Sir, – Kathy Sheridan acknowledges and defends the lack of any critical or objective questioning and analysis by the Irish media corps of the US president’s visit to Ireland due to the fact that the US Secret Service made it awkward for them to do so (“Everyone knew what Biden’s Irish visit was about apart from the sulking British press”, Opinion & Analysis, April 19th).
Undoubtedly, direct questioning of the president was always going to be very difficult, although how that prevented journalists from writing columns that challenged or questioned Biden’s foreign policy is something Sheridan didn’t explain.
Second, Sheridan questions the purpose of asking questions “that have been asked a thousand times” and refers to the journalist Julian Assange; she answers her own question by stating “Assange is still in prison”.
Surely that is precisely the reason why journalists should continue to ask questions and hold powerful people to account? – Yours, etc,
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MICHAEL MURPHY,
Dromahair,
Co Leitrim.