Here’s a good one for you. I see that four of the seven men arrested by the Irish police (gardai) in County Donegal as part of a probe into paramilitary activity are BBC journalists!
The BBC has said the journalists were working on a current affairs investigation and had full editorial authority under the BBC’s guidelines. A spokesperson said the other parties present were fully aware that they were with BBC journalists. The arrests were made on Saturday night. The men, who are aged between 30 and 48, are being held at Burnfoot, Letterkenny and Milford Garda Stations. They were arrested under Section 30 of the Republic’s Offences Against the State Act. A garda spokesman said the men were being held over “ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity”.
The BBC and Irish terrorism, a perfect partnership.
Shades of ‘Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic’?
Wonder what this documentary was going to be called –
‘Don’t stay away, I’m in the IRA’?
Thank goodness the Garda is better at cracking down on dubious, irresponsible, terrorist sympathising BBC journalism than the British police.
The BBC has long been sympathetic towards the IRA. What’s new?
Were they paint-balling?
Nothing to see here, just a gaggle of BBC journalists under arrest as part of an investigation into Irish terrorism, now move along….!!
According to utv, four men were arrested this afternoon, which is obviously the four journalists. Could be something around not revealing sources or verification of why the others were there. This will amount to nothing.
In thirty years of trouble, no BBC journalist was ever charged with Irish terrorism AFAIK.
Salvate guys while you can. All much ado about nouthin. We had journalists arrested before, liam clarke and his wife were the latest, and that was around sources.
Still salvating?
Typhoo,
Has IRA leader Gerry Adams ever been charged with Irish terrorism?
How do you know that is not the fault of the british government? Maybe they needed him and marty on the outside?
You are not comparing like with like either, which is a tatic of yours David.
Now gimmie one journalist who has ever been charged here, never mind one from the BBC?
Oh look, here’s a story where we don’t know all the facts.
Never mind, that won’t stop us assuming the BBC are up to no good. Bugger the moral high ground — we may moan about the BBC being biased, but at least they’re not as prejudiced as us, eh?
Might save a lot of argument to wait and see what comes of this.
Wonder what this documentary was going to be called –
‘Don’t stay away, I’m in the IRA’?
Matthew (UK) | 16.03.08 – 7:09 pm
I prefer: ‘My name is Paddy, I’m not a baddy’
Hugh,
I’m just reporting the news, after all it’s not everyday that a gaggle of BBC journos are arrested as part of investigations into terrorism.
David, can you at least get the amount of men arrested right in your haste to ‘report’ this little snippet, because it was ELEVEN men not Seven.
Typhoo
BBC were reporting seven this afternoon.
Typhoo
Looks like the BBC got that wrong as well!! Back of the net.
A spokesperson said the other parties present were fully aware that they were with BBC journalists.
We will just have to wait and see who these “other parties” are and why they were so content to be hanging out will the Beeb’s finest.
Looks like the Beeboids are touchy about this. The Gardai investigate paramilitary activity and would you believe it Beeboids get caught up in the dragnet!
Is Nasreen Suleaman amongst them?
Typhoo,
What’s ‘salvating’?
afaik, under the “offense against the state” act in the republic, it’s an offense for a journalist to know about paramilitary activity without telling the authorities.
they were more than likely arrested after extensive surveillance.
Chuffer:
Typhoo,
What’s ‘salvating’?
Chuffer | 16.03.08 – 9:09 pm | #
OK chuffer, I left out the i. Does that help?
nrg:
Typhoo
BBC were reporting seven this afternoon.
nrg | 16.03.08 – 8:49 pm |
It was seven this afternoon, until these other four were arrested.
David Vance:
Typhoo
Looks like the BBC got that wrong as well!! Back of the net.
David Vance | Homepage | 16.03.08 – 8:51 pm | #
Nice try! lol
BBC licence payers in Northern Ireland will not be watching the Top Gear Botswana special tonight. Instead we are offered some appalling diddly dee Irish cultural nonsense. Despite the overwheling evidence that the people likely to enjoy this cultural propaganda are the most likely not to have paid for a licence.
Top Gear is the Beebs only “out” non PC programme, which they are obliged to keep due to the massive viewing figures. It is clear that BBC NI think viewers here should be identifying with their inner Irishness rather that the watching the reactionary Hamster-Clarksonite offering.
It is endless slights like this that makes many people suspicious as to the true nature and agenda of BBC Northern Ireland.
Sorry, Typhoo
BBC report at of before 16.27
BBC staff arrested in Garda probe
Four of the seven men arrested by gardai in County Donegal as part of a probe into paramilitary activity are BBC journalists.
PS Typhoo or Typo?
nrg at 5.20 this thread went up on slugger o’toole,
“This one should be worth watching as more information comes out. Gardaí in Donegal have now arrested 11 men over “ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity”.”
slugger
Both BBC and RTE report eleven, while iol report 7.
So now we know how slow the BBC is, evern when their own people have been lifted. T
I suspect that this will turn ot to be lees exciting than we hope but with three presenters recently lifted on drugs charges, the revelation that BBC was paying to send Islamic terrorists paint balling, and now this, it does suggest that the culture around the Beeb is at best very lax.
Well now nrg we were talking of David’s posting, re seven or eleven. It seems that those on slugger who managed to get the snippet up before David managed to get it right. It was indeed eleven and not seven at 5.20 when that went up. So DV – no back of the net for me lol. Your glee got the better of you!
‘I suspect that this will turn ot to be lees exciting than we hope’
Glad you agree with me 😉
‘Instead we are offered some appalling diddly dee Irish cultural nonsense’
Watch out for more on monday night. The greatest group in the world , the chieftans are on, it was recorded as part of the festival of Queens Uni last year, and I was there. Fantastic show!!
Everybody tune in. 😉
Can I be the first to start the “Free the Donegal Four” please?
I always wondered what the collective noun for a group of BBC journos was – now I know – it’s a cell. Geddit?
PS Typhoo – I have better things to do on a Sunday than follow hourly news headlines. Slugger folk can speak for themselves.
the canadian “globe & mail” has more
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080316.wbbcarrests0316/BNStory/International/home
they were caught filming propaganda for the Real IRA.
The BBC does not support the real IRA. .
4+7=11,which is probably the root of the confusion.
its worth reading this:
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1998/en/act/pub/0039/index.html
my guess is that the BBC journalists were arrested under section 9 – withholding information – or section 8 – “unlawful collection of information”
“It shall be an offence for a person to collect, record or possess information which is of such a nature that it is likely to be useful in the commission by members of any unlawful organisation of serious offences generally or any particular kind of serious offence.”
looks like it carries a minimum jail term of 5 years. or more.
disclaimer : i’m not privy to any inside information. just guesswork based on reading the “Offences against the State Act”.
David Vance:
PS Typhoo – I have better things to do on a Sunday than follow hourly news headlines. Slugger folk can speak for themselves.
David Vance | Homepage | 16.03.08 – 10:41 pm | # ‘
David – no worries. It was that ‘back of the net’ comment….
you know;-)
BBC Editorial guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/crime/reportingcri.shtml are strict and Any proposal to interview a criminal active in or wanted in the UK must be referred to Controller Editorial Policy.
witnessing serious criminal activity it must be referred to a senior editorial figure or for Independents to the commissioning editor, as well as Controller Editorial Policy and Programme Legal Advice. Approval to be present at or record serious illegal activity will be given only if it is clearly in the public interest, even then we must avoid:
* condoning, aiding or abetting criminal behaviour.
* encouraging or provoking behaviour which would not otherwise have occurred.
* directing the activity in any way.
The impression I receive both from this event and from the BBC reporter who embedded himself with Kassam-firing Palestinian terrorists is that the BBC editorial authority doesn’t believe these guidelines apply out of the United Kingdom. Then a good story trumps all guidelines.
Typhoo:
Chuffer:
Typhoo,
What’s ‘salvating’?
Chuffer | 16.03.08 – 9:09 pm | #
OK chuffer, I left out the i. Does that help?
Typhoo | Homepage | 16.03.08 – 9:26 pm | #
Oh, I see; you meant ‘salivate’! I thought you were misspelling the Latin greeting ‘Salvete!’
Hey – they’ve been released. My “Free the Donegal Four” campaign has worked and the BBC gets four of its…erm, finest, back. Oh well…
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080316/tuk-radio-blamed-as-birthday-is-trashed-6323e80.html
Now that that’s resolved, party’s on 🙂
DV: “I’m just reporting the news, after all it’s not everyday that a gaggle of BBC journos are arrested as part of investigations into terrorism.”
Yeah right David, you are obviously insinuating that these men were involved in terrorism. I think you know that is not true.
Joel,
Sorry but you need to try MUCH harder than that. I AM saying that the BBC, an organisation which refuses to even use the word terrorist in many circumstances, has big issues with reporting terrorism.
Also, should I not have mentioned the fact that a cell of BBC journos were arrested? I have no idea what they were doing in Donegal, but I am sure the Irish Police will let us all in on why they arrested the BBC’s finest. In due course.
Further to ‘Don’t stay away, I’m in the IRA’ and ‘My name is Paddy, I’m not a baddy’, how about ‘Don’t worry, we’re just in a hurry‘?
“I am sure the Irish Police will let us all in on why they arrested the BBC’s finest. In due course.”
I’m sure they will, why not discuss it then when the facts are known? Why jump on a story like this on a site about BBC bias then?
I don’t think you really believe they were involved in terrorism, why insinuate it then?
It’s not just the case of “involved in terrorism” not disclosing any information regarding terrorists (or dissident republican activity as the BBC would put it) is against the law.
I the BBC had arranged a meet with suspected terrorists that could well be “information which we know or believe might be of material assistance in…”
———————————–
BBC Editorial Guidelines (War, Terror & Emergencies)
The Terrorism Act 2000
We have a legal obligation under the Terrorism Act 2000 to disclose to the police, as soon as reasonably practicable, any information which we know or believe might be of material assistance in:
* preventing the commission of an act of terrorism anywhere in the world.
* securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of a person in the UK, for an offence involving the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.
It is a criminal offence not to disclose such information, punishable by up to 5 years in prison. Any situation where BBC staff may be in potential breach of the Terrorism Act must be referred to Controller Editorial Policy and Programme Legal Advice.