Press Releases

The Chairman of the Press Council, Dáithí O’Ceallaigh, today (8th September 2010) announced the appointment of two new members of the Press Council of Ireland, who will serve for a three-year term.The new members are Professor Aine Hyland, Emeritus Professor of Education at University College, Cork, and Mr Eamonn Mac Aodha, Chief Executive of the Irish Human Rights Commission. They replace two retiring members of the Council, former District Justice Mary Kotsonouris, and Mr Peter O’Mahony, former CEO of the Irish Refugee Council. The appointments were made, on the basis of applications from members of the public, by an independent Appointments Committee, which was chaired by the outgoing Chairman, Professor Thomas Mitchell.Announcing the new appointments, Mr.O’Ceallaigh said “I am delighted to welcome Professor Hyland and Mr Mac Aodha to the Press Council. They bring a wealth of experience in the public service to the Council.” Bio notes for the new members:

I would very much like to thank the organisers of this important Conference for the opportunity to outline Ireland’s experience over the last three years in the establishment and consolidation of the Press Council of Ireland, one of Europe’s newer attempts to self-regulate the print media. While the process was under way there were many lessons learned. Some, I hope, will be of value in guiding the actions of at least some members of this audience in the future.

After reading the accounts of the past few days, I was beginning to wonder whether there would be anything left for me to say, but I will do my best! I come before you as an unrepentant believer in the importance and the role of journalism. From my early teenage years, I wanted above all to be a journalist and, over more than four decades – with the exception of some six years in full-time politics – I have always been connected with journalism in one way or another. I am equally unrepentant in my belief that among the best guarantees of the freedom of the press are the development and maintenance of high professional standards and public accountability.

The Press Council of Ireland has renewed the appointment of the Press Ombudsman, Professor John Horgan, for a second three-year term. Professor Horgan, whose first appointment as Press Ombudsman took effect on 1st September 2007, said yesterday that he was happy to accept the Council’s offer to renew his appointment, and that he looked forward to continuing and building on the work that has been done by the Council and his Office over the past three years. “The system that has been created in Ireland for press regulation, based on an independent Ombudsman and Press Council, and on voluntary cooperation by the print media, is unique, and has strengths not to be found elsewhere”, Professor Horgan added. “The degree to which editors, in particular, have cooperated with its activities is in no small measure responsible for the fact that public knowledge of, and confidence in, the new system, has been growing steadily, and has created a sound foundation for the future". “The formal recognition of the Council and of the Office of the Press Ombudsman by the Oireachtas earlier this year is a further strengthening of our role in the future. In this context, I would also like to pay a particular tribute to the work and commitment of the Council’s outgoing Chairman, Professor Tom Mitchell, and to our staff, whose energy and dedication, I think it is fair to say, has contributed in no small way to establishing these new structures on a sound basis.”  

 

The Chairman of the Press Council of Ireland, Professor Tom Mitchell, today (24 May) made “an urgent plea” to all newspapers and periodicals to become members of the Press Council. He was speaking at the launch of the 2009 Annual Report of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. Dermot Ahern TD.

Welcome, I want especially to welcome the Minister. It is very appropriate that he should be here for the launch of this Annual Report, since one of the major developments of the past year affecting the Press Council has been the enactment of the Defamation Bill and the subsequent recognition of the Press Council of Ireland under the provisions of the Act. We are most grateful to the Minister for bringing all of this to a conclusion, and for his supportive attitude towards the Council since he became Minister for Justice.

“The success of the Office of the Press Ombudsman in providing a fair hearing for complaints about newspapers and periodicals is highlighted by the fact that virtually half of all the decisions made by the Press Ombudsman either upheld complaints or concluded that the publications concerned took or offered to take sufficient remedial action to resolve the complaint,” the Press Ombudsman, Professor John Horgan, said today (Monday 24 May 2010).

Chairperson, directors and members of the Press Council, The Press Ombudsman and Ladies and Gentlemen.

Appointment of Independent Members and of Chairman for the Press Council of Ireland -