08 Informed


News Update


Police apology to No Stone Unturned Two


Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney with the NUJ’s Séamus Dooley


Chief Constable Simon Byrne, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), offered an unreserved apology to the investigative journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney and said he accepted the ruling of the Lord Chief Justice that the search warrants were unlawful. Te two men had been arrested at their homes in August 2018 over the alleged theſt of a police ombudsman document that appeared in their documentary, No Stone Unturned, about the loyalist killings of six men in a Loughinisland bar in 1994. Michelle Stanistreet called on the PSNI


to take immediate steps to return all data held by the police to the journalists, and to bring those responsible for the massacre to justice. In May, Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief


Justice of Northern Ireland, exonerated the journalists, saying they acted in a “perfectly proper manner” in protecting their sources for the documentary, and Séamus Dooley, the NUJ assistant secretary general, said: “It’s a good day for journalism and a good day for human rights in Northern Ireland.” In July, at Belfast’s High Court, the two men were able to celebrate a landmark press freedom victory aſter the search warrants were quashed – the full writen judgment said there was “no confidence that the trial judge applied the right test” when granting the ex parte search warrants. Te Police Service of Northern Ireland and Durham Constabulary were involved in the criminal investigation. Michelle said: “Tis case is an important and historic victory for all journalists working in the public interest. We very much welcome the decision of the judges to quash the warrants and the bold emphasis they have placed on the right of journalists to protect their sources. “Journalists must not be treated as criminals, they must not have their homes and offices raided, simply for doing their jobs. Tis judgment is good news for democracy and it sends a clear signal to the authorities and to all those working to serve the public interest with quality, investigative journalism.”


NUJ Extra praised


Te trustees and administrators of the union’s welfare charity, NUJ Extra, were praised by the NEC for providing a lifeline for many members during the pandemic period. Te NEC thanked members and


branches for fundraising in support of the charity which changed its rules to help people who lost work or became ill because of coronavirus. Te charity has sought feedback from all those it supported. Trustee Francis Sedgemore said: “Te charity has decided to wind- down the Covid-19 scheme, providing members with ample notice of the change. New applications will be considered, including from those who for whatever reason chose not to apply before, but have been financially hit as a result of personal incapacity or the pandemic-related recession.” NUJ Extra offered all those affected the chance to get a further £250 for training, including new skills to help them secure work. Chris Wheal, head of the trustees, said: “We would urge every member who knows about NUJ Extra to seek out a member who is unaware of us and tell them about the support we offer.” Please continue to donate at: htps://cafdonate.cafonline. org/433#!/DonationDetails


Alaraby TV Te NUJ has won a formal trade union recognition agreement at Alaraby TV, securing collective bargaining rights for editorial workers at the company. Te network, launched in


January 2015, has 400 media staff and broadcasts a variety of programmes and news in Arabic, covering politics, entertainment and culture. Paul Siegert, NUJ national broadcasting organiser, said: “Our


members have worked hard to reach this agreement.”


Hong Kong Wilson Li, a freelance ITV News journalist, was arrested in Hong Kong under the newly-implemented national


security law. An ITV News spokesperson said they were urgently seeking clarification of the circumstances. His arrest followed that of the pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, owner of the tabloid Apple Daily.


Bonzo / Alamy Stock Photo


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12