WEST Cork resident and educator, the Oscar-winning producer Lord David Puttnam has said that if the world doesn’t get to grips with the power of the social media giants, as a society we are ‘lost’.
The Skibbereen resident was addressing the publication of the annual report of the Press Council of Ireland in Dublin last Friday when he said that Ireland needs to be careful about how it treats the social media firms that have large operations here.
He said he had a ‘bad feeling’ that the lack of regulation in Irish law may be connected to the huge economic boost the companies provide in this country. He said he hoped he was wrong, but he believed that the decision to introduce regulation regarding the safeguarding of children, while very appropriate, may have represented a form of ‘trade off’ which saw very little regulation over content targeted at adults.
He said the rise of disinformation and misinformation needed to be taken very seriously and the large social media firms needed to be held accountable.
Lord Puttnam added that he was very worried about the prospect of the Donald Trump/Elon Musk ‘alliance’ being victorious after the US elections, because they would move to quash any opposition to their agenda. ‘And if we don’t get a grip on these social media giants, we are lost. We are lost,’ he said.
Lord Puttnam was introduced at the event by Southern Star editor Siobhán Cronin, a board member of the Press Council of Ireland. She said that Lord Puttnam had proven to be a huge asset to West Cork and a great supporter of local businesses, including the West Cork Film Studios and the Ludgate Digital Hub.
Lord Puttnam’s sentiments on social media firms were echoed by Press Ombudsperson Susan McKay. These platforms must be regulated by government to curb the halt of disinformation and prejudice, she warned.
Addressing the event, Ms McKay said that publications that are members of the Press Council must continue to rigorously challenge those who are spreading prejudiced ideas about issues including identity, race, gender and sexual orientation in Ireland today.
Meanwhile, the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman also announced the 2024 Press Council Fellowship last week.
It aims to support early-career journalists committed to upholding ethical and professional standards in journalism.
This year’s fellowship will be awarded to one outstanding journalist who will have the opportunity to attend the renowned International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, from April 9th-13th 2025. The event provides a platform for learning and networking in the global journalism community.
The fellowship will cover travel, accommodation for four nights, and expenses for the three days of English-language events at the festival.
The Press Council invites journalists in the early stages of their careers – with between one and three years of experience – to submit a titled article with a maximum word count of 800 words. Submissions should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Application for Press Council Fellowship’ by 5pm on December 2nd, 2024.
