High Court allows journalist to proceed with challenge to Press Council rejection

Founder of Cork’s Tripe+Drisheen news site says media body failed to give adequate reasons for its denial of membership application

Justice Mary Rose Gearty granted JJ O’Donoghue, founder of Tripe+Drisheen, leave to bring the judicial review proceedings against the council’s ruling on the website’s membership. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien
Justice Mary Rose Gearty granted JJ O’Donoghue, founder of Tripe+Drisheen, leave to bring the judicial review proceedings against the council’s ruling on the website’s membership. Photograph: Bryan O'Brien

A Cork journalist has received the High Court’s permission to proceed with a challenge against a Press Council of Ireland decision after his website was denied membership of the body earlier this year.

On Monday, Ms Justice Mary Rose Gearty granted JJ O’Donoghue, founder and editor of local Cork City newsletter Tripe+Drisheen, leave to bring the judicial review proceedings against the council’s ruling on the website’s membership.

Mr O’Donoghue has alleged that the body failed to give adequate reasons for its decision to reject his website’s membership application.

The Irish Times previously reported that Tripe+Drisheen had been provisionally selected last year to receive funding under a Coimisiún na Meán scheme for local news outlets. Release of the funds was contingent on the media outlet being an accredited member of the Press Council, prompting Mr O’Donoghue to submit a membership application.

In March, Press Council chairman Rory Montgomery, a former senior civil servant and diplomat, told Mr O’Donoghue that Tripe+Drisheen’s application did not “meet the criteria as set out” on the Press Council’s website. He also apologised for “unavoidable delays” in the decision-making process.

Mr O’Donoghue and Mr Montgomery declined to comment on Thursday.

Mr O’Donoghue told The Irish Times in May that the council had failed to outline which of the Press Council’s nine criteria Tripe+Drisheen had failed to meet.

Ms Justice Gearty’s decision in the case on Monday was made shortly before she granted permission for the news website Gript to pursue a separate set of judicial review proceedings against a Press Council decision.

Gript’s case relates to an entirely separate finding by the self-regulatory body that an article published on its website breached codes of journalistic practice.

Mr Montgomery declined to comment on the matter.

However, he said that a review of the Press Council’s membership procedures and criteria, initiated in April, is “well advanced”.

The body began the review against a backdrop of “rapid change” in Irish journalism amid a slew of new entrants to the market, Mr Montgomery said in May.

He said at the time that a subcommittee had been established to “review those elements of its constitution and procedures relating to membership and resignation/expulsion”.

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Ian Curran

Ian Curran

Ian Curran is a Business reporter with The Irish Times