Latest news with #CoimisiúnnaMeán
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Mayo barrister leads defence team for Kneecap at UK court
Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, originally from Mayo, is part of the defence team for Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh after he was charged under the UKs Terrorism Act last month Coimisiún na Meán Today at 11:24 The trial of Mr Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, began at Westminster Magistrates' Court this morning. Kneecap's frontman was charged in May of this year under UK terrorism offences. This came after a video of him appeared online, where he was seen to display a Hezbollah flag during a concert at the Kentish Town Forum on the 21st of November 2024. Leading up his defence team is Mayo-born Barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh. Originally from Glencalry in north Mayo, Ms Ní Ghrálaigh specialises in protest law, international law, civil liberties and human rights. She has an extensive background and is called to the Bars in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. She is part of Matrix, a barristers chamber in London, and also sits on the International Criminal Court's List of Counsel. Ms Ní Ghrálaigh spent her early years in the town of Glencalry before her family moved to London. A passionate advocate for human rights, this is not her first high-profile court case. She was part of the Palestinian delegation at the ICC, and spoke at the Hauge in April of this year where she stated that Israel had turned Gaza into an, 'uninhabitable wasteland, incapable of sustaining human life'. Ní Ghrálaigh's work in law began prior to her qualifying for the bar, when she worked as part of the legal team representing families of those killed in the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. She is a powerful advocate for human rights and has been described by the Legal 500 as 'a very impressive, intelligent, talented and fearless barrister', who is, 'one of the leading silks of her generation in this area' Mr Ó hAnnaidh's case has gathered a huge amount of attention. Turning up to Westminster Magistrates' court this morning, he was greeted by a crowd of cheering demonstrators waving a mix of Irish tricolour flags, Palestinian flags, and placards reading 'Defend Kneecap, Drop the Charges, Freedom for Palestine'. As the defendant made his way into court, he had to force his way through the supportive assemblage who were chanting 'Free free Palestine' and 'Free Mo Chara now'. The 27-year-old denies the terrorism charge and has branded it as an act of 'political policing'. Kneecap states that the Hezbollah flag was thrown on stage and that they do not endorse the terrorist group. This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Levy on streaming platforms could raise about €20 million per year for sector
A levy on streaming platforms in Ireland, which could raise about €20 million per year for public service content, would be an 'obvious quick fix' for the sector, an Oireachtas committee has heard. New proposed broadcasting legislation initially permitted Coimisiún na Meán to impose such a levy. However, an amendment saw an 'added layer of protection for the Irish consumer' from Minister for Media Patrick O' Donovan which would ensure any levy would require ministerial approval. Roderick Flynn of the DCU Institute of Future Media, Democracy and Society told Oireachtas media committee members that a levy of 3 per cent would equate to about €20 million per year in funding for public content and about 30 cent per month on a standard Netflix subscription. READ MORE 'This doesn't seem like an onerous increase for what is, after all, a discretionary household budgetary expenditure,' he said. Given the competitive streaming market in Ireland, he said companies would have a 'strong incentive' to absorb the cost internally. 'Why would you not want €20 million to be thrown specifically at public service content production?' he said. The issue was raised in the context of 'inadequate' funding proposed under the legislation which seeks to convert an existing broadcasting fund to a 'platform-neutral' media fund. Several representatives of the sector highlighted concerns over the level of funding and the way in which it has been allocated to date, with radio stations and papers finding themselves ineligible due to the requirement for 'additionality'. This sees a requirement for a radio station or paper being awarded funding for services, such as court reporting, not already being provided. The allocation of 7 per cent of the net licence fee receipts to the fund, meanwhile, is 'inadequate, especially given the wider scope of eligible applicants,' said Sammi Bourke, chair of Newsbrands Ireland, the representative body for national newspapers. The issue of funding was raised amid widespread difficulties in the sector, notably the emergence of AI and use of content by social media platforms without compensation. Ms Bourke told TDs and senators that news publishers now face 'existential challenges due to the widespread appropriation of our journalism by major tech and AI companies'. 'Our content is being harvested without consent or compensation, undermining the commercial viability of journalism and threatening the public's access to reliable information,' she said. Deirdre Veldon, vice chair of Newsbrands Ireland and managing director of The Irish Times Group, said the companies have 'the best of both worlds' noting that 87 per cent of the advertising revenue previously taken in by the media market is now with big tech. 'What I would prefer to see is them discharging their responsibilities in relation to offering proper compensation to publishers and broadcasters for use of their content,' she said. Michael Kelly, chief executive of the IBI, said the advertising landscape in Ireland has undergone 'major disruption' with tech giants and social media platforms now extracting approximately €1 billion in advertising revenue from the market each year. This is in contrast to about €165 million being taken in by RTÉ radio and the independent radio sector, he said. Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan noted cost increases facing the sector and a loss in ad revenue, saying: 'I honestly fear for the future of the people in this room, of who you're representing, unless something strong is done. You simply have to get a higher percentage of the pot or else it is not commercially feasible to continue to do what you're doing.'
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Watch: 5 key takeaways from Reuters news study
The annual Reuters Digital News Report for Ireland 2025 shows that 5% of Irish people say they are getting their news from AI chatbots. This is one of the most eye-catching figures revealed in the annual report published today, and it offers a fascinating, if sobering, snapshot of media consumption. What is your 'level of interest' in news? The report shows that 56%, more than half the adult population in Ireland, is "extremely" or "very interested" in news. This figure, which is up 3 points from last year, is heartening for Irish newsrooms when compared to our neighbours in the UK (39%), and (51%) in the US. However, when we flick back ten years, to the report in 2015, the level of interest in news was 71% amongst adults. The report also notes wider trends over the years that show that engagement with news is clearly on shifting terrain. Rónán Ó Domhnaill, from Coimisiún na Meán, said that "what we are looking at is a gradual but managed decline in the amount of trust and interest in news". Who do you trust? At a time when fake news and misinformation are constant themes in newsrooms when faced with newsgathering and verification challenges, editors will be reassured that trust levels are solid. When asked about trusted sources of news, RTÉ News came out on top, at (72%), with local radio news in total clocking up (72%) trust levels too. They are followed by the Irish Times, with 70%, with the same percentage for the BBC, levels of 68% for the Irish Independent, and 66% for Newstalk, Today FM and Sky News. At a time when there are endless options available for people to consume their news, and when questionable content bleeds through our online world, these figures will bolster those who argue that resources should continue to be channelled to trusted news-gathering sources. For newspapers, there was good news for local papers as, at 71%, they emerge as the most trusted source, however Dave O'Connell, editor of the Connacht Tribune, said "it's great to have these trust levels," but "with the good news with trust level, it's not so great news in relation to sales". He asked "how do we leverage this trust into surviving as an industry?". For Dr Eileen Culloty from DCU who was involved in the research for this report, she said that the figures show that "local media enjoys strong public trust" however, in tune with Dave O'Connell she added, "trust alone doesn't pay salaries or sustain newsrooms so the big challenge is to convert trust into viable careers in local journalism so that local media can continue informing communities". Mr O'Connell pointed to Coimisiún na Meán, saying that their support with schemes such as the recent local journalism and court reporting schemes were vital to plug the gap between the cost of providing quality news coverage and funding. He believes that the need for external funding is key in this area. Are you worried about fake news? All age groups shows concern about fake information online with 68% of respondents saying that deciding what is 'real' and what is 'fake' is a factor in their consumption of news. This figure will be considered a strong mandate for journalists to continue to be vigilant in their news-gathering and verification processes. In an era when everyone can go 'live' on their phones to an audience, these figures will be seen as demonstrating the resilience and importance of verified content for news providers. The standards for good quality, well-researched journalism is important to Irish people and this figure from across the age groups reinforces that work. Will you pay for news? The report said that one in five people, 20%, are now paying for subscriptions for their news content. Casting an eye back to 2015, a decade ago, the figure for digital news subscriptions stood at 7% and the only national news title that had moved behind a paywall then was The Irish Sun which was followed by a 'soft paywall' from the Irish Times. Scroll on ten years and the levels of subscription have moved on, with Irish Independent publisher Mediahuis recently celebrating reaching 100,000 paid subscribers this year. Samantha McCaughren from Mediahuis spoke at the launch of the report today and she said that "what we did 20 years ago, we don't do now". Ms McCaughren explained that their processes have moved on and that "when we think about a story, we think about all the angles. Is there a podcast element, a video element, can our journalists talk to each other about a story? We have completely changed how we look at stories," she told RTÉ News. This describes the approach that any vibrant newsroom has to adopt now to stay relevant. Multi-platform approaches to a story is considered the norm now, but with shrinking resources across newsrooms, the perennial question remains - how do you monetise your content and stay on top of the financial demands of managing a multi-platform model? As more and more content goes behind paywalls, this report will offer some comfort as it seems that Irish people are more willing to pay for content so the juggling act of balancing commercial realities with the quality news content gathering continues across news organisations. The Reuters Digital News Report finds that 5% of people are turning to chatbots for their content. This one line in a report of thousands of words was for many, the break-out news line. The figure emerged in response to the question "which platforms you have used in the last week as a source of news" and it was the first time that this digital platform had emerged and is a new entry into the charts. Top of the choices was television with 58% saying that this was a platform they turned to. That same figure also said they turned to online news. Meanwhile, 47% of Irish people said social media was a source, while radio was a news source for 36%. This figure has been pointed to as a sure sign of the resilience of this platform with the Irish people's long celebrated affinity with radio continuing to power where audio offerings have changed significantly in recent years. Back ten years ago in 2015, the reach for 'traditional' newspapers was 69%. That has declined significantly with 20% of respondents in this report saying they went to printed newspapers for their information. Down the bottom are the two entries from the digital platforms with 12% saying podcasts provided them with news and the eye catching 5% stating that AI chatbots was a source. The figure may have just snuck into the bottom of the list but it is a figure that is sure to rise over the coming years. The figure just above it too is worthy of note as 12% point to podcasts as a platform they use for news sourcing. This figure is higher than the UK (7%) and USA (15%). When we consider that 19% of people said that they were either "very" or "somewhat" comfortable with the use of AI for news with some human oversight and the under 35s almost twice as comfortable when considering the same measure, it is clear that digital platforms will continue to steer future developments in newsrooms. Ms McCaughren discussed the pivotal role that podcasts play in the Mediahuis newsroom now with a full time team of 16 people working on their podcast content. From daily news, to sport to crime, the appetite for podcasts is clearly growing and is yet another new frontier that this report tracks. This evening I asked an AI chatbot for a short one line summary of this report, and it offered the following words of wisdom: "Irish audiences remain highly engaged and trusting in news at 56%, and strong local radio/newspaper trust levels at 72% but they are cautious about AI." Humble. Cautious for now, but when next year's report is published, checking the figure for use of AI chatbots as a source will be one of the first things I will watch out for.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Watchdog orders Elon Musk's X to clarify how it will protect children on its platform
Ireland's media regulator has ordered Elon Musk-owned X to clarify how it will protect children on its platform or risk 'criminal liability', it has said. Coimisiún na Meán said it was using its statutory powers to compel X, formerly Twitter, to provide information on how it will comply with specific sections of the Online Safety Code, which has been challenged by X through a judicial review in the High Court. 'Information provided by X so far is not sufficient to assess whether X's current measures are sufficient to protect children using the service,' it said. 'Under Part A of the Code, designated platforms must establish and operate age verification systems for users with respect to content which may impair physical, mental, or moral development of minors.' The Online Safety Code sets binding rules on major platforms that also include Facebook and YouTube to prohibit harmful content like cyberbullying, racism, or incitement to hatred. It also makes it incumbent on platforms to have robust age assurance such as verifying a passport photo to prevent children from seeing pornography or gratuitous violence online, as 'merely asking users whether they are over 18 will not be enough'. Set to fully come into force next month, the code is binding on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X, Linkedin, Pinterest, Udemy and Tumblr. A number of judicial reviews have been launched by firms objecting to the code, including by X. A judgement is set to be delivered in this case by Mr Justice Conleth Bradley on July 25. While that remains pending, Coimisiún na Meán has said it is exercising its powers to tell X it must provide information relating to its compliance with the Online Safety Code. 'X is obliged to respond by July 22, 2025,' it said. 'Failure to comply with the notice by the provider can result in criminal liability, including a fine of up to €500k. 'An Coimisiún will review the response from X and will consider whether the platform has complied with its obligations under Part A of the Online Safety Code and will then determine if further measures should be taken. X was designated by Coimisiún na Meán as a video-sharing platform service in December 2023 and is consequently obliged to comply with the Online Safety Code. It comes after big tech firms including X were hauled in for a meeting with media minister Patrick O'Donovan on Monday with age verification high on the agenda. Separately, European commissioner for justice Michael McGrath has said that new European laws will prevent children from being exposed to 'dark patterns' online while new age checks will stop them accessing harmful content like pornography. He said that investigations into major platforms like Meta's Instagram and Facebook, TikTok and several pornographic websites are ongoing to ensure they are complying with child protection rules. 'The internet should be a place of opportunity for children, not a minefield of risks,' Mr McGrath said. Read More European laws will prevent children accessing harmful content online
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
More people paying for news than ever before
Irish people are paying for news more than ever before, as podcasts experienced a 'surge in popularity' last year according to the Digital News Report Ireland. Interest in news increased in Ireland this year, with 56 per cent of people 'extremely' or 'very' interested in news, an increase of 3 percentage points from last year. Despite the rise, it was down from a peak of 70 per cent during the Covid pandemic. This rate of interest places Irish audiences far ahead of the UK at 39 per cent, and ahead of the European average at 45 per cent. US audiences stood at 51 per cent reporting that level of interest. Rónán Ó Domhnaill, media development commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán said it is 'encouraging to see that interest in news remains high in Ireland when compared internationally, even as the formats used to consume news continue to change.' READ MORE One in five people, 20 per cent, are now paying for news content - up from 7 per cent in 2015 and coming after a flatline in the years since the pandemic. This stands at twice the rate in the UK, and 5 per cent higher than the European average. The most read newspapers were The Irish Times and the Irish Independent, though those publications recorded a decline in overall weekly online reach since 2015. The report noting that may be caused by 'targeting a smaller (paying) audience and not trying to be all things to all people.' [ Four in 10 people in Ireland 'worn out by the amount of news there is these days' Opens in new window ] Consumption of podcasts in Ireland has risen to 12 per cent each week, higher than the figure for Europe at 9 per cent and the UK at 7 per cent. US audiences still lead the way at 15 per cent. Despite this, just 2 per cent use podcasts as their main source of news. Of the 2,000 person sample for the report, 36 per cent had subscribed to The Irish Independent and 33 per cent had subscriptions to The Irish Times. The New York Times had increased its share from 9 per cent last year to 22 per cent in 2025, The Guardian similarly increased its market share from 10 per cent to 21 per cent in the same period, the Guardian relies on donations from readers rather than subscriptions. 'Without a sustainable business model - we can have all the reports, talk about nostalgia all we like - but journalism will not survive unless there is a model there to support it,' said Tom Felle, Dublin City University (DCU) associate professor of journalism, at the launch of the report. Audience attitudes towards the use of artificial intelligence (AI) have changed in recent years. The share of respondents that were comfortable with AI-produced news grew from 15 per cent to 19 per cent, with under-35s nearly twice as comfortable with its use. Will rent reform make building apartments viable? Listen | 40:12 Despite this, 45 per cent of people said AI would make news less trustworthy and 40 per cent thought it would make news coverage less accurate. 'I don't see AI as a threat at all, I see a lot of potential for AI to work really well in terms of supporting how journalism is created,' Mr Felle said. 'I think the public values trust in journalism and they are wary about what [ai generated content] might look like.' The most trustworthy news sources this year were RTÉ News, at 72 per cent, local radio and local newspapers, at 72 and 71 per cent respectively, as well as The Irish Times and the BBC at 70 per cent. Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was seen by the public as the biggest threat for false and misleading information at 54 per cent, alongside TikTok and Facebook at 53 per cent. The report, which was published by Coimisiún na Meán, was undertaken by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford with data from the DCU Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society.
