“Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forego.”
That was the theory put forward by 17-year-old Mount Lourdes pupil Ann Scanlon during her speech for the Soroptimist’s thirty-fifth annual youth public speaking competition.
The A Level student, who is contemplating a career in journalism, won the local heat of the public speaking competition and will compete against 11 other finalists at the Soroptimist youth public speaking final in Hillsborough on February 4.
Ann, from Belcoo, chose a topic she is “passionate” about. 
She said: “One of the topics was Gandhi’s quote: ‘Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forego.’ I am not yet sure about my future career, but journalism is one idea. Journalism always gets a lot of scrutiny and I like to choose topics that people can relate to. 
“I am passionate about this topic because journalists often get a bad reputation because of the paparazzi, but if we didn’t have this valuable profession, people would be just left out in the cold.
“The world would be like a manufactured machine because there would be no press there to keep people in check; the government and the wealthy who think they are above the law.”
Ann continued: “During my speech I discussed the Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009 and footballer Lionel Messi’s £4 million tax fraud. Ordinary working people pay tax throughout the year and, without the press, we would not know about super-rich people like Messi who break the law.
“I also looked at police brutality, the case of Sean Bell [who was shot dead by police in New York on his wedding day in 2006] and the French police in Calais who took shoes and phones off migrants. These inhumane acts wouldn’t have been brought to light if it wasn’t for the press. The press gives us the means to stand up for people who are oppressed.”
Ann hopes the experience will develop her confidence and boost her CV. 
The switched-on teen reads the weekly local papers, the Northern Ireland dailies and the Sunday papers. She also watches RTÉ news and checks various newspaper apps on her mobile phone.