Coimisiún na Meán

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Coimisiún na Meán launches applications for new Journalism Schemes

Posted on by Aoife Molloy

The Local Democracy and Court Reporting Schemes will support the creation of high quality accessible public journalism.
€6 million has been allocated for the Journalism Schemes in 2024

Coimisiún na Meán has today (17.07.2024) launched our new Journalism Schemes which will support both the media sector and high-quality journalism across Ireland. The Schemes aim to supplement and enhance coverage of local authorities and district and circuit court hearings and have been established following a recommendation from the Report of the Future of Media Commission.

Funding will also be made available for proposals for public interest journalism in long form. In this context, funding will be available to assist media service providers to undertake in-depth focus pieces or series on either a broad range of issues arising from coverage of local authorities/other democratic fora or arising from courts coverage or related matters.

€6 million has been allocated for the Journalism Schemes in 2024 thanks to funding secured by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media, Catherine Martin TD. This funding covers the grants and the administration costs of the Scheme.

The new Journalism Schemes will be open to applications from journalists and media outlets, including broadcast, print and online platforms, in both the Irish and English languages. To be eligible, applicants will be required to demonstrate editorial expertise, capacity and track-record, and must also be a regulated entity, or affiliated with a regulated entity.

Commenting on the launch of the Journalism Schemes, Media Development Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, Rónán Ó Domhnaill said: “We are delighted to be launching our Journalism Schemes for local democracy and court reporting today. This is the first opportunity for Coimisiún na Meán to offer direct support to promote high-quality and trusted journalism for local communities across Ireland on a platform-neutral basis. This is the first time print and online news providers can be supported this way.

“These new Schemes are being introduced on a pilot basis and will be reviewed subsequently, with feedback received and the stakeholder engagement contributing to the development of future funding initiatives and schemes. We would like to encourage all eligible applicants to apply for funding and we look forward to receiving feedback on the implementation of these new Schemes.”

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD commented: “I warmly welcome the launch of the Local Democracy and Courts Reporting Schemes by Coimisiún na Meán today. A strong, diverse and free media sector, of which local and regional news are a vital component, is essential for democracy and for our society as a whole. The Schemes mark a new departure by the State to support public interest journalism at a time when traditional journalism is under pressure.

The €6m I secured in Budget 2024 for the new Schemes will help support quality, independent public interest journalism that provides an essential service to the public as well as the plurality, sustainability and integrity of our media.”

All content funded will be made freely available to the public, not less than 7 days after its initial publication, and will be uploaded by Coimisiún na Meán to its website.

The launch of the Schemes follows a public consultation in April this year, with many submissions highlighting the Schemes’ importance in sustaining a healthy democracy and informing and engaging citizens. The responses also generally expressed satisfaction with the approach proposed by An Coimisiún.

Coimisiún na Meán is now inviting applicants to apply for funding under the new pilot Journalism Schemes. The Guide for Applicants can be found here:
• Local Democracy Reporting Scheme (English)
• Local Democracy Reporting Scheme (Irish)
• Courts Reporting Scheme (English)
• Courts Reporting Scheme (Irish)

The closing date for completed applications for both Schemes is 12 noon, 17th September 2024. Application forms can be found here:
• Local Democracy Reporting Scheme application form (English)
• Local Democracy Reporting Scheme application form (Irish)
• Ancillary Measure Local Democracy Reporting Scheme (English)
• Ancillary Measure Local Democracy Reporting Scheme (Irish)
• Courts Reporting Scheme application form (English)
• Courts Reporting Scheme application form (Irish)
• Ancillary Measure Courts Reporting Scheme (English)
• Ancillary Measure Courts Reporting Scheme (Irish)

More information on the Schemes can be found on our website here.

Coimisiún na Meán / Trinity School of Law Essay Prize 2024

Posted on by Aoife Molloy

In partnership with the Trinity College School of Law, Coimisiún na Meán has published an essay on the topic of EU media regulation prepared by the top student taking the module EU Media Regulation, as part of the postgraduate LL.M programme in Trinity College. This initiative is designed to promote public debate about media policy and practice. The 2024 winning essay is titled ‘Balancing Counter-Propaganda Measures with Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Information Amidst the Russia-Ukraine Conflict’. It was written by Victoire Nataf and is edited by Dr Ewa Komorek, adjunct assistant professor, Trinity College.

Statement regarding High Court Judgments of 20 June 2024 in Reddit Incorporated and Coimisiún na Meán and Tumblr and Coimisiún na Meán 

Posted on by Naomi Temple

We welcome the Court’s Judgment and the confirmation of our designation of Reddit and Tumblr as Video-Sharing Platform Services. We are moving forward with our draft Online Safety Code and expect to have it in place later this year, as part of our overall Online Safety Framework. We are committed to using our full range of powers to improve online safety for users in Ireland and across Europe. 

Coimisiún na Meán publishes decision-making process for addressing dissemination of terrorist content online

Posted on by Naomi Temple
  • Newly published Decision Framework sets out step-by-step approach to deeming a hosting service provider (HSP) as ’exposed to terrorist content’
  • These providers would then have to take specific measures to protect services from the dissemination of terrorist content
  • The EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCOR) is part of Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Framework

    • Coimisiún na Meán has today (13 June) published the decision-making process it will use to determine if a hosting service provider (HSP) in Ireland is exposed to terrorist content online. Social media platforms, web hosting services and cloud services are examples of HSPs.

    If a hosting service provider is found to be exposed to terrorist content, it will be obliged to undertake specific measures. These can include:

    • taking steps to protect its services from being used for the dissemination to the public of terrorist content
    • reporting to Coimisiún na Meán on the specific measures it has taken – and will take – to comply with its obligations.
    • where applicable, including in its terms and conditions provisions to address the misuse of its services for the dissemination to the public of terrorist content

    The Decision Framework outlines the steps that Coimisiún na Meán will take in enforcing the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation (TCOR), part of the organisation’s Online Safety Framework.

    The Terrorist Content Online Regulation provides for an EU-wide mechanism for counteracting the dissemination of terrorist content online and enabling the speedy removal of terrorism content by hosting service providers. Terrorism content is content that incites, solicits, threatens, or provides instruction on the commission of terrorist offences.

    Under the legislation, An Garda Síochána is the competent authority under the Terrorist Content Online Regulation responsible for issuing removal orders for terrorist content to HSPs in Ireland. An Coimisiún’s role under the Terrorist Content Online Regulation commences once it has been informed that a hosting service provider based in Ireland has received two or more final removal orders for terrorist content from any other EU competent authority in the previous 12 months. An Coimisiún will then consider whether to apply the provisions of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation, following the Decision Framework for addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online.

    Infringement by hosting service providers of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation can lead to the imposition of administrative fines, including financial penalties of up to four percent of global turnover.

    Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Commissioner Niamh Hodnett said: “Coimisiún na Meán is responsible for making digital services headquartered in Ireland accountable for how they protect people from harm online. Terrorist content is among the most dangerous categories of online content addressed by our Online Safety Framework.

    “An Coimisiún will use every measure available under our Online Safety Framework to protect users from terrorist content online. The Decision Framework published today details the process Coimisiún na Meán will follow as Ireland’s competent authority under the EU’s Terrorist Content Online Regulation to determine if a hosting service provider is exposed to terrorist content and sets out the key obligations of a hosting service provider following such a decision. This Decision Framework is another step in protecting users of online services from harm.”

    The Online Safety Framework consists of the Terrorist Content Online Regulation, the Digital Services Act, which prohibits illegal content on online platforms including terrorist content, and the recently published Online Safety Code which, when finalised will prohibit the uploading or sharing of terrorism content on video-sharing platform services.

Coimisiún na Meán to notify Online Safety Code to European Commission

Posted on by Naomi Temple

Binding online safety rules will apply to Irish-based video-sharing platforms when finalised

Coimisiún na Meán has today (27.05.2024) published an updated draft Online Safety Code in response to its public consultation. The final Code will set binding rules applying to video-sharing platforms who have their EU headquarters in Ireland. The Code is being submitted to the European Commission today (27.05.2024) under the Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) Directive process, which involves a standstill period of 3-4 months. Once this process is complete, Coimisiún na Meán will finalise and apply the Code to video-sharing platforms with their EU Headquarters in Ireland.

The final Code will be part of Coimisiún na Meán’s overall Online Safety Framework. This Framework makes digital services accountable for how they protect people, especially children, from harm online. The updated Code, combined with the other parts of the Online Safety Framework, will deliver on the objectives of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, leading to safer online experiences for people across Ireland.

The Code introduces obligations on video-sharing platforms to protect their users from  harmful content, including:

  • Prohibiting the uploading or sharing of harmful content on their services including cyberbullying, promoting self-harm or suicide and promoting eating or feeding disorders as well as incitement to hatred or violence, terrorism, child sex abuse material, racism and xenophobia.
  • Using age assurance to prevent children from encountering pornography or gratuitous violence online and having age verification measures in place as appropriate.
  • Providing parental controls for content which may impair the physical, mental, or moral development of children under 16.

The overall Online Safety Framework gives Coimisiún na Meán the tools to address the root causes of harm online, including the availability of illegal content, the harmful impacts of recommender systems, and inadequate protections for children on social media services.

The Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett, said: “It is essential to create a safer online world for all of us, especially for our children. This updated Code is an important step forward to hold platforms to account for keeping people safe online. It takes account of responses to our public consultation and our consultation with our Youth Advisory Committee. We are now notifying the Code to the European Commission and once that process is complete we will apply it later this year.”

Executive Chairperson of Coimisiún na Meán, Jeremy Godfrey said: “Alongside our powers under the EU Digital Services Act and Terrorist Content Online Regulation, the Online Safety Code will give us a strong suite of tools to improve people’s lives online. We will ensure that we use our full range of powers to improve people’s online experiences.”  

Additional supporting documents

Global online safety regulators map out vision to improve international coordination

Posted on by Deborah Molloy

More countries also join regulatory network as cross-border collaboration continues to grow

Online safety regulators from around the world have today outlined their vision for how international regulatory approaches to online safety can be more coherent and coordinated.  

The Global Online Safety Regulators Network brings together 18 regulators and observers from five continents. The Network has today published its second position statement on how regulators will work together to address the global nature of online safety regulation.

While each of the countries in the Network has its own domestic online safety regime, neither the risks people face online nor the online services they use are confined to national or continental borders. For those reasons, we are working together on developing our regulatory capability and approaches, to achieve the outcomes set out in our respective online safety rules.

Although our regulatory regimes differ in some ways, our frameworks are similar in several key respects.

By mapping the similarities in our regulatory remits, the Network has identified opportunities in multiple areas to pursue coherence between our respective regimes. These include:

  • Regulatory tools: We will aim to develop common metrics for our risk assessment methodologies and evaluation approaches, to minimise unwarranted divergences between them.
  • User complaints: Those of us collecting user complaints will share our experience and evidence. Where there are instances of systemic non-compliance across jurisdictions, the Network might consider working more closely on investigations and enforcement action.
  • Information requests: We will aim to produce more comparable global data that better informs our trend analysis, by coordinating in relation to the types of questions we ask of industry as part of our regulatory activities
  • Safety measures: We will aim to identify a common set of reasonable steps services can take to address specific harms and risk factors by drawing on our experiences of good practice

Online Safety Commissioner for Coimisiún na Meán, Niamh Hodnett, said: “Working in partnership with our fellow global regulators is critical to help us reach our goal of making the online space safer for all users. Since the internet has no borders, our joint activities and workstreams with online safety regulators around the world enable us to share learnings and foster a coherent regulatory framework.”

Notes: 

The Global Online Safety Regulators Network is a collaboration between the first movers in online safety regulation. The Network paves the way for a coherent international approach to online safety regulation, by enabling online safety regulators to share insights, experience and best practices.  

Current Network members include: 

Members share a commitment to act independently of commercial and political influence and adhere to objective criteria for respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Network is also open to observers – specifically organisations that have expertise and interest with online safety regulation and who wish to follow and engage with the Network. 

Current observers include: 

For further information about the Global Online Safety Regulators Network please contact the current Chair, Ofcom at ofcom.international@ofcom.org.uk.

Coimisiún na Meán publishes updated guidelines for broadcast  coverage of elections

Posted on by Aoife Molloy

Coimisiún na Meán has today (30.04.24) published its Guidelines in Respect of Broadcast Coverage of Elections. The Guidelines provide direction and advice to broadcasters as to how fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved in their coverage of elections.

The Guidelines are being published in advance of the European and Local Elections and the election for a directly elected Mayor of Limerick, scheduled to take place on 7th June next. The Guidelines come into effect from Tuesday 7th May 2024 and apply to coverage of the elections until the closing of polling stations on 7th June 2024.

The Guidelines highlight different approaches that may be taken to the allocation of airtime for coverage of candidates and political parties as well as the risks of ‘deepfakes’. Existing provisions are retained which relate to the management of conflicts of interest, the prohibition on political advertising and coverage of opinion polls.

Other matters addressed include on-air contributions via social media and a prohibition on broadcasters and presenters encouraging listeners or viewers to vote in support of or against any particular outcome in the elections. The Guidelines also encourage broadcasters to include a range of voices and opinions in their coverage, including a mix of views representing social, gender and cultural diversity.

Speaking about the publication of the Guidelines, Coimisiún na Meán’s Media Development Commissioner, Rónán Ó Domhnaill said: “Broadcasters play an important and valuable role in communicating information about elections to the Irish public. This is achieved via accurate, fair, objective and impartial coverage.

“The Guidelines retain the moratorium on election coverage. This requires broadcasters to limit coverage of the elections from 2pm on the day prior to an election or referendum and remains in place until the closing of the polls on the day of the election or referendum (10pm).

“When the statutory review of the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs, which provides the basis for the Guidelines, was undertaken in 2022, there was a clear call from industry stakeholders for the moratorium to be removed, while public stakeholders had mixed views about its retention or removal.  Having regard to these findings, Coimisiún na Meán has committed to carrying out a review of the broadcast moratorium in the second half of this year, including the undertaking of a public consultation. It is intended to complete this review and publish updated Guidelines dealing with the moratorium in Quarter 4 2024, if warranted by the review.’’

  • The Guidelines in Respect of Coverage of Elections are available for download here. 
  • The Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality is available to download here. 

Coimisiún na Meán congratulates IFTA nominees and winners 

Posted on by Naomi Temple

Coimisiún na Meán would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners of the IFTA Awards 2024, which the Irish Film and Television Academy hosted on Saturday. 

Several projects, funded by the Coimisiún na Meán Sound & Vision Broadcasting Funding Scheme, received nominations and won awards. Sound & Vision is a funding scheme for television and radio programmes, funded through the television licence fee. 

That They May Face The Rising Sun, adapted from John McGahern’s novel about life in rural Ireland, won the top award for Best Film. Directed by Pat Collins, the film will be released in Irish cinemas next Friday and received funding from Round 38 of the Scheme.  

The George Morrison Feature Documentary Award went to The Days of Trees from director Alan Gilsenan and producer Tomás Hardiman, funded under Round 31 of the Scheme.  

Actress Siobhán Cullen was announced as the 2024 Fís Éireann / Screen Ireland Rising Star for her roles in Obituary and The Dry, both funded by Sound & Vision. 

The IFTA Awards are supported by Coimisiún na Meán through its Sponsorship Scheme. 

Coimisiún na Meán outlines how interested entities can apply for Trusted Flagger status

Posted on by Naomi Temple

Under Article 22 of the Digital Services Act, Coimisiún na Meán may award the status of Trusted Flagger. Trusted Flaggers will work within designated areas of expertise to identify illegal content. Where a Trusted Flagger identifies illegal content, they may submit a notice to the relevant online platform. Online platforms will be legally obliged to give their notices priority, and to process and decide on these reports without undue delay.

Bodies such as non-governmental organisations, industry federations and trade associations, members of established fact-checkers networks, trade unions, non-regulatory public entities and private or semi-public bodies may become Trusted Flaggers.

To become a Trusted Flagger, an applicant body must:

  • have expertise and competence for the purposes of detecting, identifying and notifying illegal content;
  • be independent from any provider of online platforms;    
  • carry out its activities for the purposes of submitting notices diligently, accurately and objectively.

Coimisiún na Meán can now award Trusted Flagger status to organisations which meet the above conditions and is encouraging qualified entities to consider applying. We have recently published guidance and an application form on our website and any interested organisations are encouraged to read this guidance and to contact trustedflaggerapplications@cnam.ie with any questions that they might have.

Coimisiún na Meán publishes guidelines for broadcast coverage of referendums

Posted on by Deborah Molloy

Coimisiún na Meán has today (14.02.24) published its Guidelines in Respect of Broadcast Coverage of Referendums.  The guidelines are published in advance of the referendums on the 39th and 40th Amendments of the Constitution, scheduled to take place on 8th March next. The Guidelines come into immediate effect and apply to coverage of the referendums until the closing of polling stations on 8th March 2024.  

The Guidelines have been developed further to the provisions of the Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality in News and Current Affairs and provide direction and advice to broadcasters as to how fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved in their coverage of referendum campaigns.

Among the matters covered in the Guidelines are the various ways in which fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved, the management of conflicts of interest, the prohibition on political advertising, and coverage of opinion polls. Other matters addressed include on-air contributions via social media, a prohibition on presenters encouraging listeners or viewers to vote in support of or against any particular outcome in the referendums, and the obligation to carry announcements made on behalf of An Coimisiún Toghcháin (the Electoral Commission).

The Guidelines also encourage broadcasters to include a range of voices and opinions in their coverage, including a mix of views representing social, gender and cultural diversity. As with previous guidelines, a moratorium on coverage will come into effect from 2pm on the day prior to voting and will end following the closure of polling stations on the day of the ballot.

Speaking about the publication of the Guidelines, Broadcasting Commissioner, Celene Craig said: “During the course of the referendum campaigns and right up to the closing of the polls on March 8th, broadcasters must ensure that coverage of the referendums is fair and equitable to all interests. The Guidelines published today include a strong emphasis on how fairness, objectivity and impartiality can be achieved, and how this is broader than a consideration of airtime for campaign groups.

“Coimisiún na Meán is keen to emphasise that this does not include a requirement for artificial balance. The Guidelines also emphasise that audiences may be better served by an approach to coverage that is not purely adversarial, and which places an emphasis on the issues in a referendum.”

  • The Guidelines in Respect of Coverage of Referendums are available for download here .
  • The Code of Fairness, Objectivity and Impartiality is available to download here.