Ireland is falling far below European standards for press and media freedom.  There is widespread concern at the implications for media diversity and plurality at the concentration of media ownership and a growing recognition that the ownership structure is a significant factor in undermining journalism and democracy.

This conference explores the implications for the work of journalists and places a focus on the difficulties they face where access to the media is restricted by concentration of ownership.

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) invites international stakeholders, politicians, unionists, academics and journalists, to talk about ownership structures and their implications on access to media, working conditions for journalists and the influence on news and public opinion.

Dr. Roderick Flynn from Dublin City University, author of the Media Pluralism Monitor Ireland, explains in a keynote the current status of media ownership and media pluralism in Ireland.

Speakers

• Lynn Boylan, MEP for Dublin, Sinn Féin/GUENGL
• Dr. Elda Brogi, CPMF/EUI, Italy
• Seamus Dooley, General Secretary NUJ Ireland
• Anton McCabe, investigative journalist, Northern Ireland
• Dr. Catherine Murphy, TD, Social Democrats
• Gemma O’Doherty, investigative journalist, Ireland
• Renate Schroeder, Director European Federation of Journalists, Belgium
• Olaf Steenfadt, Project Coordinator Media Ownership Monitor (MOM), Reporters Without Borders, Germany
• Nora Wehofsits, Advocacy Officer, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Germany