letter replying in telegraph

A few days ago I blogged about a really silly letter in the Daily Telegraph. It contained perhaps only one correct sentence saying that there was a lot of ignorance about ragwort. It was given great prominence which was particularly bad considering how much poor information it contained.

Recent revelations about the corrupting influence of the press serve to highlight the power of the internet in getting the point across. The original letter gave thousands of people incorrect information about the laws of the land, which two minutes checking would have proved false.

Incorrect and unchecked press articles are part of the reason that I see that it is necessary to blog like this.

Now a letter has appeared in reply from several conservation organisations. (I should make it clear that I am Neil Jones, one of the signatories, which most people will know.)

This is what was printed.

SIR - Ragwort (Letters, July 15) does not poison people who inhale its seeds, and it is not illegal to grow ragwort, although in exceptional circumstances someone could be ordered to control its spread.

It is a plant upon which at least 30 insect species, many rare, entirely rely. Ragwort is also an important nectar and pollen source for hundreds of species of butterflies, bees, moths, beetles and flies, helping to maintain what remains of our wildlife.

Nicola Hutchinson
Plantlife
Matt Shardlow
Buglife
Martin Warren
Butterfly Conservation
Neil Jones
Swansea Friends of the Earth