Varadkar praises INM reporters in ODCE row
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar commended journalists at Independent News & Media for “not allowing their independence to be compromised” amid controversy over an alleged data breach at the company.
“Having an independent news and media is a cornerstone of our democracy. It is, after all, the Fourth Estate,” Mr Varadkar said.
The Taoiseach said new laws to protect journalistic sources would be considered by the Government and the time had come to “dust down” reports on strengthening media independence.
“Journalists must be free to pursue stories that they want to pursue. Their sources should be protected and free from any unjust interference, external or internal,” he told the Dáil.
Mr Varadkar was responding to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald – who raised the Office of Director of Corporate Enforcement’s (ODCE) investi- gation on INM, which publishes this newspaper. The ODCE is seeking to appoint High Court inspectors to investigate corporate governance issues at INM.
Among the accusations is that email records, including some belonging to journalists, were taken from company headquarters and examined by third parties in 2014.
Mr Varadkar commended the journalists who have reported on the story in recent weeks “including journalists in Independent News & Media, who have not allowed their independence to be compromised”.
“The reported data breaches represent a very significant threat to the freedom of our press but the way in which the media have responded to this threat to date should reassure us that our press will not be silenced,” he said.
Mr Martin said there was a “real and deep concern” about the case because “an independent and free media is essential to the operation of a parliamentary democracy”.
“Recent events serve as a wake-up call for the Oireachtas to consider legislation to deal with these issues on several fronts,” he said.
Mr Martin pointed to a report last year by former chief justice John Murray on the protection of journalistic sources.
“It states we should have specific national legislation for source protection, with its legal foundation being the right to freedom of expression, including press freedom and privacy,” Mr Martin said.
The Fianna Fáil leader also sought assurances from the Taoiseach that the Director of Corporate Enforcement is indemnified by the State following accusations from businessman Denis O’Brien that his office leaked information in court papers relating to the INM case.
Mr Martin told the Dáil: “No agent of the State should have to work under that sort of intimidatory cloud hanging over him.”
Ms McDonald questioned whether the ODCE had enough resources to deal with such cases.
“There is no doubt that the office is up against it because of a lack of resourcing and support on the Taoiseach’s watch and on the watch of previous governments,” she said.
Ms McDonald told the Dáil that Mr O’Brien was accusing the ODCE of leaking information about the data breach.
“The ODCE has been investigating this story for a whole year without any leaks, but as soon as the affidavit arrived at INM premises, there were numerous leaks and INM even reported on details of the affidavit,” she said.
“It appears that an attempt is now being made to silence the ODCE.”
Mr Varadkar said the ODCE “is well-resourced to tackle the increasingly complex breaches of company law”, with 36 staff and seven gardaí.
The Social Democrats want a Commission on the Future of the Media with co-leaders Catherine Murphy and Róisín Shortall seeking support for a new expert body.