Beware of source speculation
- 5 Mar 07, 09:41 AM
I find myself in the somewhat surreal position this morning of having read two days of newspaper reports of what is alleged to have been the story which I - along with my colleague Reeta Chakrabati - had hoped to broadcast on Friday night's Ten O'Clock News but being unable to broadcast it or to give any indication of whether any of these stories come close to what we planned to broadcast. To do otherwise would risk being in contempt of court - a serious offence. What is interesting is to see how cautious some papers are and how brave (reckless?) others have been.
There are a couple of things I am at liberty to write about - the role of the attorney general and the speculation/gossip about the source.
I see absolutely no evidence that the attorney did anything other than what all previous occupants of his post would have done, ie to respond to a request from the Metropolitan Police for an injunction. He was, as he has claimed, acting in his capacity as an independent lawyer not as a politician. The widespread disbelief which this assertion provokes probably means that the ancient post of attorney general will not survive - or at least not in this form - beyond Lord Goldsmith's tenure.
Now for the sourcing. "It must have been Downing Street" say unnamed police sources quoted in certain papers confirming the worst suspicions of the government's enemies. Pause a second and wind back. Last time we did a story of this sort - the story of "the K and the big P" - Downing Street sources were quoted as saying it must have been the police. In my experience of journalism it is rarely as simple as one side or the other handing you a story or a document on a plate.
In fact that has only happened to me once in my entire career when as a rookie political producer I called a member of a controversial Labour party policy review group who I'd never spoken to before. I fully expected that I would have to spend some time and money - in the form of the odd lunch or drink - on building a relationship before getting a proper insight to the issue. "I suppose you'd like all the documents then?" was my new source's first question on the phone. "Shall we meet for a drink" I asked. "No need" came the reply, "I'll leave them in a brown envelope for you". If only all stories were like that.
PS: I mistakenly referred to the attorney the other day as a member of Cabinet. He attends but is not a member. Sorry. You can find more information on his role .
