Dr Eileen Culloty from EDMO Ireland has spoken to RTÉ News about a new report on crime and security journalism in Ireland.
The report, The Role of Crime and Security Journalism in Irish Democracy, was published by Maynooth University and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL). Authored by Dr Cian Ó Concubhair and Glory Anumudu, it examines the experiences of journalists reporting on crime and security matters across Ireland. They find routine questioning of journalists by Gardaí about confidential sources, widespread belief in surveillance on both sides of the border, and concerns that close relationships between specialist crime reporters and police sources undermine critical reporting.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Dr Culloty said a more transparent culture could reduce conflict over journalists’ sources:
There’s just a lack of information, and other police forces more routinely provide information to the public and also to journalists. So, I think one of the ways we could view this into the future is that in Ireland we need a bigger culture of transparency, where information that is in the public interest should be made more readily available, rather than going down a road of where, you know, there’s lots of legal cases taken or journalists feel pressured to hand over their sources.
Dr Culloty is also cited on page 53 of the report, where one journalist mentions her work as most clearly articulating the challenges they face around misinformation and disinformation.
Read the full report.
