Journalists' Stories of Northern Ireland Conflict

In Reporting the Troubles, sixty-eight renowned journalists tell their stories of working in Northern Ireland during the Troubles – the victims they have never forgotten, the events that have never left them, and the lasting impact of the experience of working through those years. This landmark book is a history of the Troubles, told by the journalists who were on the ground from the beginning, including many of the biggest names in journalism from the last fifty years.

The result is a compelling account of one of the most turbulent periods in recent history, with the journalists giving candid accounts of the years that followed. They describe arriving on the scene of major atrocities, knocking on the doors of bereaved relatives, and maintaining objectivity in the face of threats from paramilitaries and pressure from the state, all while maintaining an absolute commitment to telling the truth.

Gail Walker, editor of the Belfast Telegraph, reflects on the lasting impact of the experience, noting that no journalist who worked through the Troubles can ever truly forget the horrors they witnessed. "I don't know any journalist who worked through the Troubles, with its relentless cycle of murders and doorstepping the homes of the dead and funerals and yet more murders, who isn't haunted from time to time by being an eyewitness to evil, to heartache and, yes, to courage too."

The book begins in 1968 with an eyewitness report of the day that civil rights protestors clashed with the police in Derry, setting the stage for the years of turmoil that followed. The contributors to the book include some of the most respected names in journalism, such as Kate Adie, Martin Bell, Robert Fisk, Eamonn Holmes, and Peter Taylor, among many others.

Reporting the Troubles is a remarkable act of remembrance, raw and thought-provoking, that provides a unique and deeply personal perspective on one of the most turbulent periods in recent history. It is a testament to the courage and dedication of the journalists who risked their lives to tell the story of the Troubles, and a powerful reminder of the crucial role of journalism in times of conflict and strife.

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