Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

There are many issues arising from the recent controversy surrounding INM, including the lobbying of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Denis Naughten, and the data breach involving journalists' and barristers' emails. Another issue which to my mind is the most important is the lack of media plurality in this country.

The hallmark of any meaningful democracy is genuine freedom of the press and media and that it is not dominated by one or a small number of individuals. In this country, however, Mr. Denis O'Brien - one of the richest men in this country - dominates or outright owns theIrish Independent, theSunday Independent, the Sunday World, theEvening Herald, 50% of theDaily Star, a host of local newspapers, Today FM, Newstalk, Dublin's 98FM, Spin 103, Spin Southwest and we can carry on through the list.

This is outrageous. It is particularly so in the light of the allegations made. I was reading back over emails from Mr. Gavin O'Reilly back in 2010 where he was rebutting requests from Mr. Leslie Buckley, Mr. Denis O'Brien's representative on the board. He was asking that Mr. Sam Smyth be moved off his coverage of the Tribunal of Inquiry into certain Payments to Politicians and Related Matters. That was direct interference in the freedom of journalists to write. Mr. Smyth subsequently lost his job. To add to that, Mr. O'Brien is a tax refugee. Then the Taoiseach has private meetings with this guy in Davos. It is extraordinary. Is the Taoiseach concerned about the monopoly of one individual over the Irish media and does he have any desire to do, or intention of doing, anything about that? The Taoiseach says it is the BAI and it is this, that and the other. In the end, as he said, it is the Government, the Cabinet or the Minister. It is a political decision. Are we going to do something about this? If we are not, we cannot talk in a meaningful way about press freedom, plurality and diversity in this country.

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