Sir - Vincent Browne is in danger of making a journalist's job description sound a little cosy (June 28th). He implies that journalists should focus their attention on government organisations or public institutions and leave the law breakers to be dealt with by the police and the courts.
Yet he writes: "Press freedom is essential to democracy, but this is so to enable the institutions of power in society to be held accountable for the exercise of their power." If there are mafia style organisations in Ireland, are these not "institutions of power in society"? And is it not as much in the public interest to know about them as, for instance, the spurious activities of some Irish beef dealers? Injustices are often left unremedied until they are brought into the public spotlight. - Yours, etc.,
Brixton Road,
London SW9 6AG.