View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

Media ordered to hand over Belfast riots footage

By Andrew Pugh

The NUJ is urging news organisations to appeal against an order forcing them to hand over footage of last month’s riots in east Belfast.

Belfast Recorder Judge Thomas Burgess last week ordered media outlets to hand over footage of the riots, in which Press Association photographer Niall Carson was shot in the leg, to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), arguing the public interest in convicting those involved took precedence over the European Convention rights of media organisations.

NUJ Irish secretary Séamus Dooley is now urging those affected to appeal against the order, claiming media workers should be ‘allowed to act in an independent fashion and must not be perceived as agents of the police or any other organ of the state”.

‘If it is understood that photographers or video journalists will hand over footage they could be placed in an untenable situation,’claimed Dooley.

He also argued that the health and safety implications were ‘enormous and could have consequences for journalists covering demonstrations”.

“There is significant footage from these appalling riots already in the public domain and it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the PSNI is engaged in a fishing expedition in this case,’he said.

According to the BBC, when applying for the order the PSNI claimed that, as well as the injuries suffered by Carson, a cameraman also narrowly escaped being shot during the riots.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

The PSNI argued that any untelevised footage held by news outlets could help secure convictions including attempted murder, grievous bodily harm with intent.

Judge Burgess was quoted as saying that ‘in the balancing exercise I am asked to consider, what weight to I place on the risk attached to handing over unbroadcast material, in circumstances where the ‘risk’ has been assessed by those who have that material as such as allowed for the broadcasting of some of the material.”

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network