Sir, – According to Finn McRedmond’s opinion piece on Prince Harry (June 6th), “we are watching a sad tale unravel about a man driven to madness by his hatred of the media”.
Obviously not then a tale of the “hypocrisy” of those journalists who exploit the tragedies in people’s lives for their own ends – and claim their revelations to be “in the public interest”.
Prince Harry, despite his faults, may well not be suffering from “madness” but from a sane and natural response to having cameras stuck in his face all his life and to his mother dying in an attempt to escape them.
Perhaps the real story here is that usually well-intentioned journalists like Finn McRedmond turn their critical eyes on Prince Harry rather than on the sordid (and, yes, “vile” ) sections of their own industry.
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Why is that?
Maybe it’s an unwillingness to acknowledge the dark side of a profession they hold dear and risk “letting down the side” as well as fear of peer disapproval. All that would be understandable.
Yet isn’t that the courageous whistleblowing they seek in every other sector?
Calling the seedy side of their own industry to account has – aside from occasional mild rebukes from Fintan O’Toole – been rather rare.
Are those journalists of integrity, who on our behalf have spoken truth to power and done our society such service, willing now to speak truth to those within their ranks who misuse their power to abuse?
Wouldn’t journalists willing to hold each other to account show they could use new press freedoms responsibly?
Some journalism is hate-filled. Some journalism is love-filled.
People need to be informed that neither of those two truths negates the other. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL O’CONNELL,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.