Press Council plans - Press Council decision a sensible move

New arrangements for a Press Council and Ombudsman are warmly welcomed as a positive means of providing an easy, legitimate and inexpensive redress for people wronged by newspapers, while at the same time protecting the press freedom of responsible members of the industry.

The reforms should help to facilitate public confidence by promoting journalistic ethics and protecting society against the danger of falling standards, especially as a result of pressure from foreign newspapers adopting low standards.

This would not only damage the industry but also pose a real threat to our democracy, because it is largely dependent on a responsible and free press. The latest measures really amounts to a sensible arrangement between the government and the industry. A previous proposal for a press council ran into strong opposition from within the industry, because the Government would essentially have appointed the council. That proposal has been scrapped in favour of an independent body comprised of thirteen members, most of whom will be chosen from outside the press. A distinguished committee of four independent-minded people — former Provost of Trinity College Professor Thomas Mitchell, former ombudsman Kevin Murphy, and University lecturers and authors Dr Maurice Manning and Dr Miriam Hederman O’Brien — will appoint the Press Council of seven independent members from outside the press, and the other six others nominated by the industry. The public can be assured that neither politicians nor journalists will control the Press Council, which will draw up a code of conduct for journalists to ensure best practices that will balance the rights of individuals, the public’s right to know, and the democratic necessity of a free press. The ombudsman will be a distinguished individual appointed by the Press Council to deal with what should be the majority of complaints from the public, while the more difficult or disputed cases will be referred to the Press Council itself.