Ireland's print media will have to adhere to a new code of practice following the inauguration today of a regulatory body for the country's newspapers and magazines.
The Press Council of Ireland, together with the soon-to-be appointed Press Ombudsman, is charged with the responsibility of providing a forum for resolving complaints against the press, maintaining high standards of journalism and defending the freedom of the press.
Naming the newly-appointed members of the council in Dublin this afternoon, Press Council chairman Prof Thomas Mitchell said the establishment of the council was a "significant event in the history of Irish media"
The Press Council will appoint a Press Ombudsman later this year and is expected to be fully operational by November.
Describing it as a "good news story for both the Irish public but also for the press industry," Prof Mitchell said the council will create a complaints procedure that will be "independent, accessible to everyone, simple, quick and free."
Prof Mitchell said he believed it would prove to be "extremely valuable and indeed essential ... as an alternative to the courts for people who feel aggrieved by what they read in the papers."
A new code of practice, comprising ten principles including accuracy, fairness, privacy, children and incitement to hatred, will come into operation with the inauguration of the council.
Prof Mitchell said the code would "clearly define the principles that should govern the way the media does its work."
He said he was hopeful the Press Council would be further strengthened by the passage of the Defamation Bill, which he said was designed "to enhance the effectiveness of the council."
Decisions taken by the Ombudsman and Press Council will have qualified privilege under the proposed new defamation laws.
The Press Council has 13 members - seven independent members drawn from outside the industry including the chairman, plus six industry members.
Appointed by an independent appointments committee, council members will sit for three years with the possibility of serving a second term.
Independent members:
Professor Thomas Mitchell(Chairman)
Mr Seamus Boland, CEO of Irish Rural Link
Ms Mary Kotsonouris, a qualified solicitor and former Disrict Court Judge
Mr John Horgan, former Chairman of the Labour Court
Ms Maeve McDonagh, Associate Professor of Law in UCC;
Dr Eleanor O'Higgins, Senior Lecturer in the UCD School of Business; and
Mr Peter O'Mahony, former CEO of the Irish Refugee Council.
Industry members:
Ms Rosemary Delaney, Managing Editor of multi-media firm WMB Publishing Ltd;
Mr Michael Denieffe, Managing Editor of Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd;
Mr Martin Fitzpatrick, Treasurer of the Irish Executive Council of the National Union of Journalists;
Mr Michael McNiffe, Editor of the Irish Sun;
Mr Eoin McVey, Managing Editor of The Irish Times;
Mr Frank Mulrennan, President of the Regional Newspapers and Printers Association of Ireland.