Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In regard to Ms O'Reilly's earlier career, we learned from our meeting with representatives from the NUJ that information becomes a commodity when it is restricted. It was suggested to the representatives that if information was publicly available they would not get a scoop. Certain journalists are known for pursuing freedom of information requests. They may be tipped off about matters or simply have a good nose. Our job is not to provide the media with scoops by changing the freedom of information legislation. We are responsible for allowing the public to achieve better accountability from government and the services it provides. One of the suggestions we have been considering is that some sort of umbrella structure be put in place for journalists irrespective of whether they are freelance or employed by newspapers. If we are providing for freedom of information to general citizens, that is fine, but freedom of information requests from journalists have a bottom line, namely, to sell more newspapers. Should there be a charge for them?