The Press Council - At last, free complaints procedure

YESTERDAY’S announcement, naming the members of the first Irish Press Council, is a welcome and long-awaited milestone in the evolution of how Irish society and Ireland’s print media interact.

It has sometimes been a torrid relationship but, much more often than not, it has been one in which society has been served well, especially when social and political reform are advanced, often in the face of powerful, entrenched and conservative opposition.

It is certain that some of the scandals in planning, the abuse of trust by churchmen, the unmasking of rogue politicians, the uncovering of tax cheats or offshore accounts would have continued blithely, uninterrupted were it not for the professional and commercial energy brought to bear by this country’s newspapers and electronic media.