Press freedom - Protect those who expose truth

WE ARE lucky to live in a country where the press has enjoyed circumstances that, by and large, allow it to do its job without hindrance or threat.

Without this culture the appalling stories surrounding industrial schools, the repeated sexual abuse of children by members of the Catholic clergy and the corruption entrenched in our political system and sections of our police force would never have come to light.

Yesterday’s High Court ruling regarding Colm Keena and Geraldine Kennedy of The Irish Times may have profound implications for that cherished tradition of exposure achieved through honourable intent and honest endeavour. Those implications are even more profound when considered in tandem with this government’s repeated narrowing of the remit of the Freedom of Information Act, each diminution of which is a regrettable and shameful step away from the principle of transparency that informed those who brought the legislation to our statute books. Transparency in public affairs is one of the vibrant, enriching qualities active in any democracy worth celebrating.