There was a huge turnout of TDs and Senators for an Oireachtas briefing by local and national news publishers at Leinster House on Wednesday last week, as the gathering took the opportunity to highlight the challenges and opportunities for journalism, and the need for government support.
Bob Hughes, executive director of Local Ireland, which represents local news publishers around the country, said the industry still faces an existential crisis but would be sustainable, with the right supports: ‘We have never had so many readers thanks to digital and our online platforms, but our traditional revenue sources which still make local journalism viable are very challenged’.
‘We are grateful for the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes that have been launched by Coimisiún na Meán but we need the schemes to be continued and more schemes to be put in place. The funding for the schemes also needs to be put on a statutory basis.’
Seán Mahon, managing director of The Southern Star and incoming President of Local Ireland expressed his gratitude to the local representatives of West Cork for their support.
‘My thanks to our local TDs, Christopher O’Sullivan, Michael Collins, Ellen Casey who represented Holly Cairns, and Senator Noel O’Donovan, for attending our briefing.
‘We appreciate the support the government has facilitated for our industry in recent years, however we wanted to highlight several immediate pressing challenges and opportunities for local newspapers and how the Government can help. For example, ensuring a fair distribution of government advertising to include more spend with local newspapers who, like The Southern Star, have significant reader reach in print and online. It would be straightforward and quick to implement, and helps us continue to deliver trusted, vital local journalism.’
The briefing included a panel discussion hosted by the editor of the Business Post, Danny McConnell, which included ceo of Celtic Media Group Frank Mulrennan, ceo of DMG Media Paul Henderson, and managing director of the Irish Times Group, Deirdre Veldon.
