A FREE AND INDEPENDENT SERVICE FOR RESOLVING COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE PRESS
Welcome to the website of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman. Established in 2008, we consider complaints about newspapers (print and online), magazines and online-only news publications – view our full list of member publications. We also promote press freedom and the right to freedom of expression.
We are independent of government and the press.
The standards our members commit to can be found in the Code of Practice of the Press Council.
You can complain about articles, photos, headlines, cartoons, podcasts, audio or video content, and about journalistic behaviour. We can only consider complaints about publications that are members of the Press Council of Ireland. We cannot consider complaints about broadcasting, advertising, defamation or copyright. We can consider complaints about social media posts on platforms like Facebook or Twitter only if the account is operated by a member publication of the Press Council.
Decisions of the Press Ombudsman
Appeals to the Press Council
Decisions on Referral to the Press Council

Office of the Press Ombudsman
Press Council of Ireland
The Press Council of Ireland is responsible for the oversight of the professional principles embodies in the Code of Practice, and with upholding the freedom of the press. It operates with the support and cooperation of member publications and journalists. It decides on appeals from decisions of the Press Ombudsman and on complaints referred to it directly by the Press Ombudsman. It is independent of both government and media.

Recent Decisions
OMB. 2060/2024 – Ms Edel Cox and The Irish Times
The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint by Ms Edel Cox about three articles published in The Irish Times in late October 2024. These are news reports from the Reuters agency about the Israel-Palestine war, and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. Ms Cox...
OMB. 2026/2025 – A Man and independent.ie
The Press Ombudsman has decided not to uphold a complaint from a man about an article and podcast published in September 2024. The article serves as an introduction to the podcast which is part of the Indo Daily series. Its core element is a structured discussion...
OMB. 2063/2024 – A Man and Independent.ie
The Press Ombudsman has not upheld a complaint from a 70-year-old man about an article entitled “Emojis, ringtones and loudspeakers – 10 tech signs you’re part of the older generation” which was published by Independent.ie in June 2024. The complainant asserted that...
Latest News

Lyra McKee Investigative Journalism Bursary 2025
Applications are now open for the Lyra McKee Bursary Scheme 2025 The Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman is pleased to provide funding for one or two aspiring journalists from Ireland to take part in the Centre for Investigative Journalism's...

Award of 2025 Press Council Fellowship
The Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman has awarded its 2025 fellowship to Maeve McTaggart, a 26 year old Cork born journalist with the Irish Independent, for a news report on “How fraudsters are using fake ‘missing persons’ social media posts...

Lord David Puttnam “If we don’t get a grip on the social media giants, we are lost”
Speaking at the launch of the 2023 Annual Report of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, Lord David Puttnam warned about the growing power of the large social media platforms, and the absence of regulation in this country. “What we are...