MEDIA law authority Ms Marie McGonagle said last night she hoped the new millennium would not be bequeathed a body of outdated media law.
At the launch of her book, A Textbook on Media Law, she drew attention to the tremendous changes within the media since the first newspapers and the irony that there were aspects of the law governing the media that predated the printing press.
She called for major changes in the laws of defamation and contempt of court and for strong legislation on freedom of information. However, such changes would not be a panacea but would challenge journalists, giving them access to information and the ability to analyse it in a way that has been impossible until now.
Ms McGonagle's book is the first published comprehensive text on Irish media law.
The academic and broadcaster, Prof Brian Farrell, who launched the book, said it was an indispensable tool not just for lawyers but for journalists.
Both Ms McGonagle and Prof Farrell are members of the Commission on the Newspaper Industry.
Ms McGonagle is the author of a number of reports commissioned by the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) and has advised a number of publishing bodies on media law. She also teaches media law in Galway both to law students and to journalism students.
A Textbook on Media Law is published by Gill & Macmillan and is priced £30.