Remarks by Celine Craig

• Date: 01 January 2021

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Remarks by

CELENE CRAIG*

I have been asked to give a media regulator’s perspective on disinformation. As

Paul uigley has demonstrated very extensively in his talk this evening, there has

been profound changes in the way that news and information has been generated,

distributed, and consumed over the past ten years. From a regulatory perspective,

concerns started to emerge around the time of the 2019 European elections, noted

particularly by some of our colleagues in the European regulatory sphere. More

recently, in the context of COVID-19, disinformation has come sharply into focus

again – including here in Ireland.

e regulation of broadcasting is a well-oiled machine in many respects, and we

have, thankfully, in an Irish context, a largely compliant sector. Partly for that

reason, but partly also because of the signicant shi in where citizens source

* Celene Craig is Deputy Chief Executive of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (‘BAI’) and, most

recently, she has led the development of the BAI’s Policy Position on the Implementation of the

revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive and on the Regulation of Harmful Content on Online

Platforms. From 2015 to May 2019, she was Chairperson of the European Platform of Regulatory

Authorities and currently also serves as a member of the Board of the European Regulators Group

for Audiovisual Media Services, an advisory group to the European Commission. Any views or

opinions expressed in this piece are the personal views and opinions of the author.