Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome all the members of the Media Commission. Their work is needed now more than ever so I wish them well in their work. I hope they are successful. The commission's establishment is fantastic and it is fantastic to see its members here today. It is a hugely important component for Irish life, Irish society, Irish democracy and the Irish media. Jim Morrison famously said whoever controls the media controls the mind. In a week when Rupert Murdoch has eventually stepped down at the sprightly age of 92 and handed over to his son, I reflected on how the empire he left behind, starting off with the print media with The Timesand The Sunand such people as Rebekah Brooks and how they manipulated the media, and now we have a scenario where it is tech giants that control what is consumed. In particular, it is poignant we are meeting as the $1.7 trillion dollar entity of Google celebrates its 25th birthday today. We have simultaneously a scenario where a landmark court case is under way in the USA with the US Government taking on Google. Google has wielded such immense influence over commerce, public discourse and entertainment and woven itself into people’s lives to an even greater degree. I ask Mr. Evans and Ms Hodnett to start with the fact that these companies have a significant presence in our country. The new commission has a battle holding these companies to account. What are their hopes, or fears, in holding a $1.7 trillion company to account when it controls the news and the discourse that young people in access, and the impact that has on the spread of disinformation?