Expensive Future of Media report gathers dust on Taoiseach’s desk

Back when they weren’t bosom buddies, Fine Gael tried to dig up dirt on Fianna Fáil.

Fine Gael found that Micheál Martin, now leader of Fianna Fáil, had spent more than €30 million on 115 reports while he was Minister for Health.

The figure was likely to be even more than that because Martin had actually initiated 145 reports, according to his immediate predecessor, Mary Harney.

And FG ran to the Irish Times with the information, to cause maximum embarrassment to FF.

The Cork politician earned a reputation as someone who would rather commission a report than make an unpopular decision.

Opponents painted him as someone who hid behind reports, or who used them to delay decision-making, rather than someone who took decisive action.

When he did act, Martin used the cover of reports to lay the blame elsewhere, they argued.

Though exaggerated, there was some truth to it.

And he’s still at it. Just look at his unwillingness to take action on the Future of Media Commission Report.

The Future of Media Commission was set up in 2020 during a period of turmoil in the broadcast and print media in Ireland (and globally). A group of experts was engaged to examine what the future held for media in Ireland.

These experts looked at Ireland’s public service broadcasters, commercial broadcasters (radio and TV) as well as print and online media organisations. The Commission considered challenges faced by media, such as sustainable funding sources, changing audience habits and technology advances.

It produced a report with recommendations on how a free media, which is fundamental to democracy, could overcome the challenges.

But it’s sitting on a desk in Micheál Martin’s office, gathering dust for months now.

Bradley Bytes submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request (to the Department of Media, which was transferred to the Department of An Taoiseach) for the report to be released and made public. Officials in Martin’s office refused. They said granting the request, and publishing the report, “would be contrary to the public interest”.

How the publication of a report about a serious topic of utmost importance to the public, such as the future of media, could be deemed ‘contrary to the public interest’ is anyone’s guess.

Officials did grant part of the request about how much public money the Commission spent to produce the report. The answer was €721,127.

It includes €264,329 for “payroll”; €431,418 for incidental expenses and training and development (including Irish language and sign language translation services and website costs); and €24,714 on office equipment and supplies, including software licences and design of publications.

So that’s an outlay of almost three-quarters of a million euro on a report that has remained private, save for the bits that were deliberately leaked to national media to suit someone’s agenda.

Another case of Martin dithers, as media burns.

(Photo by Gavan Reilly. Media Minister Catherine Martin and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin speaking to media on Monday. The Future of Media report they commissioned, at a cost of €750,000, is gathering dust on the Taoiseach’s desk.)

This is a shortened preview version of this article. For more Bradley Bytes, see the July 1 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.