I HAVE belatedly read this piece written in the Western Telegraph by News Media Association's Chairman Henry Faure Walker.

Let me start by wholeheartedly agreeing with his assertion that the value of trusted journalism to society has never been more clearly demonstrated than over the last 18 months.

Last January I sat through the debate being conducted on the BBC's The Big Question programme the main thrust of which was concern with the abuses being conducted through the late 20th /early 21st century media information technology commonly referred to as ‘IT’.

As a retired lawyer I was amazed and continue to be so that, as yet, no-one in power is sufficiently moved to share my view that IT, in its ever increasing varieties, should be subjected to and overseen by the law.

This would require a set of legislated laws to fill the vacuum left by the common law concepts of libel and slander.

These are concepts which have evolved here over time to deter potential printed media aiders and abetters like the Western Telegraph, but, apparently not sufficiently to deter the IT platforms.

Consequently, we have the state of affairs where we enjoy the free, but legally oversighted, printed press extolled by Mr Walker running alongside the law of the jungle in which the IT platforms are aiders and abetters as there is no law to deter the, unidentified, trolls' heinous practices.

I have been alerted to an email drawing my attention to some leaked Facebook documents that were aiding and abetting abuse. Suffice it to say that in the case of media outlets such as the Western Telegraph, the law would not allow them to aid and abet the facilitation of such heinous behaviour.

This begs the question of why our elected lawmakers have not stepped into the breach?

DEREK GRIFFITHS, By email