liars seize moral high ground, demand accuracy and honesty

The Daily Mail saddled the high moral horse last week to frame the accusation (or factual declaration) that the Catholic Church had been lying about the embryo bill as a denigration of public debate.

The orchestrated attacks on the Roman Catholic church by ministers, scientists and medical charities have done nothing to advance the debate over the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill.

In sneering language, they have portrayed the Church as rooted in the Dark Ages - wilfully blocking research which could help millions who suffer from such dreadful ailments as Alzheimer's, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's. Bishops and cardinals have been accused by fertility expert Lord Winston of lying to the public, by health minister Ben Bradshaw of being intemperate, emotive and plain wrong, and by other Labour MPs of "scaremongering".

The awkward thing here is that - apart from the unkind smearing of the Dark Ages - that this is an accurate account of the behaviour of bishops and cardinals over the last few weeks and months. Bishops and cardinals have indeed misrepresented the science (and attendant safeguards) made possible by the proposed change in law. Yet somehow, it's the fault of other people for pointing this out rather than the fault of the church for willfully and continually misleading public debate.

While the embryo bill is now open to a free vote, the issue of accuracy and honesty in debate prevails - presumably leading David Cameron, father to a disabled son, to argue (as reported in The Times)

that the Catholic Church was entitled to express its opinion, [adding]: “There is a danger that people can overstate what is in this Bill and that is all the greater need for it to be debated calmly and reasonably in Parliament.

That Cardinal Keith O'Brien appears congenitally unable to discuss these issues "calmly and reasonably" needs to become a feature of the coverage of his remarks, rather than the trigger for another round of "he said, she said" reporting. Pointing out when someone is lying (and rather than acting as a somehow neutral third party to evident lies) is a rather important element of journalism, no?