Michaél Martin criticises policy on media diversity

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said that one way of minimising bias in the media is by ensuring diversity of ownership, an issue which the Government has failed to address.

Mr Martin said bias was inevitable in that choices are made all the time by journalists when they decided to cover one issue or one person over another, but bias can also come from a lack of diversity, the deprofessionalising of the industry, and a failure to value specialisation.

“Perhaps the single greatest protection against bias is to have a diverse media and there’s no way of escaping that our media landscape is becoming significantly less diverse.

“I find it amazing that after four years in office the Government’s only policy on media diversity is to avoid having a policy,” Mr Martin told a UCC Journalism Conference on Media Bias.

Mr Martin said the Government has had nothing to say about media diversity or what levels of concentration of ownership are reasonable, which has allowed for concentration to continue.

“The concentration of media power into relatively few hands, both public and private sector, could have a potentially chilling effect,” he said.

Mr Martin was also critical of the growing dominance of reporting from the “centre” rather than from the broader community. This even applies within Dublin, he said.

“Irrespective of where the reporters come from, there is a growing sense that it is the agenda set from a small part of Dublin rather than a genuinely national agenda.

“I meet many people who believe that the only time their community and their interests get attention is when there is a crime, a factory closure or other serious problem.”

Specialist coverage

Mr Martin also said that Irish society also needs to be wary of a bias against specialist coverage, with specialist correspondents often restricted to writing or reporting on the immediately newsworthy.

“Ask any organisation or party and they will say that there is less and less media interest in covering hard policy initiatives,” Mr Martin said, and that “the issue of the day dominates”.