Tom Fox is National Catholic Reporter Publisher and former Editor. After spending five years in Vietnam he returned to the US and was appointed editor of the Washington Star until joining NCR. Under his leadership NCR first published a major exposé on the abuse of minors by clergy in 1985. NCR was alone in its consistent coverage of the scandal for the decade that followed. Other Catholic publications wouldn’t touch the story. The secular dailies back then seemed unwilling to confront the Catholic Church. Fox recently shared that he had been abused by a priest as a child.
NCR Facing the Abuse Crisis Alone
Tom Fox had become a polarizing figure; some Catholics, in print and elsewhere, called him ‘the son of Satan.’ Our critics were convinced NCR had set out to ‘tear down the church.’ It was a frequent cry. NCR would often print their letters. We lost hundreds, if not thousands, of subscribers with our coverage.