Sir, – Thank you for a timely and important article by Joe Humphreys (“Belief is waning in lot of things: Christianity, the Irish soccer team, journalistic objectivity”, Unthinkable, Opinion & Analysis, December 4th). It explores crucial issues in media.
One aspect of it worried me. Yes, in theory, an increase in fact-checking is to be welcomed, but there has to be near universal trust in the fact-checkers, otherwise we’ll need fact-checkers for the fact-checkers. As regards RTÉ's “plans for a disinformation correspondent”, I can’t help feeling that there’s something off about that. Surely professional journalists are already wary of disinformation?
Activist journalists may not be so careful. And could it not be that one person’s disinformation is another person’s fact? Who judges? Yes, objectivity can be elusive, but as Joe Humphreys writes, “Objectivity is all about trying”. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN O’REGAN,
Fintan O’Toole: The idiot wind now howling through the US offers Ireland a transformative windfall
The more we learn about smell, the more crucial it proves to our wellbeing
Irish property market is rigged in favour of those who get parental gifts of up to €100,000
What’s the best EV for a 400km round trip without stopping and charging?
Arklow,
Co Wicklow.
