I mentioned yesterday that we should have a discussion about the media and their relationship with the Garda Síochána on occasion. Leaks are not helpful to the cause of protecting the right of people to their reputation. Another area of the media that interests me is their use of opinion polls. Shakespeare once said that the Devil can cite scripture for his purpose. It often occurs to me that he can also cite opinion polls for his purpose. Groups on different sides of an argument frequently present opinion poll information in a manner that tricks members of the public. At the weekend, The Irish Times treated us to a story about an apparent massive surge in support for abortion. It stated that whereas only 23% of the population supported abortion in 1997, the figure had since risen to 77% or thereabouts. I took the trouble to read the relevant report in The Irish Times from 1997. While I do not have any quarrel with Stephen Collins, a perfectly reputable journalist who wrote last weekend's story, journalists cannot always be sure about what researchers assisting them or sub-editors and editors will do. When I checked the 1997 survey cited by The Irish Times at the weekend, I found that figures relating to many of the other groups who supported abortion under certain circumstances had been left out. In fact, the headline in 1997-----

Does the Senator have a question for the Leader?

I ask the Leader to arrange a debate on how the media conduct themselves on serious issues. In 1997, The Irish Times ran a headline stating there was more than 70% support for limited abortion rights. The story presented by the newspaper last weekend was misleading.

The Irish Times is wrong on other matters also.

What we noticed in 2002, five years after the original survey, was that we had a very evenly matched debate in that year's referendum, which almost passed. When people are asked whether they support continued protection for the unborn consistent with all necessary medical care for women, a majority are found to be in favour of that position. It is time newspapers of record examined their record and asked whether they are not in danger of losing the confidence of the public if they insist and persist in presenting information that seems to be less about informing and more about securing certain political ends.