Upcoming Events

National | Arts and Media

no events match your query!

New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Some Laws Relating to Speech Are Surprisingly Uplifting Wed Dec 25, 2024 16:00 | James Alexander
Politics professor James Alexander has compiled a compendium of amusing laws ? Murphy's Law, Parkinson's Law and Cole's Law (thinly sliced cabbage) ? to give you a break from making polite conversation with your relatives.
The post Some Laws Relating to Speech Are Surprisingly Uplifting appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Warm Keir Starmer Just Looked Out? Wed Dec 25, 2024 11:00 | Henry Goodall
'Warm King Starmer just looked out, On the feast of Reeves, then...' Read Henry Goodall's version of 'Good King Winceslas' updated for Starmer's Britain, exclusive to the Daily Sceptic.
The post Warm Keir Starmer Just Looked Out… appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Declined: Chapter One Wed Dec 25, 2024 09:00 | M. Zermansky
Introducing Declined: a dystopian satire about the emergence of a social credit system in the U.K. that's going to be published in serial?form?in?the Daily Sceptic. Read episode one here.
The post Declined: Chapter One appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill Wed Dec 25, 2024 07:00 | Charlotte Gill
The Climate and Nature Bill threatens to decimate the UK economy by turbo-charging Net Zero. But where did it come from? Charlotte Gill dives in and finds a glut of Left-wing activists working furiously behind the scenes.
The post The Lobbyists Behind the Climate and Nature Bill appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Wed Dec 25, 2024 00:32 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?113 Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:42 | en

offsite link Pentagon could create a second Kurdish state Fri Dec 20, 2024 10:31 | en

offsite link How Washington and Ankara Changed the Regime in Damascus , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 17, 2024 06:58 | en

offsite link Statement by President Bashar al-Assad on the Circumstances Leading to his Depar... Mon Dec 16, 2024 13:26 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?112 Fri Dec 13, 2024 15:34 | en

Voltaire Network >>

"The Irish media will not get a fair trial in January"

category national | arts and media | feature author Sunday December 14, 2003 00:05author by Chris Donoghueauthor email chrisdonoghue at eircom dot net Report this post to the editors

Libel law changes and establishment of Press Council expected soon

justice.jpg

FROM THE NEWSWIRE:
"The language McDowell used at the December 1st conference is too weak for me. `The body could reflect the interests of all parties'. Why did he not say the Council definitely WILL reflect the interests of all parties? He is the Minister for Justice and he is bringing in a Press Council so the fact that he is unwilling to say anything definite is an indication of what I fear will happen in January when a foolish Cabinet that is wary of the Press will bring into law the Statutory Press Council proposed by the Legal Advisory Group on Defamation.

At that Cabinet meeting will be An Taioseach, who was displeased with coverage of his daughter Georgina’s wedding. Beside him will be Mary Harney who has twice sued for libel. Also there will be Ministers Noel Dempsey, John O'Donoghue and Seamus Brennan, who have all sued or threatened to sue a newspaper. Not forgetting Charlie McCreevy who in 2002 took Ireland from the international vanguard of open government into the dark ages of secrecy when he butchered our freedom of information laws. A society that has been rocked by revelations of corruption took a step back into secrecy. I would offer that the Cabinet is prejudiced and may use the opportunity to get us meddling journalists."

Other newswire articles:
A Dummy's Guide to the Press Council Issue
Why good journalism needs libel reform

FULL TEXT OF ORIGINAL NEWSWIRE STORY

The Irish Cabinet will decide in January on what type of press council Ireland should have. Given the Ministers' history with the press it looks likely that witches being burnt alive by excitable townspeople will have been given fairer trials than the Irish Media will get!

So the government still wants a statutory press council but now Michael McDowell has said that it is possible to fairly represent all the parties involved! I am left wondering if Michael McDowell and the current Cabinet are enlightened enough to bring in a statutory body that is representative of the government, journalists, the public and newspaper owners, one that is trusted by all sides. It is a lot more likely they will flood a council with government sympathisers. The language McDowell used at the December 1st conference is too weak for me. “The body could reflect the interests of all parties,” why did he not say the council definitely will reflect the interest of all parties? He is the Minister for Justice and he is bringing in a press council so the fact that he is unwilling to say anything definite is an indication of what I fear will happen in January when a foolish Cabinet that is wary of the Press will bring into law the statutory press council proposed by the Legal Advisory Group on Defamation.

At that Cabinet meeting will be An Taioseach, who was displeased with coverage of his daughter Georgina’s wedding. Beside him will be Mary Harney who has twice sued for libel. Also there will be Ministers Noel Dempsey, John, O Donoghue and Seamus Brennan, who have all sued or threatened to sue a newspaper. Not forgetting Charlie McCreevy who in 2002 took Ireland from the international vanguard of open governing into the dark ages of secrecy when he butchered our Freedom Of Information laws. A society that has been rocked by revelations of corruption took a step back into secrecy. I would offer that the Cabinet is prejudiced and may use the opportunity to get us meddling journalists. Mr. McDowell himself may be tired of the “Mad Mullah McDowell” campaign run by The Star.

The Ministers have had individual problems with journalists and in some cases the journalists have been wrong. Journalists have codes of ethics that should keep standards high but journalists stray and that is when the problems happen. Even though some journalists have been in the wrong, the industry as a whole does not deserve to be under state control. The press council recommended by the Legal Advisory Group on Defamation is an insult to a journalist’s duty to act on behalf of the public. If that type of council comes in professional journalists should pack their bags and surrender the newsroom to the lawyers and politicians. They can join us student journalists on indymedia.ie and enjoy the freedom of non-hierarchal electronic publishing!

author by cheekpublication date Sat Dec 13, 2003 23:01author address author phone Report this post to the editors

So it'l be a meddling Class attack against a section of the middle class - looks good, whats you problem?

author by redder than youpublication date Sat Dec 13, 2003 23:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Not forgetting Charlie McCreevy who in 2002 took Ireland from the international vanguard of open governing into the dark ages of secrecy when he butchered our Freedom Of Information laws

author by cheekpublication date Sat Dec 13, 2003 23:53author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Is this some sort of punch line.... I dont get it..... maybe your just madder then me

author by crimson and scarlet.publication date Sun Dec 14, 2003 12:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

oh when an "ing" is a "ed" and a "ed" is an "ing".

author by cajo - griffpublication date Mon Dec 15, 2003 01:27author address -author phone -Report this post to the editors

here to B.F. and non hierarchal electronic publishing!

author by Cajo - -publication date Tue Dec 16, 2003 01:16author address -author phone -Report this post to the editors

looking forward to your piece, gerunds and all.............

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy