Defamation Bill to be Passed through the Oireachtas

national | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Wednesday December 06, 2006 10:59 by C Murray

The Privacy Bill has been temporarily 'shelved'

Last night Minister Mc Dowell informed the media that the Privacy and Defamation Bill
would not be going throught the Oireachtas together/in toto and that the Defamation
Bill, alone, was on the table at Seanad Eireann. He has to re-adjust and re-appraise
the 'Privacy' section- this was the section which criminalised 'certain forms' of
news-gathering. It had been criticised throughout Europe for 'reining' in the press.

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The original article is at : http://www.indymedia.ie/article/78780

The links within the article include a disection of the implication of both the
privacy and defamation parts of the whole bill:

http://digitalrights.ie/category/defamation

and

http://mediaforum.ie/?p=52 (privacy section)

Ms Geraldine Kennedy was photographed at the Launch of the legislation for the
'Independent' Press Council- Her words " I am happy to support the Press Council
and the defamation section of the Bill, with the understanding that the privacy
section is discarded" ( I paraphrase, but you get the gist)

Thus the governement will not be controlling the press, the vested interests will.
The four person Press council will nominate people from outside the industry
to regulate and watchdog the industry.

The last time Ms Kennedy graced our screens was during the 'Bertiegate' issue on
'donations' and she still must , along with Mr Col Keena face the High Court on
the Mahon tribunal leaks.

The issues of digital freedoms are far from sorted out and of course the 'privacy'
section is only temporarily Shelved, it will be re-appraised, possibly after the
much awaited general election :

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76390

Other problems with the freedom issue include the TDR. : http://www.digitalrights.ie