NUJ alarm as gardaí forced Dublin-based photographic agency to hand over images of protest

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed “alarm” at the latest incident in which gardaí forced a Dublin-based photographic agency to hand over images of a protest

Photo credit: The editor of RollingNews.ie, Eamonn Farrell, left, hands over a disk containg over 300 images after a warrant presented by garda Inspector Des McTiernan, of Store St Station. Picture: Rollingnews.ie

On Tuesday, a garda inspector from Store St station arrived at the offices of RollingNews.ie with a warrant for the seizure of images which one of its photojournalists had taken during a protest at O’Connell St on February 6 relating to the international refugee crisis.

Over 300 images from the journalists’ digital notebook were handed over by RollingNews.ie editor Eamonn Farrell, under protest.

Commenting on the incident, Mr Farrell said it was the fifth time images have been requested by the gardaí over the last few years and the second time it had handed over images, under protest, subject to the presentation of a warrant.

“Our objection is based on our belief that the increasing demand by the gardaí for access to journalists’ media content, is interfering with the freedom of the press and putting the safety and lives of journalists at risk by turning them into the ‘eyes and ears’ of the State,” he said.

In his response to the request, Mr Farrell said despite death threats against journalists here and the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris, the gardaí put the safety of journalists at risk by demanding images.

“I find it strange there was such professional, intellectual, and institutional outrage both nationally and internationally regarding the killing of the Charlie Hebdo journalists in France by terrorists, and the death threats against two journalists in Independent News and Media by a criminal gang, yet you continue to pursue a course of action which is putting our journalists safety and lives at risk,” he said.

Irish secretary of the NUJ Seamus Dooley said it was the latest alarming incident in a series of incidents in which journalists had been faced with demands to hand over images taken at public events.

“There is a strong constitutional and legal basis for the protection of confidential sources of information. Journalists should not be compelled to act as agents of the State and that applies to the supply of photographic images of public events.

Last week the NUJ made a detailed submission to the Murray Review and the principles outlined in that submission are directly relevant in this case,” he said.

Last month, Photocall Ireland (which is now RollingNews.ie) was also forced to hand over images of a protest outside the Department of Justice in Dublin. Its offices were visited by gardaí who served a summons on two staff, a photographer who had photographed the protest, and the office manager. Photocall had refused to voluntarily hand over the images and were forced to do so on foot of a warrant.

At the time, the NUJ labelled the actions “part of a worrying trend”.