Professor John Horgan, Press Ombudsman is re-appointed for second term.

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.”