Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Tánaiste and the Government to try to intervene in a situation where the regional newspapers are being gobbled up. The Clonmel Nationalist has been serving the people for generations with excellent journalists and excellent reporting always, even through the Covid pandemic. The journalists work from the kitchen table and bring the news to people's homes. People love these newspapers more than ever, particularly in Covid times.

Last Friday evening, with less than 24 hours' notice, two journalists with 40 years' service were summarily dismissed and were told to go elsewhere. Mr. Malcolm Denmark and Iconic Newspapers are gobbling up these newspapers, including the Tipperary Starand many more regional newspapers. He has also put a bid in now of €6 million for regional newspapers in England. He can do what he likes over there as that is his own business, but we are going to be devoid of these wonderful publications and it is a shameful way to treat excellent journalists and their families who have put their shoulders to the wheel. They laid waste to another ten staff members in those papers at the beginning of the pandemic, which crisis was used for this purpose. They are in receipt of PUP payments together with everything else but they are destroying our regional newspapers. The Clonmel Nationalistis a wonderful publication.

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