Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 6 December 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

The Role of the Media and Communications in Actioning Climate Change: Discussion

Ms Celene Craig:

I think the environment is very definitely shifting, not least with the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill which I hope will be enacted in full before Christmas. A whole swathe of regulation of online platforms is coming from Europe. While it will not immediately arise in the context of the Online Safety and Media Regulation legislation, it may well do in the context of the Digital Services Act. That is the focus coming from a Europe-wide concern about disinformation. The Deputy mentioned information relating to Covid which was a key concern at the time. The extent to which there is disinformation on something as critical as climate change might ultimately be a matter that will need to be addressed, but under a broader umbrella of regulating or trying to address issues of disinformation in the online sphere.

By contrast, broadcasters and the established media in Ireland have high levels of trust compared with other European-----