Press Ombudsman John Horgan announces retirement

Press Ombudsman Prof John Horgan announced yesterday that he will retire on September 1st. He has held the position since it was created, along with the Press Council, in 2007.

Chairman of the Council Dáithí O’Ceallaigh said Prof Horgan had been central to the establishment of the Press Ombudsman office.

Prof Horgan worked first for the now defunct Evening Press , the Catholic Herald and, from 1963 to 1973 for The Irish Times . From 1973 to 1976, he was editor of Education Times , a sister to the main paper, published weekly. He was a Labour Party senator, TD and MEP before becoming senior lecturer and eventually professor of journalism at Dublin City University until retirement in 2006.

Prof Horgan said yesterday that it had been “an honour and privilege” to have been the first incumbent.

He said his office and the industry had “shared the responsibility of setting up these new and independent institutions to underline the importance of public trust in the free press in a democratic society, and to promote best professional practice and accountability in newspapers and magazines”.