Danny Wakil’s letter laid down a challenge (Letters, December 11) that I’m ready, willing, and happy to meet. A challenge to name a single army that has done more to protect civilians than the IDF has done in Gaza. Well that’s easy: the Russian army in Ukraine. The challenge is so ridiculous that it doesn’t deserve serious deliberation.
No, in my opinion the challenge seemed to be all about sowing doubt and confusion, it’s called ‘gas-lighting’, a method of psychological warfare akin to the hackneyed tactic of accusing your enemy of that which you’re guilty of yourself. It can also be called hypocrisy, or psychological projection, or displacement of attribution. That’s Danny when he complains that someone didn’t condemn Hamas, while Danny himself never condemns the IDF.
None of these tactics serve the goal of good journalism, but sadly they seem to dominate the media sphere these days, to the detriment of civilised democratic society.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
