The Irish News, the Northern Ireland daily newspaper read mainly by members of the nationalist community, yesterday defended itself against suggestions in the leaked Department of Foreign Affairs memos that it was partial towards Sinn Fein at the expense of the SDLP.
In a statement which the paper printed, it described the claim as completely untrue and a separate editorial described the leaks and attacks on Prof Mary McAleese as a disgrace.
"The coverage available to the SDLP in the Irish News is not `poor' in any respect," said the statement. "The party has been treated with total fairness by the paper at all times, in terms of news reports, opinion pieces and editorial comment.
"There has been absolutely no change in the paper's attitude to the party."
The statement went on to say that "every significant" party in Northern Ireland had been invited to submit articles to the paper recently. "The only party which has failed to deliver pieces which were agreed with the paper has been the SDLP. This has happened twice within the last two months."
Anyone who thought that the SDLP had thus received poor coverage "should raise this matter with the party's press office". The statement also denied a suggestion that an article submitted by Mr Joe Byrne of the SDLP had been changed.
The statement went on to say that the paper's chairman and chief executive, Mr Jim Fitzpatrick, (who is not its editor-in-chief) had not entered into an unofficial alliance with anyone - as claimed in one of the memos regarding his dealings with Father Alex Reid and Prof McAleese.
"He has had regular discussions, in a personal capacity, with representatives of all shades of political opinion in Northern Ireland."
The statement continued: "His involvement with the Redemptorist peace mission is well known to many groups and individuals. The sole purpose of the mission is to facilitate discussion and dialogue, and it does not engage in the promotion of any particular political agenda."
The statement rejected the contention that it had become more pro-Sinn Fein. Its editorials on the eve of the British general election "could not have been more direct," it said. "We urged readers only to support parties which were `untainted by violence'. The paper's support for constitutional nationalism has been unchanged over a period of more than 140 years."
The paper had "every respect" for Ms Brid Rodgers, the senior member of the SDLP whose conversations with the Department official formed the basis of the memo which dealt with the paper.
"Indeed, we carried a prominent opinion piece by her at the time of the Drumcree crisis last year. She has not contacted the editor to express any concerns about the paper since then."
The paper's editorial, headed `McAleese leak is a disgrace', dealt with wider issues. It declared that the leak was "a scandal of immense proportions" but concentrated mainly on relations between nationalists in the North and the South - and perceptions south of the Border.
"In the eyes of some southerners," it said, "a shadow of suspicion hangs over everyone who speaks with a northern accent. The particular target at the moment is, it goes without saying, Mary McAleese.
"There was no unusual antagonism displayed towards Prof McAleese when she first decided to run for the Presidency. The problems started to emerge when it began to dawn on certain people that she was a formidable candidate and was fully capable of winning the election.
"Since Prof McAleese established a commanding lead in the opinion polls, a campaign designed to stop her at all costs has been in full swing."
The process reached a climax with the leaks and those behind them did not care about the devastating impact they would have on the work the Department did in the North, or on the SDLP, said the editorial.
"All the conspirators wanted to do was wreck Prof McAleese's chances of becoming President. The final decision on the issue lies with the electorate of the Republic and it must be hoped that they have the maturity to look beyond all the malicious smears and judge the candidates on their merits."
Calling the contest "one of the most significant Irish elections of the century", the paper said that if Prof McAleese lost, it would be "a sad comment on the state of the political process in the Republic".