The Irish Examiner has attracted an extra 8,000 readers over the last 12 months, cementing the newspaper’s dominance of the Munster newspaper market where it has more readers than the Irish Times and Irish Independent combined.

The National Newspapers of Ireland yesterday urged the Government to scrap the €15 fee payable for freedom of information requests and called for proposed changes to FoI law to be expanded to allow for more openness and transparency.

Reading newspapers at the back of the classroom won’t be frowned on in some schools any more as thousands of students will soon take part in a major initiative to encourage them to read a daily title while also improving their literacy skills.

The Irish Examiner has maintained its readership at 169,000 readers — bucking the trend in the Irish broadsheet market — with the Irish Independent losing 7% of readers and The Irish Times down 11%.

The Irish Examiner bucked the national trend for daily newspapers by increasing readership in 2011.

The Irish Examiner was the only broadsheet newspaper in Ireland to increase its readership last year.

TRIBUTES were paid yesterday to the editor of the Sunday Independent, Aengus Fanning, who has died following a battle with cancer.

RATHNURE tried hard but were unable to stop Oulart-the-Ballagh completing a three-in-a-row in a dour Wexford SHC final at Wexford Park yesterday.

CHAMPIONS Oulart-the-Ballagh cruised to a comfortable 2-20 to 1-13 victory over neighbours Buffers Alley in a one-sided Wexford SHCsemi-final at Wexford Park yesterday.

RTÉ executives have dismissed as “unfair” accusations that the broadcaster’s online content represents improper competition to the newspaper industry.

THE future of the Irish newspaper industry is threatened by public service broadcaster RTÉ’s dominance of the advertising market, the Oireachtas communication committee was informed yesterday.

THE National Newspapers of Ireland has called on the Government to implement existing EU and Irish legislation to ensure RTÉ is not allowed to use state funding to finance the broadcaster’s commercial services.

SOARING unemployment and population decline have been blamed for a slight drop in newspaper readership over the past year.

THE Irish Examiner’s readership base is rock solid and continues to grow as the country battles the recession.

CONTROVERSY erupted yesterday when the former lover of murder accused Eamon Lillis was allowed to use a secure underground entrance to the Criminal Courts of Justice complex in Dublin to avoid photographers.

THE latest Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS) shows that more than 3.1 million people – 88% of the adult population – are regular readers of Irish newspapers. That represents an increase of more than 64,000 readers in the past 12 months alone.

WE wish to express our surprise and concern at the continued promotion by some daily newspapers and other publications of the so-called feeder schools’ league.

THE Government has contributed to people’s negative perceptions of the EU by frequently blaming it for problems, an Oireachtas committee has been told.

THE readership of daily newspapers in Ireland has jumped by almost 6%, according to the latest Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS).

THE announcement yesterday that the media academic Professor John Horgan is to become Ireland’s first press ombudsman was a watershed moment for the Irish press, for freedom of expression and — most importantly — for the maturing of relationships between newspapers and their reading public.

THE appointment of a national press ombudsman has been welcomed by the newspaper industry.

CITIZENS wronged by inaccurate reporting in newspapers and magazines should find it easier to obtain apologies or clarifications once a regulatory system takes effect later this year.

TÁNAISTE Michael McDowell yesterday gave his full backing to the independent press ombudsman and press council proposed by the print media and journalists.

NEW laws granting greater privacy rights to household names, even in public places, were unveiled by Justice Minister Michael McDowell last night.

THE Irish Examiner is the country’s fastest growing daily newspaper, continuing to attract thousands of new readers in a hugely competitive market, new research reveals. This is the second year running in which the paper achieved big increases in readership.

MORE and more people are making the Irish Examiner their daily newspaper of choice, according to the latest market research.

THE Irish Examiner's readership base remains rock solid in the face of intense competition, the latest figures from the Joint National Readership Survey (JNRS) reveal.