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A parliamentary inquiry into the Irish banking collapse was formally established in November 2014, tasked with examining relevant issues from the period of January 1992 to December 2013. In focusing on the role played by the media - and where reportage may have impacted on, or contributed to, the crisis - the Banking Inquiry heard from eight senior media executives who held either commercial or editorial positions in four media organisations in Ireland during the period of the economic boom and subsequent collapse. This article focuses on the engagement of these media witnesses with the inquiry, drawing on written submissions and oral evidence. Having reviewed the place of journalism in a democracy and examined the role of journalism during the economic crisis, the article considers the Banking Inquiry's final report, specifically in relation to the media. The review concludes that this parliamentary inquiry did not assist in advancing a serious understanding of the work undertaken by the Irish media in the pre-2007 period and that, ultimately, for all involved this engagement was a missed opportunity.

A parliamentary inquiry into the Irish banking collapse was formally established in November 2014, tasked with examining relevant issues from the period of January 1992 to December 2013. In focusing on the role played by the media – and where reportage may have impacted on, or contributed to, the crisis – the Banking Inquiry heard from eight senior media executives who held either commercial or editorial positions in four media organisations in Ireland during the period of the economic boom and subsequent collapse. This article focuses on the engagement of these media witnesses with the inquiry, drawing on written submissions and oral evidence. Having reviewed the place of journalism in a democracy and examined the role of journalism during the economic crisis, the article considers the Banking Inquiry's final report, specifically in relation to the media. The review concludes that this parliamentary inquiry did not assist in advancing a serious understanding of the work undertaken by the Irish media in the pre-2007 period and that, ultimately, for all involved this engagement was a missed opportunity.

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE evolution of parliamentary and political reporting in Ireland and builds on earlier work by Foley (1993) and Horgan (2001). It considers the changing nature of Irish political journalism and the loss of influence of the Parliamentary Press Gallery and its constituent part, the Political Correspondents Group. This analysis takes place against a backdrop of continuing very high interest in politics in Ireland.

The following is an edited version of an address delivered at the conference 'Held to Account: Responsibility and Accountability in the Public Service', held on 7 November 2014 by the Institute of Public Administration, in conjunction with the Office of the Ombudsman.

This article focuses on the experts chosen as sources in radio news coverage at the start of Ireland's financial crisis in 2008. The study examines which source categories were afforded opportunities to discuss this major international news story at the start of the European financial crisis. Access to these news programmes allows guests to shape public discourse, while the range of voices influences the character of wider policy debate. We find an elite-orientated coverage with official sources having strongest access in the 3-month period after the announcement of the controversial bank guarantee. While there was a marked business elite focus in sources selected, we also find strong evidence of 'interpretative journalism' in the presence of reporters as programme guests. There was a very clear gender bias. The results raise important issues about the nature of democratic debate in a mediated political environment as the selection of a narrow range of voices limits alternative perspectives in public debate.