Press watchdog urges delay in privacy bill
Prof Thomas Mitchell speaking at the Press Council launch at the Shelbourne Hotel yesterday
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THE chairman of the new Press Council of Ireland has urged the Government not to rush into drafting legislation to protect people's privacy.
Announcing the 13 independent members of the council yesterday, Prof Thomas Mitchell said privacy was already "quite well safeguarded" and that the new council would have an important role in protecting it.
Although a new defamation law would assist the council in carrying out its work, it was his personal view that a "wait and see" approach might better serve the public.
"The press council is not dependent on the Defamation Bill but in my view the bill was always going to be helpful to the council, but not essential," he said.
"My personal view is the issue of privacy is very important.
"It must be safeguarded and is, to an extent, quite well safeguarded.
"The press council can have a role in safeguarding privacy as a human right and I would like to see how it performs before a rush to legislation."
A Defamation Bill is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas and if passed will allow the print media to use the defence of "reasonable publication" in the event of a libel action.
But the Government's plans for a privacy bill have been described as draconian and an attack on the freedom of the press which would not serve the public interest.
Describing the establishment of the press council and press ombudsman as a "significant event" in the history of the Irish media, Prof Mitchell said it would afford the public a complaints procedure which was "independent, accessible to all, simple, quick and free".
No longer would people who felt aggrieved by what they read in newspapers and magazines be forced to seek expensive redress in the courts, he said. Instead the independent ombudsman would help raise standards across the media by addressing complaints from the public.
A press ombudsman will be appointed in the autumn, and is expected to start taking complaints before the end of the year. The public will also be allowed to complain about individual journalists if they believe they have breached the code of practice.
The independent members of the new Press Council of Ireland are:
* Prof Thomas Mitchell (Chairman), former Provost of Trinity College Dublin.
* Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link.
* Mary Kotsonouris, former district court judge.
* John Horgan, former Labour Court chairman.
* Maeve McDonagh, associate professor of law in UCC.
* Dr Eleanor O'Higgins, senior lecturer in the UCD School of Business.
* Peter O'Mahony, former Irish Refugee Council CEO.
The six members nominated by the industry are:
* Rosemary Delaney, managing editor of WMB Publishing Ltd.
* Michael Denieffe, managing editor of Independent Newspapers.
* Martin Fitzpatrick, National Union of Journalists treasurer.
* Michael McNiffe, editor of the Irish Sun.
* Eoin McVey, managing editor of The Irish Times.
* Frank Mulrennan, president of the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland.
- Paul Melia
