Ireland’s rank in the annual global press freedom index has slipped from second to eighth position. The index by Reporters Without Borders points to judicial intimidation of media by politicians as a concerning factor. Recently, there’s been a spate of legal actions by members of political parties against media personnel and entities – including authors, publishers, journalists and public service broadcaster RTÉ.
The latest report on world press freedom highlights a diminishing political protection for press freedom. This has implications for countries that topped the previous year’s index. Norway, holding the first place, has experienced a decrease in its political score. Meanwhile, Ireland, at eighth place, has handed over its leadership position in the EU to Denmark (second) and Sweden (third) due to media outlets allegedly facing political intimidation.
In recent times, Sinn Féin public representatives across the Irish border have pursued various legal actions against journalists and media organisations. Notably, Ms McDonald is suing RTÉ over on-air comments, and her husband has filed a case against journalist-turned-politician Shane Ross over comments in his biography of Ms McDonald published in 2022.
Towards the end of last year, a defamation suit filed by Liam Lappin, a Sinn Féin constituency organiser based in Drumcondra, against Sunday Life and journalist Suzanne Breen was thrown out by the Dublin High Court. The court described the meanings alleged in the claim as “strange”, “compelled” and “completely unreasonable”.
Earlier this year, a claim by Gerry Kelly, a member of the Sinn Féin Stormont Assembly, against writer and journalist Malachi O’Doherty was dismissed by the Belfast High Court. The court termed the claim as frivolous, vexatious, scandalous and a misuse of the legal process.
In response to allegations previously made by Micheál Martin of Fianna Fáil and Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael that Sinn Féin is in the habit of instituting lawsuits against the media and reporters, the club’s housing spokesman, Eoin Ó Broin refuted.
“Whether individual members of our party choose to protect their reputations in a court of law is a decision in which the party neither intervenes nor does it fund,” expressed Mr. Ó Broin. Sinatra Féin’s press office is yet to respond to a query for their comment on the most recent press freedom index.
The authors of the index warned that the one’s expected to safeguard press freedom worldwide – political powers, these are the same entities posing a risk it. They based this finding on a significant average global drop of 7.6 points in the political gauge, one of the five metrics utilised in calculating the ranking.
The authors record an increased number of infractions against reporters and the press in the ongoing Gaza conflict since October 2023, with over 100 Palestinian journalists confirmed dead by the Israel Defence Forces’ hands, and of these, at least 22 were on duty.
The index report mentions the negative trends in Argentina, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Mali and Vietnam.
“China, despite being ranked 172nd, continually strictly regulates information channels, implements surveillance and censorship policies to control online content and restricts the dissemination of data perceived as sensitive or opposing the party’s agenda” said the authors.
Russia is continued to hamper press freedom within its borders and its neighbouring nations despite its 162nd position on the index, the authors noted.
They also noted, “Kremlin’s influence has extended to Serbia (dropping seven steps to the 98th position), where pro-government media disseminates Russian propaganda, and the authorities pose a threat to exiled Russian reporters.”