Letter to Mary Lou McDonald over actions against journalists is ‘serious’ - Varadkar says

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has described an international media watchdog’s criticism of Sinn Féin’s “repeated legal actions” against the media and journalists as a “serious matter”.

Reporters Without Borders and several other groups supporting press freedom wrote to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald last week expressing their concerns about the “methods of intimidation” being used by the party in taking legal actions against the media and journalists.

Mr Varadkar said during his 16 years as a TD he could never remember a time when “international bodies like this had to write to the leader of a major political party in this State, expressing their concerns about an attack on press freedom”.

“I think it’s quite a serious matter and deserves attention,” Mr Varadkar told the Dáil on Wednesday.

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In a joint letter to Ms McDonald, several press freedom organisations and academics said they were writing to her to “express our alarm” at the news that Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews was taking legal action against The Irish Times and its political correspondent Harry McGee in response to an article about Sinn Féin’s response to the Hamas attack published last month.

“This is the latest in a series of legal actions taken by members of your party in recent years, including against journalists, an author, a publisher, and the public service broadcaster RTÉ,” the letter said.

It added that the legal actions that Sinn Féin’s members were currently taking against the media “have the hallmarks of SLAPP” - strategic lawsuits against public participation.

“As you know, SLAPPs are a form of legal harassment used by powerful people to intimidate and silence public watchdogs, including journalists,” the letter said.

“The fact that Sinn Féin’s most recent legal action has been filed against journalist Harry McGee — as an individual — gives credence to the idea that it is intended to chill public interest speech. Moreover, the number of legal actions that have been filed by Sinn Féin members points to a coordinated campaign against the media in Ireland.”

The letter ended by stating: “We urge you to be mindful of the chilling effect that legal actions have, not only on the media, but on our democracy.”

[ Stephen Collins: Sinn Féin has a ballot paper in one hand and a legal writ in the other ]

The organisations who signed the letter included the Coalition For Women In Journalism, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the European Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute and Reporters Without Borders.

Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon described the letter as “completely unprecedented” and said it was in the context of “six sitting Sinn Fein TDs that are currently suing or have sued our national media”.

Mr Cannon asked the Taoiseach could he provide an update on reforms to defamation law that are “absolutely necessary to prevent more attempts at silencing our media”.

In response, Mr Varadkar said new defamation legislation would published in the New Year and hopefully enacted later in 2024.

“But I have to say, I saw that letter that Deputy Cannon saw too, and it’s signed by the Coalition for Women in Journalism, the Daphne Caruana Galizia foundation, that’s the Maltese journalist who was murdered, the European Federation of Journalists, the International Press institute, Reporters Without Borders among others.

“I’m 16/17 years in the Dail, I never remember a time when international bodies like this had to write to the leader of a major political party in this State, expressing their concerns about an attack on press freedom and I think it’s quite a serious matter and deserves attention.”