I READ THE NEWS TODAY - OH BOY

I'm sure you've heard of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

She is the Iranian lady who having been found guilty of adultery, was sentenced to death by being stoned. Just to be clear, this means that she is buried vertically in the ground with only her head and shoulders showing so that she cannot use her arms to defend herself. Men then throw large stones at her head until she suffers a fractured skull and then dies.

You may wonder then why I was saddened to read in the paper that she had been temporarily released and allowed to visit her son at home. Let me explain.

I have no idea whether this lady is guilty or not. In an oppressive state it is hard to accept the truth of apparent public confessions by such prisoners. If she is guilty then she deserves punishment according to the law of her country. My problem, shared by civilised countries the world over, is with the barbaric nature of the punishment. This is why such intense diplomatic pressure has been applied to Iran.

I normally defend our free press to the hilt. It is one of the foundation stones of our democracy. Of course it was pleasing news that she had been allowed to go home. The problem was that some of the press didn't simply report the facts of the release. It didn't say anything about Iran's government demonstrating that it could be merciful.

It said that Iran had bowed to Western pressure - that it had been humbled.

This was no time to crow. It should come as no surprise to anyone that following these bragging headlines, the lady has been re-arrested.

NEWSFLASHY

There is a debate going on at present about the reporting of the deaths of our brave soldiers in Afghanistan.

Some people are annoyed when the front page news is about a 'football hero' like David Beckham suffering an injury on the pitch which will probably prevent him playing in the world cup. The argument goes that our front line troops are the true heroes and it is their injuries and deaths which should fill the front page.

It may be very sad for Cheryl Cole that her marriage has broken down but 'we can wait until page 5 to read about it'. Her story should not push our fallen soldiers off the front page is the opinion of many.

When my future son-in-law was out fighting in Afghanistan, my family and I were living a daily nightmare as we heard the daily news and learned of the casualties. Thankfully, he and most of his comrades have returned safely. So I know the anguish of the families whose sons and daughters are fighting for their country. I can only imagine the pain of those families whose children do not return.

Whether you agree with the war or not, there is no question that our soldiers, not our sportsmen, are the true heroes. Their bravery is not in doubt. I agree with those who feel that our soldiers deaths in combat are tragic and newsworthy.

However, I disagree that their deaths are front page news. Reports of their deaths will not sell papers and should no more be on the front page than the obituary column should be. So let us continue to have flashy stories on the front page which will entice people to buy the papers - then those readers will encounter the news of our fallen heroes as they turn the pages within.