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UK: Newspaper Society says police use of RIPA to spy on journalists a 'fundamental attack on press freedom'

17 September 2014

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"The Met, and other public authorities, have so far refused to reveal how many more times RIPA has been used to expose lawful journalistic sources. A Newspaper Society spokesman said: “The protection of confidential sources is a vital component of public interest journalism. Journalists rely upon being able to guarantee whistleblowers’ anonymity in order to expose wrongdoing. "Anything that threatens this guarantee – such as use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act by public authorities to identify journalists’ confidential sources – constitutes a fundamental attack on press freedom and must be opposed.” The Newspaper Society is a trade body representing around 1,000 local newspapers in the UK."

See the article: Newspaper Society says police use of RIPA to spy on journalists a 'fundamental attack on press freedom' (Press Gazette, link)

And see: Plebgate: Met obtained phone records of Sun political editor without consent (Guardian, link), Met refuses to disclose number of times it obtained journalist phone records - Scotland Yard investigating police mole in Plebgate saga seized records of Sun political editor without consent (Guardian, link)

And: Operation Alice: Closing Report (pdf) and also: Save Our Sources petition (link) and: Save Our Sources articles (link)

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