Rónán Mullen (Independent)

It is all part of my request for a debate on media standards. We must have an opportunity to tease out these issues in a considered way. This does not imply Senators putting forth their own personal gripes against the media; I am talking about a more considered type of debate. For example, one of our colleagues was wrongly accused of making representations in this Chamber on behalf of somebody close to him. It turned out this had not happened at all. I am not a supporter of that individual, but it is disturbing that a person can go from hero to zero very quickly in this society, thanks to the media. We have seen how individuals have gone from being deemed to be above criticism to there being open season on them. Truth and accuracy matter.