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Mullin and NUJ fight police order for source material
CHRIS MULLIN, the journalist, former MP and minister, is to contest a police order using the Terrorism Act to seek source material relating to the Birmingham pub bombings. With the support of the NUJ, of which he has been a member for more than 50 years, he will contest the application on the grounds that to disclose the material requested would be a fundamental breach of the principle that journalists are entitled to protect their sources. West Midlands Police have applied for the order requiring Mr Mullin to disclose material relating to his 1985-6 investigation of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. His book Error of Judgement helped expose one of the worst miscarriages of justice in legal history, leading to the release of the Birmingham Six, whose convictions were quashed in 1991. Mr Mullin said: “If West Midlands Police had carried out a proper investigation after the bombings, instead of framing the first half-dozen people unlucky enough to fall into their hands, they might have caught the real perpetrators in the first place. It is beyond irony. They appear to have gone for the guy who blew the whistle.”
Global death toll falls The death toll is one of the
LAST year, 45 journalists were killed during the course of their work in 20 countries, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). This is a 30 per cent fall on the previous year, when 65 fatalities were recorded.
lowest since the IFJ began publishing annual reports on journalists killed in work- related incidents, including targeted killings and crossfire incidents as well as bomb attacks.
Victory for Turkish union over dismissals
THE JOURNALISTS’ Union of Turkey has reached a victory in the Hürriyet newspaper case, where 45 journalists were dismissed in 2019 for being members of the union. The employer will have to pay compensation. On October 39 2019, the 45 media employees received
dismissal notices from the management of Hürriyet, one of the major Turkish daily newspapers. This followed the pro-government conglomerate Demirören
Group’s purchase of the newspaper a year before. Critics said this move was part of a wider threat to media
freedom in the country. As the laid-off employees did not receive their redundancy
entitlements, they took the company to court. The union said that Hürriyet had violated Turkey’s constitution by targeting unionised journalists.
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “The principle of protecting your source and keeping your word when confidentiality is pledged is a vital one for all journalists and lies at the heart of the NUJ’s Code of Conduct. The case brought by West Midlands Police risks compromising that core principle and undermining press freedom which is why the NUJ stands four-square behind Chris.” The quashing of the convictions of the Birmingham Six in March 1991 had significant consequences for the police and criminal justice system. The West Midlands Serious Crimes Squad was wound up and about 30 further convictions based on police evidence were subsequently quashed. It also resulted in the setting up of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice which led to the establishment of the Criminal
Cases Review Commission which so far has resulted in the quashing of about 500 further convictions. Indirectly, it also led to reform of the judicial appointments process. As a member, and later chairman, of the Home Affairs Select Committee Mr Mullin played a part in the introduction of these reforms.
The Asia-Pacific region tops
the regional list with 20 killings, before the Americas (10), Africa (eight), Europe (six) and the Middle East and Arab World (one). There was also a deadly accident that cost the lives of two journalists in Iran. In Afghanistan, which was taken over by the Taliban late
last summer, nine journalists were killed. In Mexico, eight were killed, in India four and in Pakistan three. Fewer journalists are being killed while reporting on war, and reporters and other media workers are now more likely to be killed for exposing corruption, crime and abuse of power.
inbrief...
SUN CUTS SPECIALIST SPORTS POSITIONS The Sun has made three specialist sport correspondents’ roles redundant. The work will now be covered by the sports team. Golf correspondent David Facey and rugby union correspondent Jonny Fordham finished at the end of last year and cricket correspondent John Etheridge is leaving soon. Etheridge has been a Sun staffer since 1986.
DILLON MADE MAIL ON SUNDAY EDITOR David Dillon has been named the new editor of the Mail on Sunday. Dillon used to be deputy to former MoS editor Ted Verity. Dillon joined the MoS from the Daily Express in 2001. He was news editor for several years before being promoted to executive editor.
NAWAZ LEAVES LBC AFTER COVID TWEETS LBC presenter Maajid Nawaz has left the broadcaster after concerns were raised over tweets he posted about Covid-19 vaccinations. Nawaz, who joined the station in 2016 and presented on Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 4pm, said it had not been not his decision to leave.
ITV chief to lead news at BBC
The BBC has appointed Deborah Turness as chief executive for news and
current affairs. She joins from ITN, where she has been chief executive since April last year, and
replaces Fran Unsworth, who is retiring. Turness will be paid a salary of £400,000 and nominated to the BBC board. Before ITN, Turness was
president of NBC News International, where she became the first woman to head a US
network news division. She said: “In the UK and around the world, there has never been a greater need for the BBC’s powerful brand of impartial, trusted journalism.”
theJournalist | 07
INDEPENDENT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
ALLSTAR PICTURE LIBRARY LTD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
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