There are pros and cons to the media. The pros are the highlighting of good causes like that of the Haiti Earthquake Appeal in January, with all Irish charities and their phone numbers for donation, listed neatly and accessibly in our newspapers daily for a week or two. This induced positive changes in society's attitudes, promoting tolerance and understanding. The cons have to be aspects of the media giving such a hard time to some people, that it can amount to daily hounding. Such people are not usually expected to respond and to take it on the chin. Sometimes, one or two do react. Ronan O'Gara is one example, who wrote a strong, but polite letter on his own behalf, to an editor of a newspaper, objecting to an opinion piece. He inevitably was hauled over hot coals by the media. O'Gara has had a magnificent rugby career and has been a part of the most successful rugby period ever in the last decade. He is one of the top point scorers in the Six Nations and became a specialist in drop goals and penalty goal kicks with minutes to spare. He has an elegant style, which is at odds with the usual image of a rugby player.

Mary Sullivan,

College Road, Cork