Over a lengthy career in journalism Roy Greenslade has written millions of words. But a handful out of a 4,000-word article in the British Journalism Review (and The Sunday Times) explaining his support for Irish republicanism and the IRA have now cast a shadow over all that went before.
In the piece, he talks about his friendship with Pat Doherty, who has been named in parliament as a former member of the Provisional IRA.
He states: “From very early on in our friendship [with Doherty and his wife], we four found ourselves in complete agreement about the right of the Irish people to engage in armed struggle.
Index raises concerns over UK Freedom of Information
We join media freedom organisations, editors and broadcasters in calling for an urgent review of right-to-know legislation
09 Feb 2021
The Right Honourable Julian Knight MP, Chair, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
CC
The Right Honourable Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Right Honourable Chloe Smith, Minister for the Cabinet Office
Dunja Mijatovic, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner
Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and expression
Elizabeth Denham, UK Information Commissioner
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon; UK Foreign Office
The editors of the Guardian, Financial Times, Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror have joined together in a rare show of unity urging the Government to look at reform to protect Freedom of Information (FoI) rights.
A dozen current and former Fleet Street editors have joined a call for a review into the Government’s use of FoI, raising “serious concerns” their policies are contributing to a culture of declining press freedom in the UK.
They have been joined by staunch critics of the newspaper industry such as Hacked Off founder Brian Cathcart and founder of rival press regulator Impress Jonathan Heawood.
COMMENT
Taoiseach Micheal Martin says a poll on Irish unification is not on the cards within the next five years IT was a busy week in Scottish politics. One would-be opposition leader resigned. (Richard Leonard.) Another left to front the Scottish branch of a rebranded party headed by a man who was recently flogging investment tips for £199 a year. (Michelle Ballantyne and Nigel Farage, respectively.) But the event that caught my eye over the last seven days had little to do with the machinations on Holyrood’s opposition benches. Last Thursday, cabinet secretary Michael Russell and Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney published a joint report setting out a series of bilateral economic and social initiatives agreed by the Scottish and Irish governments.