fahrenheit451:291

It's only a couple of blog posts or so ago that I opined that no-one really gives a shit about investigative journalists.

That was in the wake of the news of Marinova's murder in Bulgaria.She was the third investigative journalists murdered in a EU member state in the past 12 months. Galizia in Malta and Kuciak in Slovakia being the other two martyred for the truth and public accountability.

But  " news " corporate MSM news has now moved on to Khashoggi. A sworn opponent of the ruling Saudi Royal family and of its quasi-medieval politics and practices. A writer and polemicist in exile in the USA and habitue of the Washington Post he popped into the Saudi embassy in Ankara to sort out some bureaucratic paperwork. He was consequently tortured,murdered,cut up into pieces and buried.

Even in Erdogan's Turkey,where some 250 professional Turkish journalists are languishing in prison,this act of barbaric impunity was more than one step way too far to shrug off or excuse.And the proverbial merde hit the international diplomatic fan in spectacular fashion.

Khashoggi is now flavour of the month as far as martyred journalists go.

Which is kind of odd since in theory the murder of investigative journalists ought to be treated equally,except we all know that they're not.

Realpolitik and the ranking of nations plays its ineluctable part in determining just how much concern and consternation surrounds any death of any journalist.How do the murders of Marinova,Kuciak and Galizia stack up against that of Khashoggi's ?

Here's something gleaned from Balkan Insight ,3 September '18 :-

" After Bulgaria funnelled 90 million euros from the EU into restoration projects that critics have slated, conservationists dread the results of the next spending spree – and the expected tourist boom has yet to materialise.

Ana Blagova BIRN“It’s weeping – a weeping fortress,” conservation architect Stella Duleva told BIRN, describing the white substance leaking from the newly-restored walls of the 4^th-century Roman fort of Trayanovi Vrata in Bulgaria.

“It had survived 16 centuries, and now it’s been ruined by 2 million euros,” she added.

Sitting atop a mountain pass between ancient Thrace and Macedonia, the fort is one of 120 heritage sites that Bulgaria’s government chose to restore as tourist attractions between 2011 and 2015, using its own money and nearly 90 million euros from the EU’s Regional Development Fund, ERDF.

Conservationists warn that much of the “restoration” work has damaged rather than preserved centuries-old landmarks, without attracting the hoped-for tourism boom. Even one of the scheme’s cheerleaders has suggested that funds have been misused.

Now another tranche of European funding, known in Bulgaria as “Operational programme ‘Regions in Growth’”, is due to become available this year. Under it, at least 100 million euros will be allocated to develop more tourist attractions.

The EU and Bulgarian authorities have conceded to BIRN that lessons need to be learned from the earlier programme, but are still backing the latest spending spree. "


Viktoria Marinova had been busily uncovering widespread fraud and corruption involving EU funding in Bulgaria when she was murdered,apparently by a psychopathic lowlife with a record who was speedily apprehended by the authorities in Germany within a matter of days following Marinova's murder.How convenient.

Kuciak ( along with his girlfriend ) were executed by Mafia hit-men in Slovakia and Galizia was car-bombed in Malta.All of them inextricably linked to various and diverse widespread,institutionalised corruption and fraud within the various member states and between EU member states and the EU bureaucracy itself.

All those prominent political leaders who have spoken out about Khashoggi and demanded to ascertain the  " truth ",all had been previously eerily quiet on Marinova,Kuciak and Galizia.

And so it goes...

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.