Ms Geraldine Kennedy:

Certainly, The Irish Timesis in a very strong and special position because it is done by trust and that is valued by all journalists who work for it. That is the greatest thing that The Irish Timeshas going for it, if one is a journalist for the newspaper.

There is, of course, interaction. We have not said this but I suppose it is worth saying. There is a weekly management meeting which would be made up of some editors, departmental heads, marketing, advertising, promotion, managing director and editor where one talks about plans for the week ahead. It is where we would say, "We are doing a series on suicide and we think you should promote it". There would be that sort of interaction or one could not survive. One is selling two things in a newspaper - sales and news. One has to have interaction because one is moving at such a pace. One has a deadline driven environment every day so of course there is interaction. It is a bit pure to say there is no interaction because there simply has to be. One must get on to the printing plant in Citywest and say the paper is going to be such a size on such a night. The two sides of the house have to work together on it.

I would doubt myself that if we are not white as snow the Irish Independentis that pure. I know that Denis O'Brien, for example, was on to me about an advertisement, to get me to insert it, about the Mahon tribunal. I know that Sam Smith, and the committee probably know it themselves as he would tell them, went off down to cover the Mahon tribunal when Mr. O'Brien was before it yet not a word appeared in the newspaper. That sort of thing would not happen in The Irish Times.