Funferal

New media legislation for Ireland

The Irish government has announced proposals for new legislation governing defamation and privacy. The old question of the difference between libel and slander will become moot as both torts will be abolished and replaced with an offence of defamation. A new Press Council will be established – to be appointed not by the government, but by an independent panel – with a brief to establish a code of conduct and to appoint a Press Ombudsman who would investigate complaints from the public. An interesting feature is that “The press council, which will cover only print and not broadcasting organisations.” Given the convergence taking place in media, one wonders where a newspaper website will fall, and how this will differ from, for example, the RTÉ website. What about smaller media outlets, particularly online, such as group blogs. Could they avail of the protections of the council?