Letter: EU under scrutiny

Friday 19 March 1999 00:02 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: At the press conference on 16 March, Jacques Santer said: "Je constate avec beaucoup de satisfaction que je suis entierement blanchi." This means that he considered that he had been "completely cleared" by the report, and not that he considered himself to be "whiter than white".

Mr Santer's reaction to the report might be considered ill-judged. However, the expression "whiter than white", seized upon for its newsworthiness by The Independent, BBC TV news and Channel 4 news among others, served to portray him in an exaggeratedly negative light.

Dr CHRIS DAWSON

Lecturer in French

Manchester Metropolitan University

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Letter: EU under scrutiny

Join our commenting forum

Thank you for registering