JOURNALISTS MUST always be aware of their role to serve the public's right to know, outgoing editor of The Irish TimesGeraldine Kennedy said yesterday.
The freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution was not just the press’s freedom, she said, but a crucial part of democratic life.
Ms Kennedy was addressing staff in the newsroom before she announced the appointment of Kevin O’Sullivan as her successor.
The following is a full transcript of her address: "The handover to a new Editor is a big occasion for The Irish Timesand for national life on the island of Ireland. Some of you will have experienced a handover before; for many of you it will be the first time. But, there is a small, but symbolic, difference on this occasion.
"When we moved from D'Olier Street to this new building on Tara Street a few years ago, the late chairman of The Irish Times Ltd and founder of The Irish Times Trust, Major McDowell, then retired, bequeathed me his chair. I thought I was getting what was known throughout the company as the 'Chairman's Chair'. I was later to learn from him that it was the chair of Sir Lawrence Knox, the founder of The Irish Timesin 1859.
“So what would I do with it? I put it in the editorial conference room, for the sake of continuity, where we meet twice daily to make all of the important decisions about tomorrow’s paper, sometimes following the most robust debate.
“It is hard to know what to say on an occasion such as this. Given the challenges we are facing this year, I would have been prepared to stay on for a while longer.
"I know that there are those, inside and outside The Irish Times, who found me awkward, exacting about our verification processes, keenly aware of our responsibility given our influence – but the guiding light always for me was to produce an independent, quality newspaper.
“The most difficult challenges for any editor are the internal and external threats to our journalism. They range from the mundane, such as operating within our diminished means, which is hugely challenging in the current economic and internet environment, to the daily and incessant demand from diverse interests to control our editorial content.
"I would hope that I will be judged to have stood the line against attempts to fetter and control our independent journalism. I can give you two examples amongst the many. We published the Colm Keena story about Bertie Ahern in the public interest. I would like to thank the Board and the Trust of The Irish Times, particularly Professor David McConnell, for their support to fight this important principle about the protection of journalistic sources all the way to the Supreme Court. The case is now with the European Court of Human Rights.
“We also published the first Morgan Kelly article, for which I was severely criticised for damaging the national interest of this State and the commercial interests of this newspaper.
"But, The Irish Timesdoes aspire to set the national agenda and publish the full range of opinions in the national debate. He was right then, but who can say whether he is right now?
“I wanted, in my time, to articulate a philosophy for the practice of journalism in our society, because reporters are always too busy, too caught up in the daily grind of producing stories against tight deadlines, to do so.
“Journalists like to think that press freedom is all about them. But it is not. It is about the public’s right to know; your right as readers and citizens.
“The freedom of expression, enshrined in the Constitution, is your freedom and we exist to serve your right to know in a democracy.
“I would like to express my thanks and admiration to those who worked with me. An editor is only as good as his or her colleagues. We went through good and bad times together and, dare I say it on such an august occasion, sometimes we even had great fun.
“I would like to acknowledge the contribution of two colleagues in particular: Paul O’Neill, my deputy editor, and Lynda O’Keeffe, my personal assistant. I could not have done the job without them.
"I wish the Managing Director, Liam Kavanagh, and his team all the best for the future of The Irish Times. I would like to thank Colm Fitzpatrick and his team at our printing plant in Citywest for their indulgence when stories were breaking late at night.
“Lastly, and most important of all, I would like to thank our readers, who can be difficult, challenging, probing – but always informed. They kept me on my toes. I thank the thousands of them who took the trouble to phone the Editor’s Office, send me an e-mail, a letter or a fax, because they care so much about their paper.
"I now hand over to Kevin O'Sullivan, the 13th Editor of The Irish Times. He will assume the Editor's chair today."