The National Union of Journalists has said final guidelines on media ownership to be drawn up by the Government will be “too late to alter the media landscape in Ireland”.

The union gave a guarded welcome to what it described as “lamentably late draft guidelines” covering media mergers.

The Minister for Communications, Alex White, on Monday published draft guidelines for consideration as part of a public consultation process.

He said recent competition and consumer protection legislation significantly enhanced the regulation of media mergers and introduced a requirement for media plurality into the regulatory framework.

“This strengthened process recognises the fact that a free and pluralistic media is an essential component of modern representative democracies. These draft guidelines set out how we propose to conduct these tests.”

The draft guidelines say it is “undesirable” for one person or business to hold excessive influence and introduce a “public value” test for future consolidation in the industry.

The Irish Secretary of the NUJ, Seamus Dooley, said since the acquisition of Independent Newspapers by Tony O'Reilly in 1974 the union had been demanding greater vigilance by the State in ensuring media plurality, in terms of ownership and editorial control.

“While we welcome the publication of today’s consultation document the words ‘horse’ ‘door’ and ‘bolted’ spring to mind, notwithstanding the fact that the Minister has at least managed to publish the guidelines.

“We have witnessed the transfer of power from one baron to another in the face of appalling political cowardice.”