Sir, – It seems to me that media outlets in general have been increasingly reliant on court cases for leading news and consequently readership.The earlier pages and lead headlines seem to give prominence to this type of reporting, as has become the case with The Irish Times.
Some media outlets are of course more conservative in their tenor than others. I know that one of the duties of media is one of record and to verify that the courts are fulfilling their duty. However I would argue that this could still be achieved by a far more truncated report at the rear of the publication or broadcast, unless of course it is of national significance.The detail of many cases reported serves only to engage the more macabre part of our psyche and I would contend gives us a more cynical view of life than is actually warranted. – Yours, etc,
PETER SEAVER,
Outrath,
Kilkenny.