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 looking at in Ireland is the absolute triumph of the lobbying of a small, extremely powerful group of people over common sense and all of our futures,” he said.
“We have to try to resist it…If we don’t get a grip on the social media giants, we are lost. We are lost.”
In his keynote address to the meeting, the renowned film director and educator said Ireland had a “huge responsibility” to deal with the regulation of the large platforms. “There is a suspicion in Europe…that Ireland is fatally compromised in carrying out that role because of the economic ties to that particular sector,” he said. Lord Puttnam spoke of a “pandemic of misinformation and disinformation” which, if it was not curbed, would lead to a loss of public trust. “Without trust, democracy as we know it will simply decline into irrelevance,” he said.
The Press Ombudsperson, Susan McKay, opened her address to the launch by expressing solidarity with the journalists whose compound in Lebanon had been attacked by Israeli forces that morning with at least 3 people known to have been killed. She said that more than 100 journalists had been killed by Israel in Gaza. “Journalism is an international profession,” she said. “We cannot accept the deliberate targeting of our colleagues.”
She said press safety was vital to press freedom and that in Ireland a small cohort of people were using social media platforms “to stir up disorder and discord in communities”. She said in 2023 this had led to the orchestration of riots in Dublin. She said journalists were being intimidated, highlighting the fact that a Dublin City University study published in 2023 found 55% of journalists in Ireland had experienced demeaning or hateful speech. “The social media platforms that enable this must be regulated,” she said.
Ms McKay said her Office received “a relatively modest number of complaints” – 305 in 2023. She said members of the Press Council did their utmost to publish only journalism that met the highest ethical and professional standards as set out in the Code of Practice, and thus avoided for the most part breaching the Code. “However, we cannot be complacent and I am concerned that many people just don’t know about us and what we offer,” she said. The Office of the Press Ombudsman is to partner with Columbia University and the DART centre to run a seminar on the Freedom of the Press, Ethical Self-Regulation and the Law in early 2025. It will also partner with the Community Foundation to hold a seminar on journalism, the Press Ombudsman’s Office and working with people who are vulnerable.
Ms McKay said she recognised that it may be difficult for an individual to make a complaint. “We want to get the message out that representative groups can make complaints too, and that people can get support with making complaints,” she said.
The Chairperson of the Press Council, Rory Montgomery, noted that Coimisiún na Meán had recognised membership of the Press Council as a mark of high standards by making it a requirement for publications seeking funding under its local democracy and court reporting schemes, and I am happy to note that the Coimisiún has done so. He urged publications that are not yet members to join the Press Council.
