Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Following on from Senator Murphy’s contribution regarding the importance of radio, I wish to add to it the importance of regional journalism and print journalism. I received an email from a 17-year-old young lady from County Clare, Isabella Danaher, who has had articles published in local newspapers at home and who aspires to be a journalist. She has also won awards in the whole area. Her big concern is for the future of print journalism and broadcast media in light of the proliferation of online free news sites and also the amount of litigation being taken against journalists. It is quite a serious situation. We have a press ombudsman and that is a channel that more should be using to resolve their issues. I would like, if possible, to have a debate with the Minister here some evening and discuss the future of print and broadcast journalism in this country as well as the legislation that is proposed and how it can be improved. As Senator Murphy quite rightly said, radio is very important. We saw the importance of public service broadcasting last week with the State funeral of the late Taoiseach. We hear it in our constituencies every day, everything from death notices to community notices to highlighting local issues. We see the importance of our regional newspapers and the significant role they have played in the past. There is no point in saying otherwise – they are under threat. We have to support print and broadcast. While the media committee does a good job, it is an area that requires further scrutiny.