Why did Conor Gallagher report that Ashling Murphy was strangled?

And how did the editor allow it?

Evidence given in court in the trial of Jozef Puska, has revealed that Ashling Murphy suffered a much more savage end to her young life, than was originally reported by the Irish Times, when the incident occurred on 12 January last year.

Mr. Justice Tony Hunt, the jury of three women and nine men and the public gallery, listened as Anne-Marie Lawlor SC opened the prosecution’s case.

She stated that the evidence would show, that the victim was stabbed 11 times on the right side of her neck by her alleged assailant, contrary to initial reports.  Puska has pleaded not guilty to her murder, despite having previously confessed.

This leads to the obvious question.  Why is this news, over a year after the incident?  Conor Gallagher, the Irish Times crime correspondent wrote an article on 15 January in which he said:

Ms Murphy was killed by strangulation as she was jogging along a stretch of canal near Tullamore on Wednesday afternoon.

How is this possible?  How did the Irish Times run a story of such national importance and significance, with one of the key pieces of information being completely false?  Gallagher was not alone in his mistake (if it were one), Conor Lally who is crime editor, is also credited on the article.

So two men tasked with providing the public with factual information, both allowed this falsehood to reach the public domain and to shape the wider public opinion.  Was it mere incompetence or was it malicious?

Was it the case that the Gardaí told Gallagher that Ashling Murphy was strangled?  There is a possibility that this could be the case, however that doesn’t excuse something of this nature.  Two of Irelands top journalists committing to paper, a falsehood of this enormity is inexcusable.

This should not have been printed if they were not absolutely certain it were true.  The Irish people deserve better.  They also deserve answers Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Lally.

Where were Shane Redmond and Sinéad O’Carroll, of the Journal.ie, on this occasion when we badly needed their fact checking expertise and prowess?  This was not mere misinformation however.  This was a blatant and callous lie.  But initiated by whom?

If the cause of her death had been reported as unconfirmed, there may have been an excuse, but a story was fabricated from thin air which was fed into the public consciousness and accepted as truth for over a full year, resulting in a dilution of public anger.

This is not the first time this newspaper has been caught red handed engaging in dishonesty.  Also in relation to foreign nationals, strangely enough.

Gallaghers colleague, Kitty Holland - was wittily Christened - by the razor sharp public who caught her out, with not one but two monikers and shall now forevermore be referred to, as either ’Walter Kitty’ or ‘Kitty Smollet’ (in reference to fictional and non-fictional characters respectively, who are famed peddlers of fantasy).

This was in response to her now infamous lie regarding her first hand witnessing of an alleged attack on a migrant camp, by the Tolka river.  She later confirmed herself on radio, that she did not in fact witness any such occurrence, which basically amounts to a bare faced lie.

So this sort of false reporting is nothing new from the Irish Times.  Once Ireland’s premier publication, a well respected news source across the world, now reduced to a disgraced rag that perpetuates mistruths, disinformation and propaganda.

That is of course when it’s not acting as a brochure for personal migrant success stories, who eulogise Ireland as “a great place to live to be sure to be sure”, while simultaneously providing active encouragement to native Irish families to leave the country for pastures new.  Whether it be America or Australia, because apparently it’s not a great place for them and the new world is far better.  Slightly paradoxical wouldn’t you say?

Was it your own fabrication, or was it information you received from the Garda Press Office, Mr. Gallagher?  As crime and security correspondent for the Irish Times do you not have on the ground access to crime scenes to ensure the public receive accurate information?  We have a right to know.

Conor Lally, you as editor were also happy to let the article in question go out, so how is this possible?  How could it be, that two men who get paid pretty decent salaries to do this specific job, failed in their duty to the public, by not confirming the veracity of the cause of Ashling’s death?

Would the fact that Puska is a Slovakian national have anything to do with it? Considering Gallagher and his colleagues, have been quite slanderous towards people who oppose uncontrolled mass immigration, it does raise serious ethical questions and concerns.  Did his political views trump his compulsion to tell the truth?

The Irish people deserve answers.  In the absence of a comprehensive explanation, we will have to assume that misleading the public with blatant lies, is now official policy for the Irish Times, considering the aforementioned Kitty Holland’s escapades, in the form of her Tolka Valley Odyssey.

If the advertising campaign, promoting the Irish Times as a trusted news source, committed to reporting facts, is not to be henceforth perceived as just an elaborate, ironic piece of satire, a statement clearing this up, should be the very least you owe the Irish people.

Ashling could be any one of their daughters or sisters, or indeed themselves.  They deserve the uncensored truth, however gruesome.  They should be made fully aware of the risks they are faced with in this new Ireland where we no longer know the background of large numbers of unvetted men, all potentially equally as dangerous as Ashling Murphy’s alleged killer.

We, the public are happy to be proven wrong, but this is something that needs to be addressed.  It will not go away.  We want, and deserve an explanation.  If there is a simple one let’s hear it and put this rather unsavoury issue to bed.  We will wait with bated breath.

Just a heads up though, “The far-right made me do it” will not suffice.