Tributes to press watchdog head

The newspaper industry has paid warm tribute to Press Ombudsman John Horgan as he announces his retirement, describing him as a man with a “uniquely rounded and incredibly insightful perspective” who “commanded universal respect”.

Professor Horgan, a native of Tralee, Co Kerry, was the country’s first Press Ombudsman and was appointed six years ago when the Press Council was first established.

A former UCC student, Evening Press and Irish Times journalist, Labour Party senator and MEP and Professor of Journalism at DCU, his term in office was described as “an unqualified success” by the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI).