Sir, - In 1891, Oscar Wilde, commenting on the Parnell divorce scandal, wrote:
"The fact is that the public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing. Journalism, conscious of this, and having tradesman-like habits, supplies their demands. In centuries before ours the public nailed the ears of journalists to the pump. This was quite hideous. In this century journalists who are most to blame are not the amusing journalists who write for what are called Society papers. The harm is done by the serious, thoughtful, earnest journalists, who solemnly, as they are doing at present, will drag before the eyes of the public some incident in the private life of a great statesman, of a man who is leader of political thought as he is a creator of political force, and invite the public to discuss the incident, to exercise authority in the matter, to give their views, and not merely to give their views, but to carry them into action, to dictate to the man upon all other points, to dictate to his party, to dictate to his country, in fact, to make themselves ridiculous, offensive and harmful."
The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems. - Yours, etc., Prionsias De Paor,
The Spinnaker,
Arran Quay,
Dublin 7.