asked the Minister for Justice whether the Garda authorities supplied information to a newspaper on the life-history of a person recently reported murdered; if so, what purpose was served by such exposure; and whether he condones the press publication of such court records in cases of dead people.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Publication of Life History of Murdered Person.
32.
The answer to the first part of the question is "no", and the remainder of the question does not, therefore, arise.
I have no doubt the Gardaí are blameless in this respect but, apart from the gross abuse of our traditions which counsel us to speak no evil of the dead, does the Minister not agree that this newspaper's consistent practice of the most contemptible yellow journalism, from which I exempt the great majority of the staff of the Evening Press which is the paper to which I refer, should be curbed by the institution of a Press Council?
Does the Deputy want censorship?
That is a separate matter. My main purpose is to emphasise that the Garda authorities were in no way responsible for supplying information on this particular occasion, but newspapers have their own sources of information. I join in this instance with the Deputy in deploring the publication of the unnecessary background details.
Deputies
Hear, hear.