Privacy laws will shackle press, say NUJ

PRESS freedom will be seriously compromised by proposed privacy legislation, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) warned last night.

The crackdown unveiled by Justice Minister Michael McDowell will cancel out many of the positive aspects proposed in a parallel reform of libel laws, the journalists’ organisation said.

Irish secretary of the NUJ, Séamus Dooley, called on Mr McDowell to allow the proposed Press Council to function in the absence of privacy legislation for a two to three-year trial period.