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THE PRESS Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman have been functioning successfully for more than a year, as the publication yesterday of their annual report makes clear. Intended to deal with public complaints about press practice in a way that is quick, fair and free of charge, they have built up a substantial body of investigation, conciliation and case findings without encountering any major contentious issues.

This is in good part because the model on which they are based is distinctive in the world of journalism, since it is neither exclusively statutory nor self-regulatory. Instead, as the Press Council chairman Professor Thomas Mitchell said yesterday, it is an “independent regulation that, in its operation, is free from any form of control or influence by either the State or the press industry”.