Madam, - I was a reporter with Independent Newspapers at a time when to be the occasion of a published apology was an offence incurring editorial wrath and condemnation.
In recent years I have joined the ranks of those observing the gradual collapse of journalistic standards in the Sunday Independent with increasing dismay.
The fact that this newspaper continues to be the top-selling weekend Irish publication is a disturbing comment on the judgment of Irish newspaper readers.
It will be interesting to see if the expressions of public horror at the newspaper's coverage of Liam Lawlor's death will be reflected in an enduring decline in its circulation. - Yours, etc,
TIM MAGENNIS, Killiney, Co Dublin.
Madam, - In relation to Liam Lawlor's tragic accident, I watched, with some bemusement, the editor of the Sunday Tribune explaining on RTÉ's Questions and Answers why her newspaper's second edition had followed the odious headline of the Sunday Independent and other papers when the early edition had not. She cited the confusion surrounding the story emanating from Moscow, and said that when the first edition was printed, the story was still being "verified" - the clear implication being that by the time of the second edition, the story had indeed been "verified".
All of which, in theory, seems like sound journalistic practice. However, this explanation is ludicrous when you consider that a falsehood is, by definition, unverifiable. - Yours, etc,
MARTIN RYAN, Springlawn Close, Dublin 15.