Professor Brian MacCraith:

Gabhaim buíochas ar dtús leis an gCathaoirleach, leis na Teachtaí Dála agus leis na Seanadóirí as an gcuireadh teacht anseo chun labhairt leo inniu. Táim ag súil go mór le comhrá dearfach. On behalf of the Future of Media Commission, I thank the committee for the kind invitation to have an exchange of views on the future of the media and the work of the commission. I am joined by some of my fellow members of the commission whom the Chairman kindly introduced. In the interests of time, I will just refer to some small sections of the written statement I have provided to the committee.

Broadly, our terms of reference identify four important public services: to inform, educate and entertain the public with regard to Irish culture, identity, sport and language; to ensure access to high-quality independent journalism; to bring the nation and diaspora together at important moments; and to ensure the work of Irish creative talent reaches audiences in Ireland and further afield. We have been asked to identify the Irish experience in delivering the above aims and the challenges created for the media by new global platforms and changing audience preferences with regard to how content is delivered. We have been tasked with examining whether current models are appropriate for the future and reviewing best international practice in this regard. Arising from that work, the commission will propose how public service aims should be delivered in Ireland over the next ten years, how this can support the cultural and creative sectors and how this work can be funded in a way that is sustainable, ensures independence and delivers value for money. We are to make recommendations on the role and financing of RTÉ, as well as on oversight and regulation, having regard to our EU obligations.

Engagement and consultation have been a significant part of our work. To give one example, more than 800 members of the public and stakeholder organisations took the time to make a submission to our public consultation process. We held six online thematic dialogues that enabled a broad range of stakeholders, experts and members of the public and the commission to engage with each other. The importance to the public of the media is and was evident. The public really values the service provided to it by the media at national, local, and community levels. Those three areas are important.

As I explained in my reply to the invitation of the Chairman, the commission has not reached its conclusions or submitted its report to the Government. It will do so in July. The commission is, therefore, not in a position to discuss its findings and conclusions at this stage. We understand that the committee is engaged in pre-legislative scrutiny of the online safety and media regulation Bill. The commission has been briefed on the Bill and its provisions to transpose the revised audiovisual media services directive, AVMSD, establish the media commission and provide for online safety and other matters. Although the proposed legislation is of interest to the commission, we are not in a position to express a definitive view on it today. What we can say is that our recommendations for the future of media may have implications for legislation and, where they do, we will endeavour to express them at a high level in terms of the underpinning principles and desired outcomes. The finer detail of the legislation will be a matter for legislators, parliamentary counsel and departmental officials.

However, my colleagues and I are happy to speak about what we have heard and learned during our work and about the major themes and issues that are emerging from that. These include, for example, the importance of fostering and maintaining quality journalism, independence in journalism, collaboration, innovation, platform neutrality and a very strong emphasis on equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are eager to hear the reflections of the members of the committee, as elected public representatives, on the future of the media as they will be of assistance to us as we formulate our findings and recommendations in the coming weeks.