Bill Donohue comments on how the media have covered the Tuam, Ireland “mass grave” story:
No media outlet has done a more consistently accurate job reporting the “mass grave” story than the New York Times. Not only did it not fall for this bogus story when it first surfaced in 2014, it actually poked holes in it. Its coverage in 2017 has also been flawless. Kudos to the Cleveland Plain Dealer for picking up the Times story.
Unlike other Irish sources, the Irish Echo got this story correct.
The BBC fell for the “mass grave” bunk in 2014. Now in 2017, it had covered this story accurately, absent any sensationalistic talk about a “mass grave,” until late Tuesday, when it used the term in reporting on comments from Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The International Business Times initially ran with the “mass grave” story, but then it offered a very fair account of my criticisms of it. It is to be commended for its balanced reporting.
Reuters had a mixed record: some stories mentioned the “mass grave” and others did not.
The following media outlets ran at least one story on the “mass grave.” No source was worse than AP: two years ago it ran an apology for faulty reporting on this subject, and this year it was just as inaccurate. Worse, its stories are picked up nationwide by other media outlets, thus spreading the fake news about a “mass grave.”
Wire Services
AP
UPI
U.S. Print Media
Time (AP)
Washington Post
Daily News (AP)
New York Post (AP)
Newsday (AP)
USA Today
Chicago Tribune (AP)
Boston Globe
Los Angeles Times (AP)
Wall Street Journal
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (AP)
Atlanta Journal Constitution (AP)
Orange County Register (AP)
Sacramento Bee (AP)
Tampa Bay Times (AP)
Star Tribune (AP)
San Diego Union Tribune
Orlando Sentinel
Providence Journal
Hartford Courant
Salt Lake Tribune
Spokesman Review (AP)
Saginaw News
Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Radio and TV
ABCNewsRadio
CNN
NPR
Voice of America
Online Media
CBSNews.com
FoxNews.com
NBCNews.com
Yahoo News
Irish Central
Inquisitr
Daily Beast
SF Gate (AP)
Christian Times
U.K. Media
Guardian
Telegraph.co.uk
Daily Mail
Belfast Telegraph
Irish News
Daily Star Online
Daily Mirror
Express
Independent
MailOnline
Scottish Daily Mail
Belfast Telegraph Online
Express Online
Press Association Mediapoint
Sky News
Irish Media
Irish Independent
Irish Mirror
Irish Times
Irish Sun
Newstalk 106-108 fm
Dublin Live
Irish Examiner
thejournal.ie
RTÉ.ie
Galway Bay fm
What is most astonishing about this unprofessional journalism is that it is at odds with the official statements by the government’s Mother and Baby Commission and the formal remarks made by government officials. While those accounts mention that “significant quantities of human remains” were found, none mention anything about a “mass grave.”
What was uncovered is disturbing enough, but what is being reported is pure hype. The photo that is being shopped about the “mass grave” on the property of the Bon Secours Sisters is a picture of a graveyard. Period. It is not proof of a “mass grave.”
The incuriosity of the media suggests a willingness to validate an ideological predilection, one that is not exactly Catholic-friendly. It surely is not a quest for the truth.
