Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for all of his answers. I am not advising the Minister but I do hope that he reads the submissions, particularly from the academics, because the stark reality of the takeover of media in this country is quite shocking. For example, between 2005 and 2016, there were 90 takeovers. This is the first takeover to actually be scrutinised. That is very serious. That is probably a consequence of the legislation that was passed quite recently, but it goes to show how these things can creep up and have quite a serious impact and serious consequences. Albeit the appeal this morning was to save the jobs in regional media, there are some on the committee who believe that while we should attempt to save the jobs, if necessary by some sort of public intervention, we should not compromise the role of media in maintaining local democracy, its plurality and its social and political role in Irish life.

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