The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is calling on the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) to publicly oppose chequebook journalism and to disown the practice. Sorcha Crowley reports.
The NUJ acknowledged that the recent invasion of privacy of Kilkenny hurling captain D.J. Carey "underlined the need for media accountability" and condemned "unwarranted invasions of privacy and chequebook journalism".
The NUJ was responding to the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE) stance on the establishment of an independent press council in Ireland.
The alliance last week urged the Government to work with the NNI "towards the establishment of a truly independent press council" in Ireland.
While the NUJ agrees that an independent press council must be established in Ireland, it said it was "regrettable that AIPCE have failed to recognise that, in any debate on media accountability, there cannot be just two players". Irish NUJ secretary Mr Seamus Dooley said "a mechanism must be found to involve readers and consumers in the process of regulation".
The NNI represents 12 national newspaper titles. The NUJ is now concerned that the Government and the newspaper proprietors are "preparing to trade libel reform for press regulation".
"We believe that a press council must be independent of State control but if it is to have any credibility it must also operate in a truly independent manner," said Mr Dooley.
He said it would be wrong if journalists and the NUJ were excluded from any regulatory body and said the Government "must work with media representatives and the NUJ to develop a model which is free of State control but yet has some form of statutory basis".