Freedom of expression and freedom of the media

Participants emphasised that the country had a very healthy media environment, both offline and online, and that public trust in the independence of Irish journalism was high.

The main concern mentioned was the law on defamation and the high cost of libel. The legislation had been criticised for being very restrictive, both by the European Court of Human Rights and by the European Commission in its rule of law report. The high cost of libel restricted media in their role as watchdogs and their ability to reveal matters of public interest. Freedom of the media legislation is under review.

Concentration of ownership, despite improvements, still presented a concern in Ireland, as the government was not using all of its existing tools to ensure greater media diversity. In addition, the media market was exposed to a large volume of international English-language content, which impacted the sustainability and operability of media based in the country. Brexit had shown the importance of having independent media in the country, in order to offer an Irish perspective on arising issues. Additionally, the advertising market constituted an issue of concern, because the majority of the income from the sector was flowing towards the high-tech companies. 

Participants mentioned the need for EU regulation of social media platforms that would not interfere with freedom of expression, but would address the issues of hate speech, online harassment, disinformation and fake news. Ireland would be one of the eight national hubs of the European Digital 
Media Observatory, helping to collect and analyse data to help counter disinformation. 

With regard to online harassment, participants mentioned threats to journalists, particularly on social media, and noted that such attacks were often directed against female journalists. Furthermore, threats to journalists covering Northern Ireland were on the rise.

One participant called for better protection of freedom of association and collective bargaining rights for journalists to ensure better working conditions. The idea of greater investment and training in journalists was raised, including public money for quality journalism. Concerns were also expressed concerning the fact that the print and broadcasting sectors did not reflect the diversity of the Irish society, and that Irish-language broadcasts were less well remunerated.