Symposiun considers press councils.
If Ireland opts for a press council with a statutory basis it will "be out of step with the rest of Europe", the director of the UK Press Complaints Commission claimed yesterday.
Tim Toulmin told a symposium at Dublin City University that most countries were selecting voluntary regulation, especially former eastern bloc countries with a tradition of state imposed censorship.
However, this view was challenged at the event by Frank Cullen, co-ordinating director of the National Newspapers of Ireland, who said that Ireland had a written Constitution and any council would need qualified privilege to make decisions and issue reports.
The symposium was organised and chaired by Prof Colum Kenny of the school of communications at DCU.
Several speakers said the biggest danger to a new press council was a lack of knowledge among the public. Prof Patrick Kinsella, another DCU media lecturer, said it was vitally important there be some public input into any new press council.
Mr Cullen told the event that Ireland had a different climate in regard to litigation about press issues and the new council would need to be registered, recognised in law and ultimately protected. Asked why a statutory basis for the body was needed, he said: "Because of the war zone we are entering."
However Mr Toulmin, while recognising that each country was entitled to a different approach, said voluntary systems were gaining in popularity.
"I would say that it is notable that most countries in Europe - including those in eastern Europe who have recently experienced statutory controls on the dissemination of information - now choose voluntary regulation," he said. "But our starting point is that the press should be free to choose how it is done and not have rules imposed on it from above."
He said the Press Complaints Commission had not been sued in his time there because the code it used was recognised in law.
Mr Toulmin emphasised that the commission itself was not recognised in law, but because its code was recognised it had acquired the status of a tribunal and could not be sued.
"We read this week in The Irish Times that a new press council here would have a statutory basis, although compliance with it would be voluntary.
"Whether this can safeguard the public's right to know while delivering results for the complainant naturally remains to be seen."