Immediate action must be taken to end Independent News & Media's dominance of the Irish newspaper market, the Democracy Commission has argued.
Expressing "grave concern" about the concentration of ownership, it said "a free, diverse and vibrant media lies at the heart of a healthy democratic society".
Independent News & Media's control of 80 per cent of daily newspaper sales raises "legitimate concerns about the impartiality of Irish media in their examination of Government and big business", it said.
In 1996, the Commission on the Newspaper Industry warned about the concentration of ownership, which has accelerated since with the purchase of regional titles by UK companies. These fears have "now been realised and now need to be urgently addressed", said the Democracy Commission, adding that the issue should be part of a new press council's brief.
Legislation is needed to "guarantee the plurality of ownership in the newspaper industry to maintain the diversity of editorial viewpoints necessary for a vigorous democracy and to promote cultural diversity in the industry".
Meanwhile, second-level students should learn about the State's political system until the end of their Leaving Certificate, the commission recommended.
Currently students do civic, social and political studies only to Junior Certificate, though it is increasingly regarded as irrelevant.
"As the subject is not currently taught to Leaving Certificate and has no weighting in the 'points race', it is not viewed seriously by some students," said the commission.
Some teachers have little interest in the subject, or little ability to teach it because of their own lack of knowledge about the State's institutions. Just 41 per cent of teachers take the same class from first year through to third year, while most admit they do not teach it by choice.
The State is "seriously out of line" with European norms, since UK students, for example, can take A Levels in sociology, media studies and politics, the commission said.
A course in citizenship should teach students about the State's institutions, the inter-dependence of us all, and the need for tolerance. In addition, the course should emphasise "a growing awareness and acceptance of the compatibility of Irish and EU citizenship".
