Media must share blame for property debacle

A NEGLECTED facet of the Nyberg report has been the part played by the Irish media in inflating the bubble economy.

It is the duty of the fourth estate to contribute to the public discourse by interrogating received opinions.

However, as opinion formers, the media steadfastly neglected to question the delusional optimism that prevailed at the time.

From its obsequious fawning on builders, developers and bankers in so-called ‘social columns’ to its exploitation of ordinary home buyers in ‘property porn’ supplements, the media singularly failed to live up to the high standards that should be expected of it in a healthy democracy.

As a public servant, I and my colleagues have been subjected to an ongoing campaign of vilification, misinformation and downright lies by both print and broadcast media over the past two years. In the light of this report perhaps those in the media who attacked the integrity and incomes of ordinary workers should examine their own complicity in this sorry mess.

Mary Dineen

Model Farm Road

Cork