'and questions whether the media or governments have the courage to try and confront the contradictions inherent in the neverending search for a settlement.'

This article is so naive that it is almost sweet. If the writer really believes that governments or the media are somehow divorced from the agenda then he needs locked up.
He need only look at how government agencies have conspired with the media to drive the story over the Northern Bank robbery. 'Sources' fed the usual media outlets almost from the beginning and the compliant media duly obliged.
In that respect nothing has changed, for decades the media always ran with 'security source' versions of controversial events even long after these versions were proved to be lies.

What's different about this one Pat is that it's not just the "usual suspects" such as the Sunday Times or the News Letter. This time the Sunday Business Post are now briefing against Sinn Fein. This time, Anthony McIntyre is the rent-a-quote favouring the PSNI line on the matter.

None of these mean that evidence exists to tie the IRA to the crime, but nonetheless they are particularly unusual.