ThE freedom of the press is a worthy idea except that in many cases 'freedom of the press' means little more than a licence for a journalist to attack anyone who disagrees with their politics or their newspaper's politics or as in the case of Tom Kelly (August 26) a platform to launch a besmirching attack on the dead.
Tom Kelly is entitled to his political views but I do think he should have stopped short before crossing that line where the dead are left in peace.
I'm sure that in most societies the convention is 'not to speak ill of the dead'. however, Tom goes one further with his sad linkage to this attack on the dead with Nelson Mandela.
Did he, I wonder, seek Nelson Mandela's views on the matter? I doubt that very much.
Of course his Bobby Sands smear was just part of a full out attack on the lawful institutions entrusted with trying to make a go of the Good Friday Agreement.
John vallEly
Armagh city
