Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 June 2021

Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht

Future of Media in Ireland: Discussion

What is evident from the submissions and the stakeholder engagement is the high value that the public places on it. It is something that people value. They see it as something that provides unique content. You cannot get the same content that is in a local paper, whether it is online or in the printed product, elsewhere. The last few years have shown the importance of their availability across all platforms. This is evident in submissions and in the discussions we have had with people in the industry. That is one of the challenges that they face. Local newspapers are highly regarded and have been much discussed by the commission. We have taken a lot of time to take people's views on this subject on board. Local newspapers are integral to communities in rural and urban areas. It is important that media outlets have a connection to their communities, that local democracy continues to be reported upon and that items which might not always be of interest to the public but are in the public interest are also covered. I assure the Senator that these issues are very much to the forefront of the Future of Media Commission's discussions and will be dealt with in our final report.