Press Releases

 

The approval by both Houses of the Oireachtas today (Tuesday April 20th) of a draft order recognising the Press Council of Ireland under the 2009 Defamation Act will greatly benefit the operations of the Council, the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and the press generally, according to the Chairman of the Council.

Good afternoon Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen. It gives me great pleasure to address today’s seminar and I’d like to thank the Press Ombudsman, Professor John Horgan, for his kind invitation asking me to take part in this important event.

The Data Protection Commissioner, Mr Billy Hawkes, the businessman Mr Ben Dunne, and the editor of the Irish Daily Mirror, Mr John Kierans, will be among the speakers at a public seminar on privacy being organized by the Press Council of Ireland in Cork on Friday, January 15th.

Press Council said today (Monday 28th December) that the proposed new curriculum on “Politics and Society” being prepared by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment should include a new emphasis on the power of the press, the accountability of the press, and on new media.

There are several fundamental reasons why the state should not involve itself in the regulation of the press. However, there are also more practical reasons why self-regulation can be a preferable alternative, benefitting journalists and the public alike. It is flexible, non-bureaucratic and highly effective at delivering practical solutions to problems. Ultimately, self-regulation can raise standards and provide effective redress to those who are wronged by the press. But it does so by working with journalists, not against them.

The passage of the Defamation Act 2009 and the completion of the procedures envisaged under this Act will create a radically new system of accountability for the print media which will mean that expensive legal processes will have to be invoked much less frequently than before.

Is suicide news?

The Press Council of Ireland has considered recent proposals by the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner to issue draft regulations detailing requirements that, in the view of the Commissioner, should be met by an organization holding records that contain personal data and which are kept solely for the purpose of historical research or are covered by the National Archives Act 1986.

This is a significant occasion for the Press Council of Ireland as it reports on its first full year of operation.