I have scores of books by or about journalists, acquired secondhand and cheaply. I won’t say I got them for a song, though I imagine I might have had some heavy tomes thrown at me for my musical efforts.
As it happens the book “Shooting History -a personal journey” is by a former Chorister, son of an Anglican Bishop, Grandson of a British General, who was sent down from Liverpool University “following political disturbances” arising from perfectly decent motives. After teaching impoverished Africans in a Catholic school in Uganda and working with homeless teenagers in London’s East End he got a job with London’s LBC Radio and, as a TV reporter travelled the world covering major and minor wars, spent five years in Washington and world leaders before becoming main presenter of Channel 4 News. His name is Jonathan (or Jon) Snow.
It’s no secret that writers such as Malcolm Muggeridge and Grahame Greene amongst others, worked for British Intelligence and that Kim Philby was on their payroll when posing as a correspondent for THE OBSERVER? (Makes you wonder about Conor Cruise O’Brien).
Snow recounts getting a letter from THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE,Room 055, Old War Office Buildings,Whitehall January 1976. .
The letter came from MI 6who wanted him to “pursue his chosen career and do bits and pieces ” for them along the way”.He was offered,(orally) a sum equal to his then annual salary, tax-free.)So British taxpayers were, unknowingly, to pay a tax-free bribe, that would more than double Snow’s income, if he agreed.I believe Snow when he says he rejected the temptation.But I’d be very surprised if all journalists , academics and politicians in influential positions have Snow’s integrity.But he’s sowed doubt in my mind. Could his colourful ties, each never seen more than once on our TV screens, be transmitting secret information to the cognoscenti?
I have often wondered whether certain writers and directors of one particular high circulation ‘Irish’ newspaper and a second lower circulation organ were, and are, on the payroll of MI5. Also some RTE and at least on Irish ‘journalist’ employed by the BBC. As well as ‘Irish Correspondents’ of various British newspapers. A past in tjhe Official Republican movement (of which I was once a proud member) would seem to be a distinct advantage in securing employment in the journalistic field. I’m glad I took up teaching.