Madam, - There is no reasonable basis on which events such as the alleged hacking into phone messages of the Prince of Wales for the News of the World, or stories such as that concerning the mother of Minister for Health Mary Harney should "serve to harden the resolve of [Irish] politicians who want the Privacy Bill" (Michael Foley, Opinion & Analysis, August 12th). Their invocation is entirely self-serving.
Mr Foley is correct to point out that English newspapers circulating here may benefit from such hacking, insofar as the hacking turns up stories that cannot be as easily found through regular journalistic methods. But there is no evidence that any Irish media have engaged in hacking, which ought to be treated as a criminal offence in respect of all perpetrators, and not just journalists.
The need to protect citizens from surreptitious electronic intrusion is an aspect of human rights and privacy generally, and is not peculiar to the media. It is irrelevant to a debate about the actual provisions of the proposed Privacy Bill in Ireland.
As regards Mary Harney's mother, reports that she had received preferential treatment because of her daughter's position would be entirely proper, if they were true. It would be a matter of public interest and not just public curiosity to learn of wrongful influence or deference to the powerful.
If such reports are untrue (as is said to be the case in respect of Ms Harney's mother), then they may be adequately dealt with by the proposed press council without any need for additional privacy legislation.
However, too few stories of actual undue influence and cronyism have found their way into print over the years. Had more done so, expensive tribunals might have been avoided and Ireland could have been a more efficient state in which to live.
The ability of Irish journalists to tell true stories to their audiences about unsavoury aspects of Irish life is inhibited by reasonable and unreasonable laws, and by a failure on the part of media organisations to invest greater sums in investigative journalism.
Their ability may be further restricted if the proposed over-busy Privacy Bill is ever passed. - Yours etc,
COLUM KENNY, School of Communications, Dublin City University, Dublin 9.