Senator Calls on Government to Protect Journalists
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan called on the government to support journalists and local media by helping to protect revenue streams and reforming Irish defamation law.
NewsBrands Ireland and Local Ireland, the representative bodies for Ireland’s national and local news publishers, gave a special briefing entitled Journalism Matters, which focused on the challenges facing news publishers, including the impact of big tech and existing libel laws in Ireland.
Senator Boyhan spoke about the concerns the representative bodies highlighted about government advertising campaigns saying, “They monitor advertising in the national press, and they monitor advertising in the regionals, the provincials, and the locals…They could clearly demonstrate that the European Electoral Boundaries Commission advertisements and the general election constituency boundaries review advertisements did not feature in any of these local papers.”
The Senator discussed the concerns of news publishers and asked the Seanad to debate the concerns around libel laws saying, “A fair share for government advertising. A fair share of government supports. A fair deal with the big tech platforms. And finally, a fair regime for defamation. Now, I might have a different view on defamation than they might have, but I would ask that we schedule time to discuss the report on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme for the Defamation (Amendment) Bill.”
He concluded his speech by saying, “I'm supportive, in general, of the asks of these two organisations. I believe in supporting the national press, and the local, and the provincial, and the regional press.”
ENDS
2023 marked a milestone year for Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) as they celebrated 50 years in operation and delivered a record 849 new homes.
The Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024 provides up-to-date information and statistical analysis from a variety of sources, to give detailed overview of Ireland’s agri-food and an outlook for the future. The agri-food sector is Ireland oldest and largest indigenous exporting sector, extends across the country and reaches over 180 countries worldwide. The data and information included in this Annual Review and Outlook is intended as a resource to assist policy analysis over the next year.
View Here
Local Enterprise Offices Policy Statement 2024-2030
The Atlantic Railway Corridor The Mayo–Sligo Rail Link – Dr John Bradley
Timber in Construction Academic Survey – Core Research Final Report October 2024