melt away. Dipping and soaring in effortless grace, here is the incredible voice that launched Sinead O'Connor to global stardom 20 years ago.'
Just as well Richard - she was there as a singer not a model. Do we really expect a middle aged mother of four to look like she did when she was twenty - anyway she looked, and sounded, fine to me.
All these personal comments are bad enough but what really got me going was his comment
'Those closest to Sinead say her slow descent started in 1992 after an ill-advised stunt on the American TV show Saturday Night Live when she ripped up a photograph of the Pope.
It was intended as a protest against child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. A laudable cause, but the timing was wrong. This was years before these problems were fully exposed to the world. People didn't believe her. Sinead was decried as a fanatic and her career imploded.
Two weeks later she was booed off stage at a tribute concert for her idol, Bob Dylan, her records were publicly smashed and her years of plenty were over'
So Sinead was in possession of information regarding institutional abuse of children and its concealment in 1992. She had the courage to stand up and expose that abuse and set a ball rolling which has still a way to go. How nice if 'investigative journalists' had had the courage and initiative to do the same. Just how many children were saved from prolonged misery by her action we shall never know but one thing is certain - she put the kids welfare before her career. We should question the values of anybody who suggests that she was wrong. Anybody who describes her action, particularly after the revelations of the past twenty years, as a 'stunt' should be ashamed.
As for the rest of the article - Sinead is a singer, Richard is a journalist and I will not take pics of them on their doorstep, I will not delve into their family history, their state of health, mental or physical, their relationships or indeed the way they choose to live their life - but then I am old fashioned.
With regard to the contribution attributed to Fachtna can I recall 'old fred'
'You must still have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star'
I made my view clear to Richard and he responded -
Are you upset with me? Article I filed was longer, more sympathetic and didn't have that awful headline #ishouldhaveknownbetter
and again
for the record I think Sinead's new material is stunning, and said as much in my (subsequently heavily subbed) piece. #sigh
Well at least there we are in agreement. The Cloyne Report will be published at 3pm on 13th July 2011. How nice if Richard could use his talents to research and report on that issue.
Richard's article can be found here