THERE is an old saying in journalism to the effect that, if one person tells you that it is raining and another tells you that it is dry, your job is not to report them both with equal weight but to look out of the window to see what the weather is.

Ignoring such a basic tenet has helped to cause problems in the wider world, especially in recent years, and has had a pernicious effect on what passes for horseracing journalism these days, too. No amount of “juries” or talking heads can make up for facts and evidence.