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7 FUTURE OF MEDIA COMMISSION Murphy highlights the impact of tech giants


In the immediate aftermath of the announcement of the Media Commission, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy was one of a number of Oireachtas members who queried the composition of the body. She also raised the issue of libel reform and the commission’s inadequate terms of reference. In response, the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, struck a positive note but did not concede that the commission should be more representative. “The last thing we want to see is a worthy initiative such as the establishment of this commission falling short because there are gaps in expertise. It is also essential that the terms of reference of the commission are broad enough and cover all the key issues without being too unwieldy,” Deputy Murphy said.


Deputy Murphy, a long-time supporter of the NUJ’s


campaign for a commission, said: “The sustainability of the media sector is impacted by Covid-19 but it has also been hugely impacted in recent years by the


The Commission


members • Professor Brian Mac Craith, physicist, former President, Dublin City University.


• Sinéad Burke, director of Tilting the Lens, writer and academic active in social media,


and member of the Council of State.


• Alan Rusbridger, chair of the Steering Committee of the Reuters Institute for the


Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, and former editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media, UK.


• Lynette Fay, freelance broadcaster (broadcasting as Gaeilge and in English on


BBC Radio Ulster) with an academic background in applied communications.


• Nuala O’Connor, co-founder of South Wind Blows, writer and documentary filmmaker in


the areas of music and the arts.


• Gillian Doyle, professor of media economics (theatre, film and television studies),


University of Glasgow.


• Mark Little, CEO and co-founder of Kinzen. Founder of social news agency, Storyful.


• Stephen McNamara, director of communications, Irish Rugby Football Union,


former head of communication, Ryanair.


• Dr Finola Doyle-O’Neill, broadcast historian, University College Cork, author and freelance


writer.


• Siobhan Holliman, deputy editor of The Tuam Herald and joint cathaoirleach of the NUJ’s


Irish Executive Council.


loss of advertising revenue to social media platforms and digital search engines. I would have thought this aspect would have been thoroughly considered, particularly given that some of these platforms do not themselves generate content but rely on the work of others for content.” In his reply the Taoiseach said the commission is


“platform agnostic”. He said libel is a separate complex issue and the subject of separate review. Mr Martin said: “The Future of Media Commission has a lot on its plate already. The public service dimension is urgent in terms of the financial underpinning of it. What has been happening over the last number of years is not acceptable and we need to come to a decision, not just at Government level but within the Oireachtas, collectively, on how we financially underpin good public service broadcasting and media. If we believe in it as a core value of democracy, then we have to put aside partisan party politics with a view to doing the right thing for the future of our democracy and for future generations.”


Commission gets to work


Continued from page 1 An IEC delegation will meet Minister Catherine Martin this month to impress upon her the need for urgent action.


The Irish media industry is in crisis. There has been


little indication thus far that the current minister is aware of the gravity of that situation. In launching the Commission, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has acknowledged the importance of a vibrant, independent media but there has been no attempt to address the financial crisis. The NUJ News Recovery Plan provides a blueprint


for financial incentives, for imaginative means of protecting employment and supporting journalism. RTÉ cannot await the outcome of the revamped commission. For struggling newspapers, especially in the regional sector, State support is needed now. The commission must not be used as another opportunity for procrastination. In this regard there are positive indications that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is mindful of the scale of the crisis and I am scheduled to address the committee on November 11th. There is a strong argument for broadening the


remit of the commission, perhaps to examine other issues in later modules, along the lines of the Citizen’s Assembly programme. There is an old Irish saying, Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá


na scolb, a windy day is no day for thatching. Unfortunately, we don’t control the storms which engulf our industry and our warnings over many years have been ignored. Now is the time for swift action on all fronts.


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