Sir, - The primary evidence cited by Brid Rodgers for the pro-Sinn Fein agenda allegedly promoted by the Redemptorist peace mission was an article said to have been submitted to the Irish News by her party colleague Joe Byrne.
The leaked Department of Foreign Affairs memo quotes an allegation by Mrs Rodgers that the paper had edited out anti-Sinn Fein sentiments from this article. The Irish News chairman, Jim Fitzpatrick, was a member of the peace mission.
Not only do we deny changing the article (The Irish Times, October 21st, page 6). We have established that there was no such article.
This fact alone is enough to demonstrate that allegations against the presidential candidate Mary McAleese are spurious in the extreme.
There are two stories here. The first is the leak itself. It is a national scandal that sensitive memos were leaked from a Department which cannot function without an air of confidentiality. The newspapers were right to cover the leak fully: it has national implications.
The second story concerns Mrs McAleese and her colleagues in the peace mission. The contents of the memos were at best second hand accounts of conversations. As can be seen from Mrs Rodgers's comments, her assumptions were based on a complete myth.
Yet the claims have been given a credibility they would not have enjoyed if a journalist had received them in other circumstances.
In pursuit of a story, our profession has overlooked its responsibility to check and double-check allegations. - Yours, etc.,
Editor, The Irish News, Donegall Street, Belfast 1.