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 a 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.
A total of €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.
All content funded will be made freely available to the public, not less than seven 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.
