It is time for Ireland’s defamation laws to be brought into line with the rest of Europe, NewsBrands Ireland chairman Vincent Crowley will tell a conference organised by the Bar of Ireland today.

IRELAND has fallen five places from ninth to 14th in the latest Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders.

Newspaper advertising drives more than a quarter of all sales delivered by media and remains one of the most effective avenues for businesses to reach their intended audience.

Ireland continues to have one of the most repressive defamation regimes worldwide according to NewsBrands, the representative body for the national newspaper industry.

The economic pick-up is filtering down to the newspaper industry with increased advertising revenue reported for the first time since 2007.

Thousands of extra readers are enjoying the Irish Examiner on a daily basis as a growing audience helped strengthen the title’s lead over its competitors across Munster in the past 12 months.

The changing face of media and the increasing prevalence of digital content was last night reflected in the rebranding of the country’s newspaper representative body at an event in Dublin.