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World Press Freedom Day marked by plea to Varadkar


The Irish Executive Council marked World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd with a renewed call for a commission on the future of the media in Ireland. In a letter to the Taoiseach and opposition leaders, Séamus Dooley, Irish Secretary, said recent developments underline the need for all- party support to tackle the issue of media ownership and control, as well as addressing other vital issues. In a statement he said: “There is a crisis in the media in Ireland. Recent developments at INM clearly vindicate the NUJ concerns over media ownership and control but the crisis is multi- dimensional. The dire financial position of the public service broadcaster, the closure of so many regional titles, the absence of diversity within our newsrooms combined with a failure to address the democratic deficit caused by media dominance need to be addressed in a coherent fashion. “Political fear of retribution by powerful figures


may well have inhibited politicians from taking a stand on this issue to date, but in the current grave situation there is a need for political courage,” he said. In his letter, Séamus said, “Much has changed since the last major reviews of the role and function of the media in Ireland: The 1996 Report on the Commission on the Future of the Newspaper Industry and the 2002 Report of the Forum on Broadcasting. “Given the significance of media policy on our democracy, it is surprising that successive governments have failed to address the challenges facing the print, broadcasting and digital media sectors in a structured and coherent manner,” the Irish Secretary said. He noted that in 2008, an advisory group was established to review the existing legislative framework regarding media mergers and asked to examine the relevant provisions of the Competition Act 2002. The group’s recommendations were incorporated in the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014. “The issue of media ownership and control


remains a major concern in Ireland and recent developments vindicate the position of the NUJ regarding the absence of adequate safeguards to protect journalists from direct and indirect


interference by corporate interests,” Séamus said.


He said that while an examination of media


ownership and control would form part of the terms of reference of the proposed commission, other issues would include the role of the media in democracy, the protection of editorial independence, the promotion of media plurality, funding models for public and private media across all sectors and the possibility of State supports, including taxation measures; legal constraints on freedom of expression, including defamation law; the role, function and funding of public service broadcasting; access to professional careers in the media in Ireland; training and professional development of media workers in Ireland; diversity; employment standards; and media ownership and control, including a review of the regulatory framework. Séamus added: “I believe that the current ownership and cross-ownership structures may have inhibited elected representatives from agreeing to the establishment of a commission. There is now a public demand for leadership from the government on this issue and a cross- party consensus is emerging, which is encouraging.”


Commission on media future


Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have added their voice to the campaign for the establishment of an independent commission on the future of the media in Ireland. The Social Democrats and Labour have long been supportive of the idea, and following the union’s World Press Freedom Day statement Séamus Dooley has received letters of support from Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil Leader, and Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald. “The Commission would be in an ideal position


to review the regulatory framework over control and protecting editorial independence,” Deputy Martin said in his letter to the Irish Secretary. In 2017 Fianna Fáil abstained on a Social Democrat Bill on the issue, making their support now especially significant.


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