Cullen Communications - Our Work in lobbying - Launching the Press Council of Ireland
Lobbying Services
Launching the Press Council of Ireland
After a lobbying campaign spanning some 20 years, the inaugural Press Council of Ireland was launched in January 2008
Launching the Press Council of Ireland
Client: National Newspapers of Ireland
Background
For more than 20 years the Irish newspaper industry had been calling for reformation of Ireland’s out-dated libel laws.
The legislation, dating back to 1961, had become a gravy train for the rich and well-connected – a way both of making money and of ‘gagging’ newspapers with the threat of legal action.
In 1986, National Newspapers of Ireland began lobbying for a change in Irish libel law.
Objectives
Engage the Irish Government in a dialogue about libel/defamation and the need for law reform.
Bring that dialogue into the public domain and position libel law reform as a matter of national importance: not just for the ‘rich and famous’ but for all citizens.
Help to bring about much-needed law reform.
Strategy
NNI commissioned a report on Irish libel law, on the basis of which (in 1988) all NNI titles appointed an in-house readers’ representative to handle complaints.
Encouraged by the Law Reform Commission’s 1991 recommendation that Irish libel law needed to be reformed, NNI commissioned solicitor Marcus Burke to draft a new Defamation Bill (published in 1994).
NNI commissioned a second Boyle/McGonagle report (1994) entitled ‘Media Accountability’ designed to keep the spotlight on libel… and the pressure on Government.
In 1998 NNI offered to set up and pay for an independent press complaints mechanism, return for Defamation Law reform.
In 2003 NNI submitted a proposal to Government for the establishment of an independent Press Council to handle Press Complaints. A new Code of Practice for newspapers was also drawn up.
In response to calls for a statutory Press Council, NNI set up an independent steering committee comprising national and regional newspapers, magazines and the NUJ.
The steering committee agreed, in tandem with the Department of Justice, the establishment of an independent Press Council and Ombudsman.
Evaluation
On January 9th 2008 the inaugural Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman were formally launched, in the presence of the Minister for Justice, Brian Lenihan TD.
The new Press Council consisted of 13 members, with a lay majority. All appointments were made by an independent committee; there were also a code committee and an admin committee.
The launch of an independent Press Council and Ombudsman represented the culmination of years of patient lobbying and dogged persuasion on the part of NNI. Thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, on man-hours were invested in the project.
"We spent more than 20 years lobbying successive Governments and Ministers for a change in the way press law and press standards are treated. As of January 2008, we can finally say that our campaign was a success." - Frank Cullen, Coordinating director, National Newspapers of Ireland
Footnote: the Defamation Bill (2006) was signed by the President of Ireland on 22 July 2009, and is scheduled to commence operation later this year.
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