Sir, – Gerard Clarke (July 24th) suggests that if media outlets "do not libel people" they have nothing to fear. Alas, as you and many readers will be aware, modern life is not quite so simple.
In certain instances, the suppression of public discussion may be the intended purpose of proposed litigation, rather than the remedying of any alleged libel. This would suggest that Mr Clarke might have missed the motivation behind some legal actions and the concerns about press freedom to which he refers. He is perhaps unfamiliar with the notion of “the chilling effect”, where assertive legal action and the threat of disproportionate costs are used to suppress comment, even where such comment is decidedly in the public interest. Such “chilling effects” often involve parties who view the courts as a means of achieving non-legal ends, among which is a desire that certain actions do not receive too much public attention. – Yours, etc,
Capt EVAN CULLEN,
President,
Irish Airline
Pilots Association,
Corballis Park,
Dublin Airport.