Mary Lou McDonald denies Sinn Féin has policy of taking legal actions against media

The Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has denied that there is a policy in her party to take legal actions for defamation against the media, and also rejected “out of hand” the accusation that she herself has taken legal actions in order to deter media scrutiny.

Speaking at her party’s ardfheis in Athlone Saturday morning, Ms McDonald said that “when a line is crossed ... people have the right to use the mechanisms available to them to vindicate their name”.

She was answering questions about a legal action initiated this week by Dublin TD Chris Andrews against The Irish Times and journalist Harry McGee. Mr Andrews’ lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions taken by Sinn Féin representatives against media outlets and political opponents. The Irish Times is strongly defending the action.

Asked why Sinn Féin representatives do not use the Press Council and the Press Ombudsman complaints procedures, Ms McDonald said that it was “up to each individual to make their own call on that”.

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She continued: “People will be aware when they have a complaint, or an issue, of all of the options available. People generally take advice and, generally speaking, there will be an interaction with the publication or the broadcaster in question. The best outcome is where matters can be resolved directly in that channel, in my own opinion, but I can’t comment [on this case]. Every individual has the right and the freedom to pursue matters in the way that they would wish.”

Asked if she was “trying to frighten the media”, Ms McDonald said: “I’m in public life now more years than I would care to remember. We do not consider ourselves above any scrutiny, critique, analysis. It is all part of the cut and thrust of this democratic process. We support and welcome that. I’ve answered the question then substantively. The issue here is not accountability, analysis or anything. The issue is on [the] rare occasion where a line is crossed. Sorry, I reserve personally the right to defend my reputation. I think you have all have that right too.”

When it was put to the Sinn Féin leader that she had been accused of taking a “SLAPP” action, a strategic lawsuit against public participation, she said: “I have done no such thing and I reject that out of hand.”

Ms McDonald has initiated legal action against RTÉ and her husband has taken an action against Shane Ross, author of a biography of the Sinn Féin leader.

The National Union of Journalists has added its voice to criticism of Sinn Féin over the action by Mr Andrews.

The Irish Secretary of the NUJ, Séamus Dooley, today described it as a “sinister development”.

Speaking at the union’s delegate conference in Dublin, Mr Dooley said public figures should use the offices of the Press Ombudsman and Press Council rather than using libel actions as the first response.

Mr Dooley said: “The decision of Deputy Chris Andrews to issue legal proceedings this week against The Irish Times and to our member Harry McGee, personally, is a sinister development. I would encourage public figures to use the alternative dispute resolution mechanism of the Press Ombudsman rather than the heavy hand of the libel laws, not least at a time when there is a political consensus that our libel laws are not fit for purpose. The use of SLAPPs is bad for journalism, bad for citizens and poisonous for democracy.”