Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank everybody. This meeting has been extremely informative and no more needs to be said.

On a point of information with regard to a point raised by the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, and by Senator Wall in respect of the correlation between local news media and local democracy. I absolutely agree as someone who was a journalist and is still a member of the NUJ. We discussed this matter at the Oireachtas joint committee on media with the executive chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán, Jeremy Godfrey, because we were discussing misinformation, disinformation and the rise of it. I refer to a news desert. This has happened in the UK and one only has to look at the Grenfell Tower tragedy where the local media outlet in that area had closed down and decisions were made by the local council in respect of cladding in that area that were never covered because there was no local media outlet there. There is the correlation between local reporting and local democracy. We were discussing it yesterday with Coimisiún na Meán, An Garda Síochána and the State's watchdog. In respect of that, the €6 million fund for the local democracy and court reporting scheme, which was announced by the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, in the budget has now become operational through Coimisiún na Meán, so it is there for local media organisations to access and fund projects.

My old boss from the Drogheda Independent, which I worked in 30 years ago, is now 80 years of age and is the court reporter for the Meath Chronicle. When that man finishes, we might not have a court reporter. The coroner's court, the local court or the local council will not be reported on. There is a deficit there, so I hope the €6 million fund will have an impact. Here is the rub. There needs to be a newspaper in existence for things to be covered but we unfortunately might follow the UK and several media outlets in this country may close. There is a duty and responsibility on the public to value what they have because if those institutions close, it will lead to, in some cases, more than 150 years of reporting of local community activity being gone and that will never come back. That is something worth taking into consideration as well.