Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The ability of the media to freely and independently express opinion is both a core value and a cornerstone of democracy. Without free and independent media, a well-informed citizenry cannot exist and democracy cannot function in any meaningful sense of the word. That is what the Constitution provides for and what this Bill reflects. Within that framework, investigative journalism plays an important role. I absolutely understand the intention behind amendment No. 97, which seeks to mitigate a perceived risk that the Bill, as initiated, would undermine the ability of media service providers to carry news and current affairs content which is critical of the Government or public officials or would have an adverse effect on investigative journalism. I do not think, however, that section 46(1) of the Broadcasting Act 2009, as inserted by the Bill, needs to be qualified in the manner suggested by the amendment. The language used in the section reflects similar language in the extant Broadcasting Act, which has not to date exercised a chilling effect on broadcast journalism. For the same reason, I do not accept amendment No. 97.