Is this government committed to media diversity?

Businessman Denis O'Brien is in no position to sermonise on a hands-off approach to media ownership, writes Vincent Browne.

'Why has Pat Rabbitte, who pirouetted around this issue some time ago, failed to act?'

Last year, the businessman Denis O'Brien addressed the proper role of the owner/controller of a media enterprise, saying that the owner/controller should act "at an appropriate distance from editorial matters" and should be aware of "the responsibility that rests with media owners not to interfere with editorial content”.

Last Friday, the Irish Times published an interview with James Osborne, the former chairman of Independent News & Media (INM), which O'Brien now controls. Osborne ...