Magazine of the Chartered Institute of Journalists Summer 2018 TheJServingournal professional journalism since 1912 BAFTA Fellowship for Kate Adie ward-winning broadcast of Free Enterprise disaster at journalist and author Kate Adie Zeebrugge, the massacre at AOBE, a longstanding member of Dunblane, the Selby rail crash, the the Chartered Institute of Journalists (and Bologna railway station bombing a Fellow of our Institute since 1990), has and the Tiananmen Square protest been honoured with a Fellowship of the in Beijing in 1989. She carried British Academy of Film and Television out numerous assignments in Arts. The BAFTA Fellowship is the highest Northern Ireland throughout “The accolade bestowed by the Academy on an Troubles”, as well as reporting on individual in recognition of outstanding the referendum to ratify the Good and exceptional contributions to film and Friday Agreement. Kate Adie also television. Fellows previously honoured covered the Lockerbie bombing for their work in television include Melvyn and reported from Libya after the Bragg, Michael Palin, Trevor MacDonald London Embassy siege of 1984, and David Attenborough. Joanna Lumley reporting from Libya many times received the Fellowship at last year’s thereafter, including the bombing British Television Awards. of Tripoli by the US in 1986. Jane Lush, Chair of BAFTA, said: “Kate She also covered the Rwandan Adie is a truly groundbreaking news Genocide and the British military journalist, being one of a very small intervention in the Sierra Leone number of women working to report the Civil War. news from hostile environments around The long-serving presenter the world. Throughout her career, she has of Radio 4’s “From Our Own brought audiences to the centre of the story Correspondent”, and a presenter by fearlessly reporting from the ground, or contributor to many other while clearly and concisely explaining the radio and television programmes, Adie complex issues to audiences at home. We has won numerous awards including the of the CIoJ), three Royal Television Society are delighted to be celebrating her stellar Richard Dimbleby Award at the British awards and the Broadcasting Press Guild’s career at this year’s ceremony; she is a Academy Television Awards in 1990 (the Award for Outstanding Contribution to true trailblazer and very deserving of the same year she was awarded a Fellowship Broadcasting. Fellowship.” Kate Adie told The Journal: “It’s lovely to be awarded the BAFTA Fellowship. I feel very honoured.” On the move Adie began her broadcasting career as a station assistant at Radio Durham and then xactly 30 years ago, the Institute had moved to BBC Radio Bristol. She made Eto leave its old office in Covent Garden the transition to TV news in London and and head out to the suburbs. The site was on duty in 1980 when the siege of the chosen for the new office was in a rather Iranian Embassy was brought to an end by rundown corner of southeast London the SAS. Her live report, which interrupted once known as the Surrey Commercial the World Snooker Championships, was Docks. These had been a series of nine seen and heard by millions in homes docks, timber ponds and a canal spreading across the UK. In 1989, she was appointed over 460 acres. Most of this was built by Chief News Correspondent for the BBC the Commercial Docks Company which docks were progressively abandoned. The and held the post for 14 years. constructed a fine block of offices that was area became largely derelict; transport opened in 1892. The offices continued to links were poor so, when the office in the Danger zones be used after all the London docks were old Dock Offices was acquired in 1988, it She has reported from danger zones merged into the Port of London Authority was cheap. But it had potential and the and conflicts around the world, including in 1908. area was transformed when the Jubilee both Gulf Wars, four years of war in the The docks had concentrated on the timber underground line was extended from Balkans, the final NATO intervention in trade. After 1950, this began to decline and Waterloo via the area (now renamed Kosovo and elections in 2000, the Herald during the 1980s and subsequently, the Continued on page 20 Andy Smith Editor’s Comment Editor he Government has quite rightly of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in ruled out “Leveson 2” but, as Eltham, southeast London, that it was the Tthe latest World Press Freedom Daily Mail that pursued the racist thugs Index reveals, freedom of the press here who brutally murdered young Stephen; in the United Kingdom is not as secure the paper’s “MURDERERS” headline as we might expect. According to the and its front-page story naming the boy’s index, compiled by Reporters Without killers “changed the politics of the case” Borders (RSF), despite being, historically, (in the words of former Labour Home a cradle of freedom and democracy in Secretary Jack Straw) leading to a rooting- the world, Britain is now in 40th place out of the racism and corruption that in terms of press freedom, making it had undermined the effectiveness of the one of the worst countries in Western original Metropolitan Police investigation. Assistant Editor: Stuart Millson Europe. We have fallen 18 places since The Daily Mail continues to campaign Production Editor: Dominic Cooper the first index was compiled 16 years ago. on issues like this, and, despite its right- How has this happened? RSF points to wing profile and its often rather blimpish a “hostile environment” for journalists editorial tone, has often championed In this issue: and journalism in the UK, with repeated issues of social justice and civil rights. It attempts to clamp down on the press. is currently campaigning against cuts to Leveson 2 and Section 40 4 This hostility comes both from the the Open University. This is the paper that Investigatory Powers Act 5 Establishment and the far left. The Law certain politically-motivated organisations Commission, for instance, is currently trying wish to stifle. World Press Freedom Index 6-7 to make it easier to imprison journalists In addition, there are mounting threats to How to avoid hating journalists! 8 for obtaining leaked information, and the our freedom, democracy and free speech House of Lords has tried to use the Data from outside these shores. We are, for Death of a Russian journalist 9 Protection Bill as a backdoor way to impose instance, under constant attack from Russia, state regulation of the press. Meanwhile, which is waging a systematic campaign of CIoJ Presidential Handover 10-11 the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Corbyn, disinformation and propaganda through Democracy under assault 12 is virulently opposed to the press, and “social media”, leading to the widespread has made no secret of his desire to restrict sharing – by gullible members of the Rowing warrior 13 press freedom. Then, of course, there is the public – of Russian-created “fake news” Sustainable future for S4C 14 problem of antisemitism in certain sections and conspiracy theories. Social-media of his party, and the growing stridency is so out-of-control, and so thoroughly Reinventing digital editions 15 of far-left groups such as Momentum infiltrated and exploited by enemies of Failing Open Justice 16 which seems to be injecting a culture of democracy, that for those – an increasing aggression and intolerance into British number – who obtain their “news” Obituaries 17-18 politics. Intimidation of journalists by chiefly from the internet, it is hard to Letter to the Editor 19-20 delegates at a party conference would have navigate through the oceans of extremist been unheard-of in past decades, but at the propaganda, be it Russian, communist, The views contained in The Journal are those of the last Labour conference the BBC’s Laura fascist or Islamist. And then we have self- Editor and contributors and do not necessarily reflect the Kuenssberg felt so intimidated she had to appointed “guardians of truth” such as views or policy of the Chartered Institute of Journalists. hire bodyguards! the misleadingly titled Working Group on All rights reserved. © CIoJ 2018 The insidious campaign to ban the Syrian Propaganda and Media which is, Daily Mail is another sinister feature of essentially, a body of apologists for Putin this hostile environment. Yes, a number and Assad. There are so many lies and of commercial newsvendors have been conspiracy theories floating around that it boycotted for selling the newspaper that is a wonder anyone believes anything they goes where other sections of the media read on the internet – but, with the internet TheJournal fear to tread. Let’s not forget, in this, the taking over from the legitimate news- 25th anniversary of the appalling murder media, all too many people do. ISSN 1361-7656 News or views intended for publication STOP PRESS (literally!) Trojan horse for the campaign by the rich and should be sent to: espite its rejection by the Government powerful to strangle Britain’s 350-year old The Chartered Institute of Journalists Dand the House of Commons, the proposal tradition of press freedom and investigative to push forward with state regulation of the 2 Dock Offices, Surrey Quays Road, journalism. What we now have is an unholy press has been given a new lease of life by alliance of press-bashing billionaires and London SE16 2XU the unelected House of Lords who voted in far-left Corbynistas. We cannot let them get E-mail: [email protected] favour of “Leveson 2” by 252 votes to 213, away with this! Please write to your Member Tel: +44 (0)20 7252 1187 effectively overturning the MPs’ democratic of Parliament urging them to stand up for decision and forcing the Commons to debate democracy and the free press (the essential Fax: +44 (0)20 7232 2302 state regulation all over again.