Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 6, line 21, after "section 44" to insert the following:

"and the composition, power and functions detailed in Schedule 2".

Apart from the major amendment made by the Minister on Committee Stage, I welcome the Bill. This amendment will ensure that the press council is placed on a better footing than currently provided for. The Bill merely provides for the recognition of a press council which will be voluntarily supported by the media. I look forward to seeing how that will work.

The proposed composition of the press council is flawed. It allows for five directors representing the interests of media owners but only one representing the interests of journalists. A press council should have statutory powers, media membership should be mandatory and the press council should establish and enforce a code of standards having regard to the needs of small publishers and not just the large conglomerates. Press council decisions should be binding. An ideal press council could be composed of seven independent public interest directors, three representing media owners and three representing the interests of journalists. A press council would be much more effective if it were weighted in that way rather than as proposed in the Bill, with little representation of journalists and none of the public interest.

Large media groups should be prohibited from having more than one director of the press council. Its composition should ensure the representation of various media types. It should publish annual reports covering important topics, such as the filing of complaints procedures, balance in reporting and coverage and other matters, as directed by the Minister and the Houses of the Oireachtas. An Oireachtas committee should have responsibility for press council matters.

The amendment tries to ensure that the press council is established on a statutory basis and reflects the interests of society as a whole while protecting the interests of media owners and the journalists who operate in that media.

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