Celene Craig. Image: Coimisiún na Meán
Craig has decided not to seek a full five-year term as broadcasting commissioner after her first year.
Celene Craig, broadcasting commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, is stepping down from her role when her current term expires in March this year.
Formerly chief executive officer at the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) which was recently dissolved to make way for the newly created Coimisiún na Meán, Craig has been in media regulation for more than three decades.
According to a statement published today (12 January), Craig has decided not to seek a full five-year term as broadcasting and video-on-demand commissioner when her current term expires on 15 March.
Craig said it has been a “privilege” to work at the “cutting edge of the transforming media sector” at both Irish and European levels.
“In recent years, it has been particularly rewarding to contribute to shaping the new Irish online safety regulatory framework and in leading the BAI into the new regulatory body. It has been a privilege to participate with my fellow commissioners and colleagues in establishing and operationalising Coimisiún na Meán in its first exciting year of establishment,” she said.
“I commend their professionalism, dedication and commitment to the tasks at hand [and] wish them well in their future work. I look forward to seeing An Coimisiún continuing to grow and develop in the years ahead and in delivering a diverse, thriving and safe media landscape.”
Last January, Craig was appointed to her current position for an initial one-year term by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin, TD, when Coimisiún na Meán was established in March 2023 after the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act was signed into law.
The body is responsible for overseeing the regulation of broadcasting and video-on-demand services and introducing the new regulatory framework for online safety. The Online Safety and Media Regulation Act is designed to regulate online services and reduce the availability of harmful content. It was approved by the Government in January 2022.
Jeremy Godfrey, executive chair at Coimisiún na Meán, said that Craig has made a “significant contribution” to legislative and policy developments in the sector in Ireland and Europe.
“During the past year, she has been generous in sharing her unrivalled knowledge of the media landscape as we have made the transition from the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland into Coimisiún na Meán,” he said.
“Her warm, collegial nature will be sorely missed by the other commissioners and myself, as well as by all our colleagues at Coimisiún na Meán. We all wish her well for the future.”
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