Feargal Quinn (Independent)

The word "inaccuracy" was used twice in the supposed apology. Can one use the word "inaccuracy" to compare what really happened with what the newspapers in question blatantly proposed and shouted from the rooftops? I agree with Senator O'Toole, who spoke about the establishment of a statutory press council as a way of getting something done in this regard. Senator Dardis suggested something else we can do. It is not just a question of not buying certain newspapers. I recall that we were all upset about a story on the Paralympic Games some years ago. The reporter who wrote the story resigned within days of its publication. Advertisers threatened to withdraw their business from the newspaper in question if it did not dismiss the reporter. It seems to me that the power to damage circulation does not just rest with those who buy newspapers — it is also in the hands of advertisers. I did not read Sunday's edition of The Observer, which has not yet got around to making an apology, but I gather that it contained a report that was much worse than the stories in Irish newspapers. Not only it is in our hands as legislators to establish a statutory press council, but it is also in our hands as citizens and advertisers to ensure that action of the form I have mentioned is taken.

I was disappointed to hear that the Taoiseach has proposed that we will have military parades once again.