The BBC is taking legal action against the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) over the alleged surveillance of former journalist Vincent Kearney. The broadcaster has accused the PSNI of attempting to identify sources of information after Kearney presented a programme about the Police Ombudsman’s Office in 2011. It is believed the whistleblower and the watchdog article, which included allegations that the independence of the Police Ombudsman had been compromised, lead to concerns being raised regarding the actions of the PSNI. Serious issues that impact journalistic investigations and freedoms are at risk, according to a BBC statement.
BBC lawyers have now written to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal dealing with the allegations, and the tribunal is an independent judicial body that considers complaints of public bodies using covert investigative techniques. This case has emerged as part of ongoing proceedings involving two other journalists in Belfast, Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney, who claim they too were subject to unlawful police surveillance.
Kearney now works for RTE, where he is understood to have raised concerns that the PSNI was attempting to identify information sources regarding his work at BBC. Journalists need to be free to carry out their work without fear that the police may secretly try to identify sources, and it is believed that Kearney wants the truth to be forthcoming. “I am determined to find out what happened,” he said in a statement.
The claims against PSNI come at a time when many journalists and media companies are struggling under increasingly authoritarian governments. Restrictions on the flow of information fly in the face of the fundamental human right of freedom of speech. By taking this legal action, the BBC is hoping to send a message that it is willing to stand up for journalists and sources, and will not be intimidated into silence
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