Madam, - I have read with interest the chorus of welcome given in the media to the establishment of an Irish Press Council. I have no great wish to be a nay-sayer at these celebrations and have a high regard for the chairman, former Provost Tom Mitchell, a man of high intelligence and impeccable reputation. However I do fear that the undoubted qualities of Dr Mitchell and some of the other members may be just a fig-leaf to cover the quite unsatisfactory nature of the arrangements.
First of all, the establishment of such a Council is to say the least in Dublin parlance "a bit previous". The council as envisaged originally was to be part of the machinery established by the passing of the McDowell defamation Bill (and I doubt if I am the only one to find something a little suspect about the enthusiastic rush by the press moguls to establish their own ad hoc committee in anticipation).
However, this Bill lapsed during its progress through Seanad Éireann, largely in response to my efforts in putting down a considerable number of critical amendments and subjecting the Bill to sustained scrutiny and analysis. As a result, the Government appeared to lose its appetite and allowed the Bill to fail. Although lectured in the popular press by some of the media "prophets", I remain unrepentant.
It was with a considerable sense of irony that I watched the press interests urge the establishment of such a council. There isn't a newspaper or media organ in this country that has not consistently demanded fully independent regulation of every other profession. However, when it came to themselves these principles flew out the window. What we are left with is a press council paid for by the industry itself (anyone remember the old tag "He who pays the piper calls the tune"?) Fifty per cent of the members are nominated by the industry (and surprise, surprise, 50 per cent of these are traceable to the O'Reilly empire), and there is no power of sanction whatever.
Of course the council, which (excuse the stifled laugh) includes the editor of the Irish Sun, has the capacity to express its disapproval. Does anyone in their right mind imagine that wagging a finger at the likes of Rupert Murdoch will have any discernible effect?
As I and one or two other colleagues in the Senate were able to demonstrate, the original Bill, had it been passed, would have considerably disadvantaged the ordinary citizen vis-à-vis powerful press interests. We are in this country in danger of having our standards driven down to the level of a British tabloid Grub Street and the plain people of Ireland deserve to have their interests and reputations defended. I hope we can look forward to the introduction of a fairer and more balanced Bill in the interests of both the press and the public. - Yours, etc,
Senator DAVID NORRIS, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.