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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Sun staff line up human rights challenge to News Corp inquiry team | Sun staff line up human rights challenge to News Corp inquiry team |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Senior journalists at the Sun are preparing to launch a legal challenge to the News Corporation unit that disclosed confidential sources to the police, leading to the arrest of nine of the paper's current and former staff this month. | Senior journalists at the Sun are preparing to launch a legal challenge to the News Corporation unit that disclosed confidential sources to the police, leading to the arrest of nine of the paper's current and former staff this month. |
| Journalists at the News International red-top have approached the National Union of Journalists with a view to hiring the leading human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson QC, to question the legality of parent company News Corp's management and standards committee. | Journalists at the News International red-top have approached the National Union of Journalists with a view to hiring the leading human rights lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson QC, to question the legality of parent company News Corp's management and standards committee. |
| The NUJ has been contacted by more than a dozen journalists from the Sun with concerns about the protection of sources, it is understood. | The NUJ has been contacted by more than a dozen journalists from the Sun with concerns about the protection of sources, it is understood. |
| The potential legal challenge represents a dramatic new front in the civil war at Rupert Murdoch's Wapping newspaper headquarters on the eve of his arrival in London to deal with the crisis at the Sun. | The potential legal challenge represents a dramatic new front in the civil war at Rupert Murdoch's Wapping newspaper headquarters on the eve of his arrival in London to deal with the crisis at the Sun. |
| Robertson used a column in the Sun's News International sister paper, the Times, on Wednesday to urge journalists to protect their sources using clause 14 of the Press Complaints Commission's newspaper industry code of practice. | |
| The leading lawyer, who has fought on behalf of publishers for press freedom throughout his career, suggested in the column that News Corp's MSC should "be required to learn by heart" a passage from the European court of human rights' ruling in the case of Goodwin v UK, which predates the Human Rights Act and affirms the importance of protection for journalists' sources. | |
| This passage states: "Protection of journalistic sources is one of the basic conditions for press freedom... without such protection, sources may be deterred from assisting the press in informing the public on matters of public interest. | |
| "As a result the vital public watchdog role of the press may be undermined and the ability of the press to provide accurate and reliable information may be adversely affected." | |
| Robertson had not been formally approached by the NUJ at the time of publication. | Robertson had not been formally approached by the NUJ at the time of publication. |
| The NUJ has signed up a number of Sun journalists as new members since the arrest of five of the newspaper's senior journalists on Saturday, it is understood. | The NUJ has signed up a number of Sun journalists as new members since the arrest of five of the newspaper's senior journalists on Saturday, it is understood. |
| Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, is due to meet lawyers on Wednesday about a challenge to News Corp's MSC. | Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, is due to meet lawyers on Wednesday about a challenge to News Corp's MSC. |
| Stanistreet said on Wednesday that "Sun journalists have approached the NUJ with concerns about sources being compromised." | Stanistreet said on Wednesday that "Sun journalists have approached the NUJ with concerns about sources being compromised." |
| The Wapping-based MSC on Tuesday defended its decision to disclose sources to the police, with a contact close to the committee saying that it would not disclose the names of police officers or other public officials simply because they appear to have socialised with journalists. | The Wapping-based MSC on Tuesday defended its decision to disclose sources to the police, with a contact close to the committee saying that it would not disclose the names of police officers or other public officials simply because they appear to have socialised with journalists. |
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