fahrenheit451:289

Truth is most people probably don't a give a shit about investigative journalists.Or what happens to them or doesn't happen to them.Perhaps the only time when some random spark ignites the public's interest in investigative journalism is when a scandal is uncovered and wrong doing is exposed to the bright daylight of public scrutiny.

Not all journalists are investigators but it goes with the profession's territory.Born to snoop,to pry,to ask the really awkward questions,to dig, to get their goddamn head blown off if they dig too deep and wind up annoying the wrong people at the wrong moment.

But when all the sums get added up at the close of business,not too many give a damn one way or the other;unless and until,of course events start to impinge too often and bodies start to pile up in plain sight of the civilians who would,if they could choose,rather not know,rather not confront the mire and the blood of Realpolitik as it gets played in real time with real consequences.

Political parties and their activists and partisan commentators who keep up the volume pumped up on any and all matters and all kinds of issues ,for some reason have fallen silent on the recent spate of journalist murders.

The most recent one,just a few days ago in Bulgaria was that of local investigative journalist Viktoria Marinova,who was the authorities say was raped and murdered.She had been looking into fraud and corruption linked to EU contracts. Back in February of this year, in Slovakia, it had been the turn of Jan Kuciak who together with his girlfriend were found shot dead.Apparently Jan Kuciak had dug deep and found links between elements of the Italian Mafia and government officials.

A year ago,in October 2017 Caruana Galizia, a well known and widely respected investigative journalist in Malta died in a car bomb attack.She too had been collecting evidence on EU related fraud and corrupt local politicians.

Both in Slovakia and Malta widespread public protest demonstrations have taken place with politicians and Police officials alike in both countries being placed under intense popular pressure and scrutiny and in some cases have resigned from office.

The common thread of the awarding of EU funded contracts,bureaucratic shenanigans,the involvement of local and national political figures etc.etc. are no mere coincidence.

Fraud,corruption,,nepotism and the involvement of Mafia gangsters in the misappropriation of billions of euroes makes for a very large political cesspit.One that the European Union is wholly incapable of even beginning to deal with.