Rónán Mullen (Independent)

Press freedom is, rightly, a cherished principle in any civilised society. In light of Senator O'Donovan's comments, with which I heartily concur, there is a need for this House to appraise the balance we must strike between press freedom and the need to bring about a greater culture of responsibility among media practitioners. There is the provision for the award of aggravated damages in certain cases, for example, where parties are shown to have acted in an especially culpable way, either in events leading to the proceedings or in the conduct of the proceedings. I am concerned about the uncertain status of the proposed privacy legislation and whether the media's influence causes politicians to stay their hands on bringing about the necessary debate on how to foster a culture of responsibility. There is only one way to bring about responsibility in this area and that is to target people's pockets when they are culpable.