Media

Ireland drops six places in Press Freedom index because of politicians using ‘judicial intimidation’

Index compiled by organisation that wrote to Mary Lou McDonald last year expressing ‘alarm’ at case being taken against The Irish Times

A man rests on posters of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, Hamza Al Dahdouh and Samer Abu Daqqa who were killed while reporting in Palestine, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday. Photograph: Fazry Ismail/Shutterstock

Colm Keena
Fri May 3 2024 - 18:35

Ireland has dropped to eighth place from second in an annual global index of press freedom where it is described as a jurisdiction “where politicians have subjected media outlets to judicial intimidation”.

The index is produced by the Reporters Without Borders organisation which in November of last year wrote a letter to Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald criticising the decision of one of her party TDs to issue legal proceedings against a reporter with The Irish Times.

“We are writing to you to express our alarm at the news that Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews is taking legal action against The Irish Times and its political correspondent Harry McGee in response to an article about Sinn Féin’s response to the Hamas attack published last month,” the letter said.

“This is the latest in a series of legal actions taken by members of your party in recent years, including against journalists, an author, a publisher and the public service broadcaster RTÉ.”

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In their latest report on world press freedom, the authors of the index refer to a general fall in political protection of press freedom and how this has affected countries at the top of last year’s index.

“Norway, still in first place, has seen a fall in its political score, and Ireland (eighth), where politicians have subjected media outlets to judicial intimidation, has ceded its leading position in the European Union to Denmark (second), followed by Sweden (third).”

Sinn Féin public representatives north and south of the Border have taken a series of legal actions against journalists and media outlets. Ms McDonald is suing RTÉ over comments made on radio and her husband is suing journalist and politician Shane Ross over statements in his biography of Ms McDonald published in 2022.

[ Nicaraguan journalist running media outlet in exile due to crackdown on independent press ]

[ Urgent need for enactment of new defamation Bill, say ombudsman and industry groups ]

Late last year a defamation claim by Drumcondra-based Sinn Féin constituency organiser Liam Lappin, against Sunday Life and journalist Suzanne Breen, was dismissed by the High Court in Dublin saying the contended meanings in the claim were “strained”, “forced” and “utterly unreasonable”.

Earlier this year the high court in Belfast struck out a claim from Sinn Féin Stormont Assembly member Gerry Kelly against author and journalist Malachi O’Doherty, describing the claim as “scandalous, frivolous and vexatious” and an “abuse of process”.

The party’s spokesman on housing, Eoin Ó Broin, has rejected claims in the past by Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil and Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael that Sinn Féin has a policy of taking legal actions against journalists and media outlets.

“The party does not fund or does not get involved in decisions about whether individual members of the party decide to defend their good names in the courts,” Mr Ó Broin said. A request has been sent to the Sinn Féin press office for comment on the latest press freedom index.

The authors of the index said press freedom globally is being threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors – political authorities.

“This finding is based on the fact that, of the five indicators used to compile the ranking, it is the political indicator that has fallen most, registering a global average fall of 7.6 points.”

[ The Irish Times view on World Press Freedom Day: journalism is under attack and under pressure ]

The war in Gaza has been marked by a record number of violations against journalists and the media since October 2023, according to the authors. More than 100 Palestinian reporters have been killed by the Israel Defence Forces, including at least 22 in the course of their work.

Negative developments in Argentina, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Mali, and Vietnam are among the those cited in the report accompanying the index.

“In China [172nd], in addition to detaining more journalists than any other country in the world, the government continues to exercise strict control over information channels, implementing censorship and surveillance policies to regulate online content and restrict the spread of information deemed to be sensitive or contrary to the party line,” the authors say.

Russia (162nd) continues to play a negative role in relation to press freedom within its own borders and in neighbouring countries, they say.

“Kremlin influence has reached as far as Serbia (down seven places to 98th), where pro-government media carry Russian propaganda and the authorities threaten exiled Russian journalists.”

Colm Keena

Colm Keena

Colm Keena is an Irish Times journalist. He was previously legal-affairs correspondent and public-affairs correspondent

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