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Welcome
The Press Council has 13 members. Seven of these, including the Chairman, are drawn from suitably qualified persons representative of a broad spectrum of Irish society. The remaining six members of the Press Council provide senior editorial and journalistic expertise and perspectives reflective of the press industry.
Click here to view the members of the Press Council
The independent Chairman of the Press Council is Professor Thomas Mitchell, former Provost of Trinity College Dublin.
The Press Council of Ireland is the body that appoints the Press Ombudsman. It takes decisions in cases of significance or complexity which have been referred to it by the Press Ombudsman. It also decides on appeals from decisions of the Press Ombudsman.
The first Chairman of the Press Council of Ireland, Professor Thomas Mitchell, was appointed by the Press Industry Steering Committee, which was a committee formed by the press industry to agree a model for an independent press complaints mechanism.
Members of the Press Council are appointed by an independent Appointments Committee. The Committee was appointed in the first instance by the Press Industry Steering Committee. Future appointments to the Committee will be made by the Press Council.
The Appointments Committee seeks expressions of interest by public advertisement for the six independent seats on the Press Council and also receives nominations for the industry seats on the Press Council.
The members of the Appointments Committee are:
Professor Thomas Mitchell (Chairman), Former Provost of Trinity College Dublin
Dr Maurice Manning, President, Irish Human Rights Commission
Dr Miriam Hederman−O'Brien, Former Chairman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission
Mr Kevin Murphy, Former Ombudsman and Information Commissioner