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Irish media news round-up (April/May)

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, here's a bit of a news round-up...

- Broadcast Bill carries 'right to reply'
- Bill proposes single broadcast regulator
- Irish paper group seeks £8m help
- Press Council member quits over policy *
- Council's suppression of dissenting voice forced me to quit *
- Clarify Privacy Bill's limbo status - FG*
- O'Brien-backed group puts case for DTT licence*
- Metro director to leave paper 
- Sir Anthony scoops Media Person of the Year award
* = (subs reqd)

Irish Press Ombudsman appointed, calls for Defamation Bill as soon as possible

The first Press Ombudsman was appointed yesterday and should be able to take complaints about the print media in Ireland from November.

Members of the public with still be asked to contact newspapers or magazines first. If unsatisfied, the next step will be to contact the Office of the Press Ombudsman, only major complaints or complaints unsatisfied at ombudsmen level will be passed on to the Press Council of Ireland.

The ombudsman will have no powers to fine newspapers only to make them publish his decision.

The new ombudsman, Dr John Horgan, called for the Defamation Bill to be reintroduced as soon as possible. Horgan was professor of journalism at Dublin City University before resigning last year. He is also a former Labour TD, Senator, and a MEP.

He had previously worked at the Evening Press, the Catholic Herald in London, and for the Irish Times where he reported on religion and education. Horgan also was Editor of the Education Times, and has freelanced for the New York Review of Books, the London Review of Books, the Guardian, and Le Monde diplomatique among others.

"This means that Ireland finally has a complaints mechanism that is free, easy to use, totally independent and available to every citizen," said Prof Mitchell was quoted in today's Irish Times. "Anyone who feels aggrieved by a newspaper article or photograph can avail of this mechanism without having to risk spending a fortune by going to court".

Irish press council members announced

The members of the Press Council of Ireland have been revealed today, the group will work with the Office of Press Ombudsman to act as an independent regulatory for the print media in Ireland.

A statement today said that the two bodies hope to be fully operational by the autumn. Code of practice to govern newspapers and magazines in Ireland is also to be introduced.

The Press Council is made of 13 members in total, it's chairman, Professor Thomas Mitchell, six 'independent members' picked using public recruitment, and media nominated members.

“I believe the establishment of a Press Council of Ireland is a significant event in the history of the Irish media, and a very good news story for the Irish public and the press industry in this country" said Mitchell.

“We will soon have a complaints procedure that is independent, accessible to all, simple, quick and free”.

In addition to Mitchell the independent members are Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link; Mary Kotsonouris, a qualified solicitor and former District Court Judge; John Horgan, former chairman of the Labour Court; Maeve McDonagh, associate Professor of Law in UCC; Dr Eleanor O’Higgins, senior lecturer in the UCD School of Business; and Peter O’Mahony, former CEO of the Irish Refugee Council.

While the industry members are Rosemary Delaney, managing editor of multi-media firm WMB Publishing Ltd; Michael Denieffe, managing editor of Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd; Martin Fitzpatrick, treasurer of the Irish Executive Council of the National Union of Journalists; Michael McNiffe, Editor of the Irish Sun; Eoin McVey, managing editor of the Irish Times; and Frank Mulrennan, president of the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland.

“The council brings together a great range of talent and considerable diversity of geography, background and expertise,” Mitchell added.

“All 13 members are people of achievement, standing and varied experience. I believe all of these factors will give the Council credibility and strong moral authority, and anyone who might seek to undermine it or ignore its judgements can I feel expect an adverse reaction from both press and public".

The appointments were made by a what was referred to today as an independent appointments committee.

The new press council chairman Professor Thomas Mitchell also chaired the committee and was joined by Dr Miriam Hederman-O’Brien, a former chairman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission; Dr Maurice Manning, president of the Irish Human Rights Commission; and Kevin Murphy, former Ombudsman and Information Commissioner.

UPDATE: Greenslade over at Guardian Unlimited compares the Press Council of Ireland to the UK Press Complaints Commission.

Irish Press Council, Ombudsman revealed as defamation bill debated in the Seanad

Privacy Bill on shelf, for now, McDowell says it's not gone away

Yesterday the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, accompanied Irish media groups to announce the Irish Press Industry Steering Committee’s proposals for an independent  and Press Ombudsman, this morning he was present in the Seanad to debate the defamation bill.

The council and ombudsman are recognized in the proposed defamation bill, a code of practice.

According to the Irish Times all national newspapers, Irish editions of UK newspapers, local newspapers, a majority of national magazines, and the National Union of Journalists have agreed on the structures.

"The Government is not establishing a press council, the Government is proposing legislation to the houses of the Oireachtas under which a press council would be recognised for certain purposes" said McDowell.

- Seanad debate on defamation bill 2006 (oireachtas.ie)
- Defamation bill goes before Seanad (IT, no sub req)
- McDowell unveils 'overdue' defamation bill (Bre/news.ie)
- New press complaints rules unveiled (Indo, free reg req)
- Print media reaches consensus on watchdog (IT, sub req)
- Press council: how it will be composed (IT, sub req) 
- Code of Practice (IT, sub req)

Ireland’s press freedom ranking questioned

Sunday Times columnist, Liam Fay, has questioned the Reporters sans Frontières report on press freedom, pointing to jail threats made to Irish journalists.

In his column today, Fay states “The RSF’s glowing assessment of Irish press freedom comes as an editor and a journalist, Geraldine Kennedy and Colm Keena of The Irish Times, face criminal sanctions for publishing revelations about secret payments by businessmen to a serving finance minister”.

Citing libel laws, he rubbishes the idea of free speech in Ireland “These are routinely used by the rich and infamous to stymie media comment and inquiry”.

Fay also points out that the purposed reform of the libel laws comes with “even more restrictive” privacy laws. And that media attempts to probe “the darker recesses of public life” are faced with “court injunctions and threats of lawsuits”.

Ireland top for press freedom, but...

Ireland has topped a Reporters Without Borders Worldwide ranking for press freedoms... 

Ireland joint top in global press freedom league Ireland is among four countries rated first in an annual survey of press freedoms for the fourth consecutive year.

The fifth annual Reporters Without Borders Worldwide Press Freedom Index also found a "steady erosion of press freedom" in France, the United States and Japan. (from the Irish Times, free vie eircom.net)

But how long will it last there with the proposed defamation and privacy bills?

In a joint letter to the Irish government the World Association of Newspapers and the World Editors Forum said that the bills if enacted would...

 inhibit the way newspapers carry out their legitimate and important function in society

According to them the bills pave the for the destruction of many press freedoms in Ireland.

A self regulatory Irish Press Council?

Following opposition to the proposed statutory Irish press council from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and from Paul Drury, editor of the Irish Daily Mail, the Monday’s Muse on MediaForum.ie is…

Is there a window of opportunity for the newspapers publishing in Ireland to work together to set up a self regulatory Press Council, now that there is uncertainty around the Defamation and Privacy Bills?

[Comments closed: To discuss, go to MediaForum.ie]

Cleraun Media Conference this weekend

The Cleraun Media Conference takes place this weekend.

Pat Leahy’s Any Other Business (for some reason not on sbpost.ie this week) calls it “The best and most thought provoking conference”, adding “The centre is run by Opus Dei, but nobody is going to force you to wear barbed wire underpants. Well, they didn’t last year anyway”. We hope that trend does not change. For more see cleraun.com.

OSCE questions Irish defamation bill

The creation of a new criminal offence and a statutory Irish press council proposed with the defamation and privacy bills has been criticised by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

This is the statutory Irish press council included in the proposed defamation bill that - to quote irishlegalaffairs.blogspot.com - has “been welcomed with open arms by a grateful media”.

Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE representative on freedom of the media, said...

It is worrying that the draft introduces a new crime, namely 'publication of gravely harmful statements', and would even introduce the possibility of a summary conviction for that offence in so-called minor cases...

The fact that prison sentences are envisaged for the new offences clearly contradicts the guidance of the European Court of Human Rights which has never approved imprisonment sentences for defamation.

A comment posted by “similarly” on Roy Greenslade’s blog makes an interesting note “Criminal defamation? This will make Ireland like Turkey or Nigeria, Indonesia or... Do the Irish want to live under this potentially totalitarian threat?”. Indeed, the OSCE notes “Courts in Western Europe do not apply such provisions anymore”.