Sir, – There is something very strange about the post office scandal in Britain. The details have been well known for more than a decade. However, it was only after the story appeared in a television dramatisation that it seemed to enter the public’s consciousness. That the victims suffered grievously is undisputed. However, their suffering is somehow not real until we can see actors playing it out on screen, and only then are steps taken to address the obvious miscarriages of justice.
It is difficult to interpret such developments.
However, it seems certain the trend of news merging into the realm of entertainment will only accelerate, becoming even more tabloid, aiming to excite emotion rather than to convey information. The Irish Times should invest in its audio-visual facilities and consider employing a troupe of actors. – Yours, etc,
NEIL CRONIN,
Mallow,
Co Cork.
Sir, – Your editorial (“The Irish Times view on the UK Post Office affair: a scandal followed by a cover-up”, January 11th) on this matter is fine as far as it goes but it isn’t enough to say that “there are important lessons to be learnt”.
What are these lessons? First, despite many advances, the building of large-scale software intensive systems remains very challenging. Therefore the highest professional standards must be required from the engineers involved and independent verification and validation should be mandatory. Second, as we well know, those with authority in large institutions will often prioritise the welfare of the institution over truth or justice. Finally, and most importantly, when a group of independent, socially aware citizens raise concerns about abuse enabled by software – whether or not it uses so-called artificial intelligence – they should be supported by all the agencies of the state.
They should not have to wait for 20 years and a public outcry in order to be listened to and have their rights vindicated. – Yours, etc,
Dr KEVIN T RYAN,
Founding Director,
Lero – the Irish Software Research Centre,
Castletroy,
Limerick.