DIT confer doctorate

An honorary Doctorate in Philosophy was conferred on Irish TimesEditor Geraldine Kennedy by the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) "in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of journalism" at a graduation ceremony in St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin on Saturday.

Prof Brian Norton, president of DIT, said she had throughout her career "a commitment to high standards in journalism and to its role in public life". She was also pointed to as "a standard bearer" for graduates beginning their careers.

He said "renowned now as the first woman to be appointed editor of a national newspaper in Ireland," that success had been built on "her many significant achievements". She was also "an alumnus of DIT" as one of the first graduates of the full-time journalism course at the College of Commerce, Rathmines.

A citation delivered by Michael Foley, senior lecturer in journalism at DIT and formerly of The Irish Times, said that throughout her career Ms Kennedy had demonstrated "a strong commitment to public service and to journalism's central role in a democracy, and she has upheld the very best traditions in Irish journalism".

Tracing her career he spoke of a "remarkable time" in Irish politics when she was political correspondent at the Sunday Tribune. "She went through a period of threats and harassment that culminated in the discovery that her phone had been tapped, with official sanction, in an effort to discover the identity of her sources.

"Geraldine was party to a subsequent High Court challenge, which led to a landmark judgment establishing the constitutional right to privacy," he said.

"Today, of course, she is again at the centre of a story concerning journalists, their sources and their information," he added.