A chara, – Una Mullally argues that a gender imbalance exists in our media ("Gender balance is lacking throughout media", September 18th). She is not the first of her colleagues to put forward such an argument. However, why is it that another, perhaps even more serious, imbalance is all but ignored?
I refer to the fact that those working in the media are all but universally at the liberal end of the spectrum; a very strange phenomenon indeed when the society in which we live is far more varied.
This makes it difficult not to suspect that those whose views are outside a very narrow range are either for the most part excluded from the industry or forced to keep their true position on issues hidden. This is not only discriminatory but bad for democracy.
Una Mullally may by gender be in a minority in her profession; but ideologically she is within the overwhelming majority. It is admirable to seek full equality for women in the media; but there is much less to admire if all it would mean is that only women who hold the “correct” views would be able to take advantage of any improvements that are achieved. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.