Media legislation ‘must protect public interest’

Legislation on media mergers will place “a very high premium on the public interest”, said Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte.

Mr Rabbitte was speaking at the MacGill Summer School, where he addressed the conference on reform in the public service.

Before his address, he said undue concentration of the media was something that had to be guarded against. He said his legislation on possible media mergers would be published in the autumn, adding: “It places a very high premium on the public interest, and the legislation will have significant regard to that report.”