Press Council a boost for Seán Citizen

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.

The inaugural Press Council — members of which were announced at a function in Dublin yesterday — and a press ombudsman, who will be appointed in the coming weeks, will form an independent system for resolving complaints against the print media.

The council will introduce and oversee a new code of practice for newspapers and magazines.

The ombudsman will investigate complaints by members of the public and seek to resolve them. Citizens will be able to make a complaint free of charge.

If the Defamation Bill is passed into law by the Oireachtas later this year, the press will be able to publish apologies without them being seen as admissions of liability which could be used in subsequent court actions. This should ensure that newspapers and magazines move to correct instances of inaccurate reporting more quickly. Up to now, many publications have been slow to print apologies in case they led to heavy compensation pay-outs.

The goal of the new system will be to “resolve complaints amicably, through the publication of an apology or clarification”. People who wish to seek monetary damages will still have the option of pursuing a libel action in the courts.

The umbrella group representing the national newspapers welcomed yesterday’s announcement of the membership of the council.

“(It) is fantastic news,” said Frank Cullen, co-ordinating director of National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI). “For years, NNI has been saying that Ireland needs a system of press regulation that allows people who are aggrieved to seek an apology or correction from a newspaper without having to go to court.”

He urged Justice Minister Brian Lenihan to bring forward the Defamation Bill as soon as possible. That won’t happen until the autumn at the earliest, as the Dáil breaks today for its summer recess until late September.

The Department of Justice yesterday said it expected both the Defamation Bill and the Privacy Bill to be introduced in the Oireachtas once the Dáil and Seanad return.