Hats off to the Boston Globe’s Kevin Cullen for saying some essential truths in this National Public Radio (NPR) segment about the Belfast Project saga. Long overdue perhaps but most welcome nonetheless. And wonderfully ironic that a Bostonian said them. Thanks Kevin!
Saddest figure on the programme was BC’s resident lizard, Jack Dunn, shamed into silence by Kevin’s principled stand and unable to launch his customary torrent of lies against the project’s research staff. One priceless quote from Dunn was his lament that because of the subpoenas fewer people would be willing to participate in oral history projects in America. Nothing to do with BC’s cowardly capitulation, of course!
You can hear the programme here. Enjoy.
The Broken Elbow 
That was fascinating to hear, and you’re right: That was a much more restrained and not-aggressively-dishonest Jack Dunn than the one we’ve all gotten to know over the last three years. I question whether Kevin Cullen’s presence shamed him into silence — so many lies have blown up in Dunn’s face at this point that he may just be figuring out the limited tactical utility of obvious bullshit. It’s like the fiftieth time he put his hand on the hot stove, he finally figured out that he was getting burned.
chris, i think dunn’s attitude to lying is simple; he doesn’t care whether the journalists believe him or not as long as they broadcast/print his lies. on that NPR programme, Kevin made the running and registered all the right points about why the US should have told the PSNI to go run and jump and the lizard just calculated, I guess, he’d look awful trying to turn all that into his usual attack on me and mackers……so he kept his mouth shut. he has gotten away with the lies because most of the journalists go to him just seeking a quote. they don’t really care what he says, and wouldn’t know enough or care enough to make a judgement. as long as he gives them something to take to their editors, they’ll use anything. he takes advantage of their laziness/lack of interest/absence of motivation/disinterest in truth. in many ways this story has also been about the media on both sides of the atlantic.
Kevin Cullen’s coverage of this issue has been first class, he clears away all the crap and tells it like it is.
Mick
I was wrong — Dunn lied nakedly and aggressively on the radio today when he was interviewed alone.
are you sure chris? i listened to the whole kevin cullen interview and dunn didn’t make an appearance……
Dunn was on the next day — and the interviewer thanks him for coming in from his vacation on Cape Cod. 1:36:40 or so in the linked program.
My bad — start around 1:37:46.
i got it. what struck me most was that he was not getting his usual easy time. perhaps because they were local, the interviewers were on top of the story and not letting him away with the usual jack dunn crap. even so i have asked for a right to reply. we shall see.