In yesterday's "Iirsh Times", Fintan O'Toole has quoted an industry spokesman as admitting that it had no code of ethics similar to those of some professions.
The industry in question is banking, not the media, but the quotation is (at least) equally apt in relation to the latter.
Where the former is concerned, the State is in the process
- with the media's enthusiastic support - of imposing such a code on the industry, with statutory "knobs on". The media, including O'Toole, is nonetheless fiercely resisting much milder proposals in regard to its own regulation. This is despite having failed to get even as far as to the dressing room, never mind "first base", in regard to a voluntary ombudsman scheme or meaningful codes of practice. (I refer to Ireland, but the UK is no better).
The financial services sector, on the other hand, has had for years voluntary ombudsman schemes and codes of practice which, though not entirely satisfactory, have been successful to a great extent, and consistently praised - even by the media.
On the same page as Mr O'Toole, another contributor says "We have become bigger hypocrites than the Victorians".
Well, yes.