THE WEEK

Have we had enough of experts? During the Brexit campaign, Michael Gove was derided for the suggestion, though he was only talking about economists – and their predictions are famously unreliable. Doctors and scientists have tended to be held in higher esteem. But we don’t seem to put much faith in their expertise any more either. The sad case of Charlie Gard ( see p.21) is evidence of that. Charlie’s doctors believe that, tragically, his rare mitochondrial disease cannot be treated, and that keeping him on life support only risks prolonging his suffering. But on social media, no one seems to think they should be trusted: #Jesuischarlie has been trending on Twitter, and 350,000 people have signed a petition calling for Charlie to be sent abroad for an experimental therapy.

It’s becoming a powerful force, the online torrent. And like Godzilla stalking the city, you never know where it will strike next. Few institutions have been held in such high regard as Great Ormond Street. It must have thought it was safe from the giant lizard’s lashing tail. It wasn’t. Last week, with the social media pressure intensifying, the hospital felt obliged to refer Charlie’s case back to the High Court. The judge says he‘ll only be swayed by medical evidence, not by “tweets or things said to the press”. Let’s hope so. If the public wants parents to be the sole arbiters of what is in their child’s best interests, we should have a debate about that, and its implications for

Caroline Law child protection. What we shouldn’t do is let an online mob tear the law down.