President Mary McAleese yesterday paid tribute to the media's contribution to Irish life and society at a special press reception at Áras an Uachtaráin.
Speaking at a function attended by dozens of editors from the national and local press, she said the media played a crucial role in informing and entertaining members of the public, as well as fulfilling a vital democratic role as a watchdog on public affairs.
Mrs McAleese, who will shortly celebrate the 10th anniversary of her election, also expressed thanks to the media for its sense of public service in covering the work of the office of President.
"Over the last ten years, in my day-to-day work, the work you do is an absolutely essential and important conduit to the people of Ireland. I don't think this job would be 'doable' as well as it is 'doable' without the kind of work you do," she said.
"All public figures have their good and bad days with the media, and vice versa. Frankly, these tensions are perfectly normal; they are part of the necessary checks and balances in any democratic society. Neither side of the equation is infallible, everyone of us is human. My experience is that mostly these tensions are good."
Mrs McAleese said the establishment of the new Press Council and Press Ombudsman represented a "new era" for Irish journalism. She wished the members of these new organisations every success in the future.
The President, a former RTÉ journalist, said the role of the reporter was a challenging one that was not always appreciated.
"It's not easy to be the watcher, the observer, to be the eyewitness, to be the person who is very often deliberately positioned as the outsider, who needs that distance in order to provide that objectivity, and to be the person who has to meet deadlines and compete with colleagues for relevance or space."
Among those who attended the reception yesterday were the Press Ombudsman, Prof John Horgan; director general of RTÉ Cathal Goan; chief executive of Today FM Willie O'Reilly; and chief executive of Newstalk 106 Elaine Geraghty.
National newspaper editors present included Geraldine Kennedy of The Irish Times, Tim Vaughan of the Irish Examiner, Noreen Hegarty of the Sunday Tribune, Paul Drury of the Irish Daily Mail, Stephen Rea of the Evening Heraldand Colm McGinty of the Sunday World.
Editors from regional newspapers included Maurice Gubbins of the Evening Echo, Tom Gillespie of the Connaught Telegraphand Paddy Gallagher of Waterford Today.
