Selling Sinn Fein in USA, it's no free kick
by Christy Mac an Bhaird of the Irish People
Selling Sinn Fein's message of peace, justice and equality in the
USA might seem an easy task given that 44 million Americans claim
Irish blood, but the realities are quite different.
Having ten times the population of Ireland on your side might
make a good cheering section on St Patrick's Day, but the truth
in the numbers is that there are some 220 million who don't claim
Irish ancestry and the population professing ties to the Untied
Kingdom has always been great and seems to be growing.
The American media is saturated with supporters of Britain - the
New York Times is notoriously Anglophile, the NY Post is owned by
Rupert Murdoch, an aspirant of the principles of Margaret
Thatcher, and the chief editorial seat at the NY Daily News was
just handed to Harry Evans, the former editor of the London Times
and the Sunday Times.
Still, through persistent personal contacts and good grassroots
support, Sinn Fein has made gains over the last year that cannot
be ignored. This does not mean, however, that the selling of Sinn
Fein is not an uphill battle.
Operating the Washington, DC, office on a shoestring, Mairéad
Keane has managed to get the word out. Gerry Adams is certainly a
household name, at least within media circles, and he is a
desirable guest on the political circuit.
Increased use of the Internet has advanced the party's
recognition and goals. Sinn Fein and its support groups have home
pages on the World Wide Web, making party documents and support
information available to millions.
Adams frequently visits the all-important editorial boardrooms of
major newspapers when he's in the USA, as does Martin McGuinness
and Caoimhghin O Caolain.
One-on-one contact with editors who shape coverage and write
newspaper leaders is perhaps the best way of getting the message
out.
For example, Mairead Keane visited Columbus, Ohio, upon her
return from the negotiations in Stormont in October and met with
the editorial board of The Columbus Dispatch just as Mary
McAleese was being swept into office.
The power of these face-to-face meetings should not be minimized;
they are the way the message gets home to the editors. Keane's
visit to The Dispatch was covered not only in the news pages but
won a favourable editorial that was read by millions in the
Mid-West.
Keane has made such personal contacts in Dallas, Boston, Los
Angeles, Savannah and, of course, New York and Washington,
covering hundreds of thousands of miles in the process.
From the other side, The Irish People has regularly included
columns and interviews with SF principals, including an interview
with Adams just after the ceasefire was restored in July, and a
lengthy piece by McGuinness in September. Other party members,
including Gerry O'hEara, have written for the New York weekly,
and Dominic Doherty contributes a column on a regular basis.
Adams also writes regularly for The Irish Voice.
At times it seems the message is best delivered by stealth.
College and University students seem particularly open to SF's
call for justice and this year Keane has made appearances at Ohio
State University Law School, Oberlin College, Georgia Southern
University, Los Angeles Pierce College, Pace University, and the
University of Texas at Austin, just to name a few.
Sinn Féin in the USA continues to get the message out, and while
the task is a difficult one, support for the party and its
principles continues to grow.
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