Defamation

Ireland’s Draconian Defamation Laws Must Be  Reformed – It’s in The Public Interest

Ireland’s defamation laws are among the most restrictive in Europe and throughout the English-speaking world. They result in having a chilling effect on the media’s role as the public’s watchdog and its ability to reveal matters of important public interest.

WHY SHOULD THE LAW BE UPDATED?

Quite simply, it’s in the best interest of the democracy  at a time when democratic values are being threatened and undermined throughout the world. Of course, there’s ample recent evidence of important stories being exposed by Ireland’s media that otherwise would have remained secret. But other equally serious and important matters of public interest never get revealed because of defamation laws that impose potentially devastating levels of risk on publishers. Furthermore, the high level of awards and related legal costs are seriously jeopardising the financial viability of many local and national news publishers.

‘COMPO CULTURE’

There is ample evidence that the ‘compo culture’ which is threatening the existence of many businesses today due to soaring insurance costs is mirrored in the exploitation of our defamation laws by claimants who – unlike in the UK – do not have to prove serious harm to their reputation, yet pursue monetary claims in preference to engaging the offices of the Press Ombudsman and the Press Council.

SETTING THE RIGHT BALANCE

Good defamation policy is categorically not about giving journalists a free rein to write what they like. It is about setting the right balance in order to protect people’s reputations and the need to defend and promote freedom of expression and the media’s ability to freely report on matters in the public interest.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO BRING IRELAND’S DEFAMATION LAW INTO LINE WITH THE REST OF EUROPE?

• The new Defamation Act should include a ‘serious harm’ test. This test, already successfully in operation in the UK, discourages trivial claims that can chill free expression and inundate Irish courts with lengthy and costly court cases. Claimants who do not meet the test have the option to take their case to the Office of Press Ombudsman.
• Cap on damages. Damages in Ireland are much higher – often multiples of the equivalent awards in Europe. The Act should set a cap on court awards as is the practice in a personal injuries actions
• Abolition of juries. Defamation is virtually the only civil action that continues to be decided by juries. The use of juries considerably lengthens the duration of the trial, thus increasing legal costs, and the outcome and, and can result in unpredictable levels of awards.

The above recommendations will provide:

• A more balanced and fairer process for the resolution of defamation claims
• They will ensure freedom of expression
• And, crucially, that reputations can be protected in a manner available to everyone, not just the rich and the powerful

How you can support independent journalism If you want to support our campaign:

• Contact your local TD and tell him or her you want measures • to support independent journalism
• Tweet your support at #ChangeTheAct
• Follow us @newsbrandsirl for updates