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Glasgow Times
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Gerry Adams' ‘putting manners on BBC' remark ‘chilling', NUJ man says
Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), also said the high profile case showed the need for reform of Ireland's defamation laws, saying the public would never know why the jury made its decision. Former Sinn Fein leader 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, for which he denies any involvement. A jury at the High Court in Dublin awarded him 100,000 euro (£84,000) when it found in his favour on Friday, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. Seamus Dooley from the NUJ said the verdict would make journalists pause for reflection (Liam McBurney/PA) It also found the BBC's actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way. Mr Adams' legal team said the verdict of the jury was a 'full vindication' for their client while the BBC said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. Mr Dooley told RTE's This Week programme that it was a verdict which would make journalists 'pause for reflection'. He said: 'The first thing we should say is Gerry Adams was entitled to take his case. 'But it does have profound implications for the practise of journalism and I think it has implications both in terms of defamation law but also for me in terms of journalism in Northern Ireland and the relationship between Sinn Fein and journalists in Northern Ireland.' Speaking outside court on Friday, Mr Adams said taking the case was 'about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation'. He added: 'The British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland, and in my view it's out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.' Mr Dooley said: 'I found that a chilling comment actually. He referred to putting manners on the BBC, to me that means putting them back in their box. 'The reality is that Spotlight has, for over 40 years, done some of the most amazing investigative journalism. Representatives from the BBC speak outside Dublin High Court on Friday (Brian Lawless/PA) 'Margaret Thatcher tried to ban Spotlight because of their coverage of Gibraltar Three, they exposed Kincora at the heart of the British establishment, recently they did work on Stakeknife, and in fact the Sinn Fein mayor of Derry led the campaign to save BBC Radio Foyle news service. 'I found the attitude quite chilling but also unfair and unreasonable in the circumstances.' Mr Dooley said that Mr Adams was a figure of 'huge significance' to journalists, historians and academics and had 'influenced the shape of history of Northern Ireland'. He added: 'On that basis, any journalist has a right, any academic, to question and probe.' He said the case underpinned the need for a review of defamation laws in Ireland. He said: 'First of all we need to look at the defence of honest opinion and how you square that circle in the context of journalists' right to protect sources, it is a real difficulty. 'For many years the NUJ was in favour of retaining juries. I have now reached the conclusion in defamation cases that juries are not appropriate. 'One of the reasons is we will never know why the jury reached this decision. 'If, as in Northern Ireland, had Mr Adams taken his case in Northern Ireland, the case is heard before judges, you have the benefit of a written judgment, you have the benefit of a detailed explanation of the reason why a verdict is given. 'That provides an insight and a guide. 'Here we don't know.' Denis Donaldson (centre) was shot dead in 2006 in Co Donegal (Paul Faith/PA) Mr Dooley also pointed out that proceedings in the case had been running since 2016. Former Sinn Fein member Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. In the Spotlight programme broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source given the pseudonym Martin claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Mr Adams gave 'the final say'. In 2009, the dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing and a Garda investigation into the matter remains ongoing. Mr Adams had described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'.
South Wales Guardian
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Gerry Adams' ‘putting manners on BBC' remark ‘chilling', NUJ man says
Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), also said the high profile case showed the need for reform of Ireland's defamation laws, saying the public would never know why the jury made its decision. Former Sinn Fein leader 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, for which he denies any involvement. A jury at the High Court in Dublin awarded him 100,000 euro (£84,000) when it found in his favour on Friday, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. It also found the BBC's actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way. Mr Adams' legal team said the verdict of the jury was a 'full vindication' for their client while the BBC said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. Mr Dooley told RTE's This Week programme that it was a verdict which would make journalists 'pause for reflection'. He said: 'The first thing we should say is Gerry Adams was entitled to take his case. 'But it does have profound implications for the practise of journalism and I think it has implications both in terms of defamation law but also for me in terms of journalism in Northern Ireland and the relationship between Sinn Fein and journalists in Northern Ireland.' Speaking outside court on Friday, Mr Adams said taking the case was 'about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation'. He added: 'The British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland, and in my view it's out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.' Mr Dooley said: 'I found that a chilling comment actually. He referred to putting manners on the BBC, to me that means putting them back in their box. 'The reality is that Spotlight has, for over 40 years, done some of the most amazing investigative journalism. 'Margaret Thatcher tried to ban Spotlight because of their coverage of Gibraltar Three, they exposed Kincora at the heart of the British establishment, recently they did work on Stakeknife, and in fact the Sinn Fein mayor of Derry led the campaign to save BBC Radio Foyle news service. 'I found the attitude quite chilling but also unfair and unreasonable in the circumstances.' Mr Dooley said that Mr Adams was a figure of 'huge significance' to journalists, historians and academics and had 'influenced the shape of history of Northern Ireland'. He added: 'On that basis, any journalist has a right, any academic, to question and probe.' He said the case underpinned the need for a review of defamation laws in Ireland. He said: 'First of all we need to look at the defence of honest opinion and how you square that circle in the context of journalists' right to protect sources, it is a real difficulty. 'For many years the NUJ was in favour of retaining juries. I have now reached the conclusion in defamation cases that juries are not appropriate. 'One of the reasons is we will never know why the jury reached this decision. 'If, as in Northern Ireland, had Mr Adams taken his case in Northern Ireland, the case is heard before judges, you have the benefit of a written judgment, you have the benefit of a detailed explanation of the reason why a verdict is given. 'That provides an insight and a guide. 'Here we don't know.' Mr Dooley also pointed out that proceedings in the case had been running since 2016. Former Sinn Fein member Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. In the Spotlight programme broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source given the pseudonym Martin claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Mr Adams gave 'the final say'. In 2009, the dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing and a Garda investigation into the matter remains ongoing. Mr Adams had described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Gerry Adams' ‘putting manners on BBC' remark ‘chilling', NUJ man says
Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), also said the high profile case showed the need for reform of Ireland's defamation laws, saying the public would never know why the jury made its decision. Former Sinn Fein leader 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, for which he denies any involvement. A jury at the High Court in Dublin awarded him 100,000 euro (£84,000) when it found in his favour on Friday, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. It also found the BBC's actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way. Mr Adams' legal team said the verdict of the jury was a 'full vindication' for their client while the BBC said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. Mr Dooley told RTE's This Week programme that it was a verdict which would make journalists 'pause for reflection'. He said: 'The first thing we should say is Gerry Adams was entitled to take his case. 'But it does have profound implications for the practise of journalism and I think it has implications both in terms of defamation law but also for me in terms of journalism in Northern Ireland and the relationship between Sinn Fein and journalists in Northern Ireland.' Speaking outside court on Friday, Mr Adams said taking the case was 'about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation'. He added: 'The British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland, and in my view it's out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.' Mr Dooley said: 'I found that a chilling comment actually. He referred to putting manners on the BBC, to me that means putting them back in their box. 'The reality is that Spotlight has, for over 40 years, done some of the most amazing investigative journalism. 'Margaret Thatcher tried to ban Spotlight because of their coverage of Gibraltar Three, they exposed Kincora at the heart of the British establishment, recently they did work on Stakeknife, and in fact the Sinn Fein mayor of Derry led the campaign to save BBC Radio Foyle news service. 'I found the attitude quite chilling but also unfair and unreasonable in the circumstances.' Mr Dooley said that Mr Adams was a figure of 'huge significance' to journalists, historians and academics and had 'influenced the shape of history of Northern Ireland'. He added: 'On that basis, any journalist has a right, any academic, to question and probe.' He said the case underpinned the need for a review of defamation laws in Ireland. He said: 'First of all we need to look at the defence of honest opinion and how you square that circle in the context of journalists' right to protect sources, it is a real difficulty. 'For many years the NUJ was in favour of retaining juries. I have now reached the conclusion in defamation cases that juries are not appropriate. 'One of the reasons is we will never know why the jury reached this decision. 'If, as in Northern Ireland, had Mr Adams taken his case in Northern Ireland, the case is heard before judges, you have the benefit of a written judgment, you have the benefit of a detailed explanation of the reason why a verdict is given. 'That provides an insight and a guide. 'Here we don't know.' Mr Dooley also pointed out that proceedings in the case had been running since 2016. Former Sinn Fein member Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. In the Spotlight programme broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source given the pseudonym Martin claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Mr Adams gave 'the final say'. In 2009, the dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing and a Garda investigation into the matter remains ongoing. Mr Adams had described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'.
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Politics
- Western Telegraph
Gerry Adams' ‘putting manners on BBC' remark ‘chilling', NUJ man says
Seamus Dooley, the Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), also said the high profile case showed the need for reform of Ireland's defamation laws, saying the public would never know why the jury made its decision. Former Sinn Fein leader 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, for which he denies any involvement. A jury at the High Court in Dublin awarded him 100,000 euro (£84,000) when it found in his favour on Friday, after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article. Seamus Dooley from the NUJ said the verdict would make journalists pause for reflection (Liam McBurney/PA) It also found the BBC's actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way. Mr Adams' legal team said the verdict of the jury was a 'full vindication' for their client while the BBC said it was 'disappointed' with the outcome. Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. Mr Dooley told RTE's This Week programme that it was a verdict which would make journalists 'pause for reflection'. He said: 'The first thing we should say is Gerry Adams was entitled to take his case. 'But it does have profound implications for the practise of journalism and I think it has implications both in terms of defamation law but also for me in terms of journalism in Northern Ireland and the relationship between Sinn Fein and journalists in Northern Ireland.' Speaking outside court on Friday, Mr Adams said taking the case was 'about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation'. He added: 'The British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland, and in my view it's out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.' Mr Dooley said: 'I found that a chilling comment actually. He referred to putting manners on the BBC, to me that means putting them back in their box. 'The reality is that Spotlight has, for over 40 years, done some of the most amazing investigative journalism. Representatives from the BBC speak outside Dublin High Court on Friday (Brian Lawless/PA) 'Margaret Thatcher tried to ban Spotlight because of their coverage of Gibraltar Three, they exposed Kincora at the heart of the British establishment, recently they did work on Stakeknife, and in fact the Sinn Fein mayor of Derry led the campaign to save BBC Radio Foyle news service. 'I found the attitude quite chilling but also unfair and unreasonable in the circumstances.' Mr Dooley said that Mr Adams was a figure of 'huge significance' to journalists, historians and academics and had 'influenced the shape of history of Northern Ireland'. He added: 'On that basis, any journalist has a right, any academic, to question and probe.' He said the case underpinned the need for a review of defamation laws in Ireland. He said: 'First of all we need to look at the defence of honest opinion and how you square that circle in the context of journalists' right to protect sources, it is a real difficulty. 'For many years the NUJ was in favour of retaining juries. I have now reached the conclusion in defamation cases that juries are not appropriate. 'One of the reasons is we will never know why the jury reached this decision. 'If, as in Northern Ireland, had Mr Adams taken his case in Northern Ireland, the case is heard before judges, you have the benefit of a written judgment, you have the benefit of a detailed explanation of the reason why a verdict is given. 'That provides an insight and a guide. 'Here we don't know.' Denis Donaldson (centre) was shot dead in 2006 in Co Donegal (Paul Faith/PA) Mr Dooley also pointed out that proceedings in the case had been running since 2016. Former Sinn Fein member Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Co Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent over 20 years. In the Spotlight programme broadcast in September 2016, an anonymous source given the pseudonym Martin claimed the shooting was sanctioned by the political and military leadership of the IRA and that Mr Adams gave 'the final say'. In 2009, the dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing and a Garda investigation into the matter remains ongoing. Mr Adams had described the allegation as a 'grievous smear'.
Irish Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Gerry Adams says BBC 'out of sync' with Good Friday Agreement after being awarded €100,000 in libel case
FORMER Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has said the BBC is 'out of sync' with the Good Friday Agreement after winning a libel case against the broadcaster. Mr Adams was awarded €100,000 (£84,000) by a jury after it found he had been defamed in a 2016 Spotlight programme and accompanying online article. Both had reported an anonymous source alleging that Mr Adams had sanctioned the 2006 killing of Denis Donaldson, four months after the former Sinn Féin member was revealed to be an informer for the police and MI5. The BBC said it was disappointed by verdict, while Mr Donaldson's daughter has called for a public inquiry into his murder. With the Spotlight programme having been viewed in Ireland, Adams' case was heard at the High Court in Dublin, with High Court libel cases in the state still using use a jury to determine a verdict. Speaking outside the court on Friday, the 76-year-old said his decision to take the case was about 'putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation'. Mr Adams was awarded €100,000 (Image: Charles McQuillan / Getty Images) "I know many, many journalists and I like to think that I get on well with most of them," he added. "I wish you well and I would uphold your right to do your job. "But the British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland and in my view, it's out of sync on many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement. "It hasn't caught on to where we are on this island as part of the continuing process of building peace, justice, harmony and — hopefully in the time ahead — unity." "I'm very mindful that this case could have been settled," he added. "The licence payers are going to pay for this. The BBC aren't using their own money, Spotlight aren't using their own money, it's the licence payers. "As [solicitor] Paul Tweed has said, this could have been sorted out a long time ago." The BBC reports that the legal bill for the case is believed to be between €3-5m. 'Important that we defend our journalism' Adam Smyth, Director of BBC Northern Ireland, said the broadcaster had made 'financial provision' for the case but warned the verdict could have 'profound' repercussions for journalism. "We are disappointed by this verdict," he said. "We believe we supplied extensive evidence to the court of the careful editorial process and journalistic diligence applied to this programme and accompanying online article. "Moreover, it was accepted by the court, and conceded by Gerry Adams' legal team, that the Spotlight broadcast and publication were of the highest public interest. "We didn't want to come to court, but it was important that we defend our journalism and we stand by that decision. "Our past is difficult terrain for any jury and we thank them for their diligence and careful consideration of the issues in this case. "The implications of their decision, though, are profound. Adam Smyth, Director of BBC Northern Ireland, speaking outside court (Image: Charles McQuillan / Getty Images) "As our legal team made clear, if the BBC's case cannot be won under existing Irish defamation law, it's hard to see how anyone's could. And they warned that today's decision could hinder freedom of expression. "Of course, a case of this importance, duration and complexity involves significant expense. In common with other media organisations the BBC has insurance and makes financial provision for ongoing and anticipated legal claims." Last year's Defamation (Amendment) Bill had sought to abolish juries in High Court defamation cases, potentially reducing the amount of damages awarded. It had lapsed when the last government was dissolved in November but was reintroduced by the current government and is currently at the Committee stage. The Standard reports that Mr Donaldson's daughter Jane said that by taking the defamation case, Adams had 'trivialised our family tragedy'. "The plaintiff prioritised his own financial and reputational interests over any regard for retraumatising my family," she said, as she called for a public inquiry into her father's murder. See More: BBC, Denis Donaldson, Gerry Adams, Spotlight
