Colin Sheridan: Smear v journalism — One intends to wound, the other to inform

Ivan Yates’ 'smear' comments weren’t a joke — they exposed how suspicion, fear, and cynicism now drive Irish politics

Ivan Yates. File photo: Gerard McCarthy

When Ivan Yates uttered the "S" word this week, he knew the insidious suspicion he was sowing. 

He knew, too, that such suspicion travels faster than fact, takes root like Japanese knotweed and resists every repellent. It’s political malware — invisible, contagious, self-replicating.