Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I did not hear anybody saying that. I quoted from the statement by the former Chief Justice, Mr. Justice John Murray on precisely that point, on the need to weigh the public interest against the invasion of a citizen's privacy. I think people would cheer for many examples of crusading journalists bringing people in elevated positions who were engaged in wrongdoing to the public notice. Clearly there has not been enough of that. What we have seen is voyeuristic intrusion in people's private lives for media titillation and to increase flagging newspaper sales.

Given the point made by Mr. Dooley about the difficulties of defining a journalist, is it not the case that a bar that is so high that it would protect citizens as well as journalists, that would protect everybody would be good enough for journalists? What additional conditions would be required to protect a journalist that another would not benefit from?