
BBC will not appeal against Adams' defamation case victory
Mr Adams, a former president of Sinn Fein, said there needed to be 'substantial reform' of the broadcaster.
Mr Adams took the BBC to court over a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, which he said defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, in which he denies any involvement.
Last month, a jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour and awarded him 100,000 euros (£84,000) after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article.
The BBC, which was found by the jury not to have acted in good faith nor in a fair and reasonable way, was also ordered to pay the former Sinn Fein leader's legal costs.
After the decision, the broadcaster's legal team was granted a stay in the payment of the full award as it took time to consider an appeal.
However, on Friday, the BBC confirmed it would not pursue an appeal.
A spokesperson said: 'We have given careful consideration to the jury's decision.
'We will not be appealing its verdict, bringing this matter to a conclusion.
'We remain committed to public interest journalism and to serving all BBC audiences.'
In a statement issued through the Sinn Fein press office on Friday, Mr Adams said: 'The decision not to appeal by the British Broadcasting Corporation has to be followed by a substantial reform of its internal journalistic processes and a recognition that it cannot continue to be a voice for the British state in Ireland.
'It must also become more accountable to the public.
'The Dublin Court found the BBC guilty of libel and rejected its claim that its journalism was fair and reasonable and in the public interest.
'The British Broadcasting Corporation is a public service provider. There is an onus on the BBC to ensure that in the future its ethics and journalism reflect the principles and values of a public broadcast service.
'As I have already said the damages will be donated to good causes.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Leader Live
11 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Government plan to keep Pip payouts for 13 weeks ‘not very much', says MP
Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is 'going to rebel' in a vote and 'a number of colleagues are in the same situation'. The 'non-negotiable' protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Dr Opher said: 'It's a slight delay in the disability cuts – it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks – so it's something, but not very much really. 'And it doesn't change the basic fact that they're… planning to cut disability payment to quite a lot of people really. 'So not terribly impressed, but it's something at least.' The Government has faced a backlash from its own MPs over the package of measures, aimed at reducing the number of working age people on sickness benefits. Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Asked whether he would rebel if the measures came to a vote in the Commons, Dr Opher told the programme: 'I am going to rebel. 'And this comes hard to me, I've never actually voted against the Government and I know a number of colleagues in the same situation. 'So I just urge the Government really to just consider parts of this again.' A Green Paper laid out proposals for a 'transitional protection for those who are no longer eligible for Pip', but the Government's plans revealed this week clarify the 13-week length. Ms Kendall told The Guardian earlier this week: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.


Spectator
24 minutes ago
- Spectator
Paul Johnson: The spending review was ‘incomprehensible'
Rachel Reeves's spending review was the 'most incomprehensible speech I've ever heard from a chancellor', according to Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. He spoke to me on today's edition of Coffee House Shots. In this special episode, I was also joined by Ruth Curtice, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, to take a wider look at Britain's fiscal and economic problems. Why, despite record tax levels, do our public services feel as if they're in managed decline? Why do voters' expectations of the state seem so out of whack with what we actually deliver? We discussed whether Ruth's predecessor, Torston Bell, was right to claim Labour has ended austerity, and how much the lingering effects of Covid still shape where we are today. Paul and Ruth examined whether our economic doom loop – the endless chatter about tax rises and spending squeezes – are explained by structural problems in the British economy. Are tax rises inevitable? Or do the public need to get on board with a smaller state. Finally, I asked what they would do as Treasury dictators with a free hand to reform any policy they like. Listen below.


Belfast Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Government plan to keep Pip payouts for 13 weeks ‘not very much', says MP
Dr Simon Opher, a GP and the MP for Stroud, told the BBC he is 'going to rebel' in a vote and 'a number of colleagues are in the same situation'. The 'non-negotiable' protections that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is to include in the Welfare Reform Bill are understood to include a guarantee that those who no longer qualify for personal independence payments (Pip) will still receive the payments for 13 weeks. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Saturday, Dr Opher said: 'It's a slight delay in the disability cuts – it's 13 weeks rather than four weeks – so it's something, but not very much really. 'And it doesn't change the basic fact that they're… planning to cut disability payment to quite a lot of people really. 'So not terribly impressed, but it's something at least.' The Government has faced a backlash from its own MPs over the package of measures, aimed at reducing the number of working age people on sickness benefits. Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals were 'impossible to support'. Asked whether he would rebel if the measures came to a vote in the Commons, Dr Opher told the programme: 'I am going to rebel. 'And this comes hard to me, I've never actually voted against the Government and I know a number of colleagues in the same situation. 'So I just urge the Government really to just consider parts of this again.' A Green Paper laid out proposals for a 'transitional protection for those who are no longer eligible for Pip', but the Government's plans revealed this week clarify the 13-week length. Ms Kendall told The Guardian earlier this week: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned that 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.