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Protecting Your Sources
Tim Gopsill
THERE ARE other journalists, apart from Andrew Gilligan, who have confidential sources to protect. The Saville Tribunal investigating the Bloody Sunday killings is considering prosecuting some of them for refusing to betray them.
Two of the journalists are Alex Thomson and Lena Ferguson, who have refused to reveal the identities of former Paratroop Regiment soldiers they interviewed for a series of Channel 4 News reports. Interviewed in silhouette, the soldiers said they had opened fire without being fired on - a crucial denial of the official line. They had only agreed to be interviewed on condition their identities were kept secret.
But Lord Saville asked the journalists -- Lena Ferguson now works for the BBC in Northern Ireland - to reveal the identities, and when they refused said he would consider summonsing them for contempt of court. In January he confirmed he was still considering doing so.
If he did it would be, as they NUJ says, "utterly wrong." Not many people will important but sensitive stories to tell will be willing to talk to journalists in confidence if they believe that confidence will be broken.
But there are particular ironies in this case.
One is that the Saville enquiry would probably not even be taking place had it not been for the C4 programmes. They broke logjam of information from within the army itself: for the first time there were voices publicly admitting the shootings. And it appears that the journalists could be published for performing that public service.
As Lena Ferguson herself says: "I think it would be ludicrous in the extreme, and everybody recognises that, if two people who weren't even in Derry on the day of Bloody Sunday end up going to jail."
There is a further irony: The Tribunal has granted anonymity to all paratroop witnesses. Lord Saville upped sticks and moved the whole operation to London, at huge expense, to protect these hidden, anonymous witnesses from supposed terrorist attacks. But he wants the identities of C4's paras.
The two journalists have tried to help the Tribunal by contacting them to ask them to lift the duty of confidentiality. Two of the five soldiers have agreed, and a third was already known to the inquiry under a code name. The journalists have been unable to contact the others.
The journalists have reiterated their refusal to disclose the information sought.
Alex Thomson, who is the chief correspondent for Channel 4 News, said: "With the Hutton report in mind, nobody, but nobody, should need any reminding of the importance of helping people who do not wish their identity to be disclosed to the public and when public institutions attempt to try and do that I think we all know we are into very dangerous territory."
Last modified: Monday, April 19, 2004
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Notices
Events & Announcements
World Press Freedom Day
More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
DATELINE: 27/4/13
UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
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DATELINE: 1/3/13
Make a note in your diary
Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
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DATELINE: 26/3/10
Download Freepress in PDF, ePub or mobi format. Issue 194 now available.
MEDIA FOR ALL CONFERENCE
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DATELINE: 26/3/10
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