The Press Council was called for in a 2003 report by the Government-appointed Legal Advisory Group on Defamation. The newspaper industry came together and formed the Press Industry Steering Committee to agree a model for an independent press complaints body.
The committee announced its model for an Office of Press Ombudsman and Press Council last December and it agreed a code of practice which will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Both the Ombudsman and the Press Council are independent of the Government and of the media. They will be funded by the press industry. Prof Thomas Mitchell, chairman of the Press Council, said a formula for funding had been worked out whereby larger organisations would pay larger amounts. He said a budget had not yet been set for this year.
The Press Council members were appointed by an independent appointments committee consisting of Dr Miriam Hederman-O'Brien, former chairwoman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, Dr Maurice Manning, Irish Human Rights Commission president and former Ombudsman Kevin Murphy.
The council's first task will be the appointment of the Press Ombudsman. When both offices are fully functioning, aggrieved readers will be able to lodge complaints about any publication that is a member of the National Newspapers of Ireland, the Regional Newspapers Association of Ireland or the Periodical Publishers Association of Ireland. These groups include the vast majority of daily, weekly and Sunday newspapers and magazines, including Irish editions of British publications.
People will also be able to complain about the behaviour of any journalist attached to any of these organisations. The complainant must be able to show that he or she was directly affected by the article or behaviour in question.
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