Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

Senator Whelan made an important contribution earlier. I support his call for a debate on the ownership and control of the media in Ireland. It is not that long ago that we were all convulsed with what we heard from the News of the World. We saw something happening in that case that indicated there was not due vigilance and monitoring. That went probably to the highest office in the land, and we have seen since resignations of senior people. The paper has closed down and the reverberations will be felt for a long time to come.

Ireland has been exceptionally well-served by the media. They have made an important contribution to the cultural, social, economic and political life of the country. They have turned many a stone that needed to be turned. On the other hand, they ruined many a character of innocent people, Fr. Reynolds being the most recent.