Tribunal injunction - Draconian ruling puts gag on media

FREEDOM of the press is a central plank of democracy. Inherent in that principle should be the right of journalists to protect their sources.

That cannot be said of Ireland, however, especially after yesterday’s High Court decision to grant the Mahon Tribunal injunctions against the Sunday Business Post, preventing it from publishing any confidential tribunal material in the future before it has been disclosed in a public hearing of the tribunal or has been cleared for publication by the tribunal.

Central to yesterday’s proceedings was the confrontation between Judge Alan Mahon and the Sunday Business Post over journalist Barry O’Kelly’s refusal to reveal the source of confidential documents.