The Gazette 1993

GAZETTE

JULY/AUGUST 1993

N E W S

Inaugural Justice Media Awards Presented

At a ceremony on 9 July, awards were presented to the winners of the inaugur- al (1992/93) Justice Media Awards Competition organised by the Law Society and sponsored by Aer Lingus. The President of the Law Society, Raymond Monahan , announced that the overall winner of the Justice Media Awards Competition was Anne O'Carroll for a series of articles designed to demystify the legal system which were published in Consumer Choice magazine. Anne O'Carroll is a freelance journalist based in Eyeries, Beara, Co. Cork. She writes frequently for the Cork Examiner and the Sunday Business Post. Ms. O'Carroll and her publisher receive an expenses paid trip to New York to attend the Gavel Awards Ceremony at the Annual Conference of the American Bar Association, which takes place on 10 August next. • Mark Smith, a journalist with the Sunday Independent, for an article entitled "When Speaking Out Means Courting Danger" in which the excesses and inadequacies of the current law of libel were analysed. • Fintan O'Toole, a journalist with the Irish Times, for his coverage of the highly complex legal issues raised by the Beef Tribunal and his ability to explain these points of law to the general public. concerning the case of Nicky Kelly which exposed some uncomfortable inconsistencies about the case. Certificates of Merit were presented to: • Breda Joy, a journalist with The Kerryman for an article entitled "Kerry Juries and Their Willingness to Convict". In addition, three Justice Media Awards were presented, to:- • Gene Kerrigan of the Sunday Independent for articles he published over the past year

Anne O'Carroll, a freelance journalist from Cork who was the overall winner of the Inaugural Justice Media Awards Competition, with the President of the Law Society, Raymond Monahan.

practices and dealing with our clients' problems, we must concern ourselves with wider issues of justice. Therefore, from time to time, we speak out on issues that we believe affecA the rights and entitlements of citizens. We are grateful to the media when they give us an outlet to do so." The awards ceremony was attended by the Minister for State at the Department of Justice, William O'Dea, who announced that a new Solicitors Bill would be introduced in the Dail in the Autumn. Raymond Monahan announced that the 1993/1994 Justice Media Awards Competition was being widened to include the broadcast media as well as the print media and additional classifications of news photographs and cartoons were also being included. The President said that the Society and the members of the Justice Media Awards Standing Committee had been delighted by the response from the media to the competition and the high calibre of entries received and would be continuing the competition for the foreseeable future.

• Vincent Gribbin, a journalist with The Western People for his articles: "Glenamaddo Commonage, An Issue That Refuses to Die". • Irish Press journalist, Kate Shanahan, for her book "Crimes Worse than Death". In his address to the awards ceremony, the President of the Society, Raymond Monahan, said: "The Law Society's purpose in establishing the Justice Media Awards Competition was to encourage excellence in the media in its performance of the vitally important function of informing the public about the law and reporting and analysing legal affairs generally." The Society's President said that the media played an important role in helping to expose both the failures of the legal system and the laws and legal practices which required reform in the public interest. There was also a huge agenda of reform required in the legal system and it was essential that the media described and articulated that reform agenda. He continued: "I think I speak for the vast majority of solicitors when I say that as lawyers we realise that we too have duties in this regard. Aside from the day-to-day pressures of running our

Barbara Cahalane

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