What price a story?

WHAT PRICE A STORY?

I’ve always liked Sunday mornings – rise about 7, get washed, dressed and go down the stairs. Put the kettle on, then the radio – if it’s cold, put the heat on. Get the car keys and drive to the garage to get the Sunday papers. When I come back I pour out a cup of coffee and sit down to read the papers – Sunday World first, then the Sunday Life and then the Sunday Times – you need a few cups for the ‘Times’.

How do we explain these types of routines? Is there a comfort gained travelling a known road? – possibly, but the strange thing is, especially with the Sunday World, if you happened to pick up a paper from a year ago, there is a good chance that some of the same stories would be about the same people – is this why we buy these papers? Is this cutting-edge journalism or gossip? What’s the attraction? I have to admit that if some of the stories are not ‘a certain type of story’ I’ll probably read the paper quicker. What ‘type of stories’ are they? Para-military stories, political scandals, that sort of thing – but do you know what the clincher is? If it’s about someone I know! Especially if it’s someone I don’t particularly like or disagree with politically! The flip side of that is if it’s about someone I know, and it isn’t 100% factual, I would get a bit pissed off and sometimes angry and ‘feel’ for the someone I know. Are we all like that? I think quite a lot of people will be. Whilst I think how these stories affect my friends and colleagues – I’ve never really understood the impact these stories can have on the individual, on his or her family and friends. Until recently! Then it happened to me. I was reading the paper and turned the page, at the same time lifting the ‘luke-warm’ remnants of my coffee to my mouth – only to be confronted with my photo and a controversial headline. It was quite a shock. After reading the story, which to someone who doesn’t know me, would be quite shocking – I was left with an empty feeling in my stomach – I thought of friends and family who would probably have the same reaction when they see the story – should I phone them? Prepare them? Warn them? What do you do? More importantly, what can you do?

When you leave the house to go for a walk or go to the shop – you wonder if people have read the story? How will they react? Will people be polite, not mention it? All these things go through your mind.

A few days later I was talking to a friend who has had this experience quite a few times and he explained some things to me about how he reacted. He is an ex-lifer who upon release from Jail has work very hard to get his life together. When his past conviction was spread all over the papers he said he felt as if was being ‘tried’ all over again. He worried about how people would judge or perceive him. He worried about the impact this would have on his family and work colleagues – many of whom weren’t born when he went into prison. My situation is exactly the same –as is hundreds, maybe thousands of others. After serving your sentence – how long do we have to keep paying for these crimes? I know what victims and their representatives will say to that – but these prisoners have paid the price society has placed on their crime. Do you know what one of the worst things about all this – it’s the sense of impotency.

Jim McDowell of the Sunday World recently printed a story about a prominentEast Belfast loyalist – accusing him of something he hasn’t been found guilty of. McDowell’s final attempt to justify his story was that after he printed the story the Loyalist didn’t sue him! The inference being that he must be guilty then. Some may say that if some of these guys are still involved then they are there to be shot at – but what about the vast majority of ex-prisoners who are try to get on with their lives? Can they not be left in peace? Maybe they are just a means for Jim and his like to pay their substantial bar bills in places dotted around the town. Shame that.

Ex life prisoner 2012