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Press Council raises concerns over 'imminent threats' to financial stability of journalism industry

The Press Council published its annual report for 2018 today.

THE PRESS COUNCIL of Ireland has expressed concerns over the impact regarding the “sobering fact” that newspaper circulation in Ireland has halved over the last decade.

The comments were made in the Press Council’s annual report for 2018.

Members of the Press Council include all Irish daily and Sunday newspapers, most local papers and some online-only publications. TheJournal.ie joined the Press Council of Ireland in 2013.

In his remarks in the report, chairman Seán Donlon added that the drop in advertising revenue and in circulation are “imminent threats” to the financial stability of the industry. 

“The shortage of funds has inevitably brought about a decline in investigative journalism, public interest reporting and coverage of the activities of local authorities and other public bodies,” Donlon said. 

Revenue from advertising is expected to decline by 11% this year, the report noted. 

Donlon also said the another “major threat” to press freedom in Ireland is the Defamation Act, 2009. 

The 2009 Act contains a clause requiring that it be reviewed after five years. However, that did not happen, Donlon said. 

“Finally, in November 2016 the Minister for Justice announced a review of the Act and invited interested parties to make submissions before the end of the year,” Donlon said, adding that the Press Council made a detailed submission including suggesting an enhanced role for the Council.

“Now over two years later the review has not been published. In the meantime, the newspaper industry’s decline continues,” he said.

In the absence of a reform of the Act, newspapers are inhibited from investigating and publishing matters which the public has a right to know.
Because of the exorbitant costs involved they are understandably reluctant to confront legal actions and threats of such actions, sometimes from individuals with deeper pockets than those of the papers themselves.

Donlon added that it is to be hoped that the review will be completed shortly and that a revised Defamation Act will be enacted “without further delay”.

Complaints

The annual report outlined that the Office of the Press Ombudsman received a total of 464 complaints last year, an increase from 330 in 2017. 

Of those complaints, the Press Ombudsman made formal decisions in 30 cases and 10 complaints were upheld.

Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney noted that one cartoon generated 160 complaints and if you allow for this, the actual level of complaints is quite similar to the previous year. 

The most frequently cited cause for complaint related to complaints over prejudice which made up 47.9% of complaints.

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19 Comments
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    Mute Derek Poutch
    Favourite Derek Poutch
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    May 29th 2019, 7:53 AM

    When the main national newspapers only interest is siding with govt and not doing proper investigation into all the scandals people will move elsewhere to get their news.

    94
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    Mute Emma Fitzpatrick
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    May 29th 2019, 8:37 AM

    @Derek Poutch: Didn’t the Indo break the story on Maria Bailey?

    10
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    Mute John O'Hara
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    May 29th 2019, 11:56 AM

    @Derek Poutch: Bah Bah humbug. The media are only self interested. They don’t have the public interest at heart, they are more akin to pr firms for vested interests. Do some real and fair journalism and we’ll pay for it. Why support manipulative, bullying billionaires and their ilk…? Total reform of Irish media urgently needed.

    21
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    Mute Tomas
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    May 29th 2019, 6:58 AM

    I was wondering what was causing the
    “Decline in investigative Journalism”

    70
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    Mute Frank Lloyd wright
    Favourite Frank Lloyd wright
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    May 29th 2019, 7:09 AM

    Mr O’Brien has a corrosive influence on irish journalism.

    79
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    Mute Yermanuptheroad
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    May 29th 2019, 8:04 AM

    Learn to code.

    37
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    Mute Gerry Quinn
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    May 30th 2019, 1:35 PM

    @Yermanuptheroad: Unfair in this instance. But the reality is that the internet is eating print journalism’s lunch. I don’t ever buy a paper nowadays unless I am having a few pints in a pub. (In that case there is no substitute – it can even wipe up slops unlike those ridiculous cardboard coasters.)

    1
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    Mute Jims - TechBuzz Ireland
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    May 29th 2019, 7:41 AM

    Times have changed its a digital era also worth noting some journalists do not know how to keep their mouth shut on social media and side with political parties. There’s your problem. Having said that tjere is great journalists out there with integrity and then you’ve the hacks.

    40
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    Mute Kev
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    May 29th 2019, 9:09 AM

    I dont buy papers because why waste the paper & increase my carbon footprint. Theres a newspaper on my phone & i paid the Times Ireland for that privilege up until they recently shut down. No idea what the solution is, I’d much prefer my license fee money went to the real journalists of Ireland rather than the overpaid Fine Gael voters in RTE

    25
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    Mute sean mcgee
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    May 29th 2019, 8:24 AM

    There has certainly been a move for people to look further afield for news, views and other aspects of the news.
    I think that large corporations that are invading the internet with designated news sources with censorship (national security or legal ) and control of the advertising space.
    It has been well documented that bloggers n YouTube have suffered because of these changes over a couple of years and now Article 17 etc may mean that sharing articles (A way of promoting a media outlet) are becoming problematic for researchers and news distributors online. In fact I know bloggers/researchers in Germany that have ceased posting because of the EU changes (still to be defined and ratified by each state).
    Well this has a few effects on the Irish journalism scene. It limits present and future reach of the articles. It may mean that the Journal (for instance) will be in the slow lane behind the larger news outlets (presuming this is not the case now). It will limit the risk taken by an editor on a story by having a long list of “too hot to handle” topics (ie Julian Assange, Syria, Venezuela etc) causing a massive self censorship problem. Added to that is the USA now being able to reach across the world and extradite and punish journalists who cross the line of US National Security (that could be part of a sanctions cowboy political method instead of actual “National Security” ie Huawei)
    I will stop here because the impacts on journalism, now and in the future, are vast. I am surprised the brave lads and lassies on the Jounal even bothers Getting up in the morning! See you on the dark web for the future of news/research garnering? :(

    21
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    Mute Daniel O'Leary
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    May 29th 2019, 9:23 AM

    Last night on Prime time – -Healy-Rae was talking about electric cars. How the battery does not last longer then 3 years and you need to speen 7,000 to replace them every time.

    No one from RTE responded to either confirm to say that was a load of bull

    Any chance of teh Journal doing a fact check on EV’s on Healy-Rae’s comments
    that batteries last only 3 years and they cant handle rain water….be nice to have proper check once and for all

    19
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    Mute Daniel O'Leary
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    May 29th 2019, 9:30 AM

    @Daniel O’Leary: And apologies on my spelling

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    Mute Willie Bill Bryan
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    May 29th 2019, 10:20 AM

    Easy fix, report the reality of modern Ireland, not Narnia politics

    13
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    Mute MickN
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    May 29th 2019, 11:09 AM

    Journalism is dying we now have reporters who write what they have to to keep the publication they work for happy. Balanced media is gone

    14
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    Mute Alan Currie
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    May 29th 2019, 12:30 PM

    There is great distrust of media now, it’s become so divisive by pigeon-holing everyone into either the lefty loony camp or the right wing racist. The truth is somewhere in the middle. And don’t start me on free speech.

    Be nice to each other!

    11
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    Mute Virgil
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    May 29th 2019, 9:55 AM

    Xtravision, telephone boxes, travel agents….Unfortunately the internet has eaten the lunch of older technologies and it isn’t going to change. It’s sad cause I like my newspaper

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    Mute jamesdecay
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    May 29th 2019, 10:20 AM

    @Virgil: don’t shoot the messenger. Those delivery mechanisms you list were always going to get swallowed. The end product hasn’t changed much: holidays, films, communications. But the choice has expanded exponentially.

    Whether that’s a good thing or not is another matter. Consumers be consumin’, and all that.

    The big worry is the ease with which news has been commodified, and good journalism has suffered as a result. We’re all partly to blame; this service is free, for a start…

    (XtraVision. Jaysus, I feel old now!)

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    Mute Paul Kelly
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    May 29th 2019, 10:08 AM

    Sad to see ” the times” Irish edition ending , well worth 5 euro a month.

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    Mute Teresa Ryan
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    Jun 28th 2019, 10:59 PM

    We don’t have journalists anymore we have colmunists. People who give their opinion as fact. No right of reply allowed.

    1
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