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Peter Horrocks

Facing prosecution?


This weekend the Mail on Sunday published under the headline, "´óÏó´«Ã½ may be prosecuted for offering £40,000 to 'child smugglers'".

It followed a report on Thursday's ´óÏó´«Ã½ Ten O'Clock News (which the programme's editor blogged about here) exposing a Bulgarian man willing to sell children.

The Mail on Sunday quoted extensively from a press conference given by the chief of police in Varna, Bulgaria, where the investigation was carried out. He said the ´óÏó´«Ã½ offered money for the children and that, according to their information, "the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s investigation was flawed." He added, "we have found nothing to back up claims of an organised group selling children for €60,000."

The article also included the paragraph, "neighbours who know the man added that they would not be surprised if he had taken money from the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s journalists to fabricate the story, but doubted he was involved in baby-trafficking". It also made a point of the fact that the story comes in the wake of ´óÏó´«Ã½ staff being suspended after faked phone-in competitions.

However the police chief made a number of demonstrably inaccurate comments in his press conference and clearly has a vested interest in down-playing the significance of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s investigation, as it reveals potential criminal activity in his jurisdiction. For instance, the police chief claimed that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ had sacked the journalist responsible for the report and had written a letter of apology - both of which are untrue.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ did not offer money for the children. In fact "Harry" - who boasted to us that he was a people trafficker, and has a criminal conviction for it in Germany - brought a succession of children to us, and set a price of up to €60,000. The evidence is on tape for all to see - you can watch the report here.

The police chief claims we deliberately attempted to delay the arrest of "Harry" by providing false information. Again, this is incorrect. He also claims Varna doesn't have a problem with people trafficking. Both the United Nations and the European Union say it does - with reports warning of many gangs .

The investigation was carried out under strict editorial guidelines, with the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s Editorial Policy department consulted at every point - it exposed a trade in children going on within the European Union, something of great public interest. ´óÏó´«Ã½ News is proud of the report and the journalists who worked on it - at significant personal risk - and we stand by the report, and how it was made, fully.

Peter Horrocks is head of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Newsroom

Husain Husaini

Questions of identity


What is a "coconut?"

´óÏó´«Ã½ Asian Network logoIt's perhaps a new term to you, but when we went on the street and talked to British Asians about their concerns, it was something that came up time and time again. "Coconut" is used by Asian people to describe other Asians who act or think like white people. The idea is that you may be brown on the outside but on the inside you are white - it can be used teasingly or it can be a deep insult.

We decided to do some more rigorous research about "coconuts" and a number of other issues of identity for the Asian Network's "Asian Nation" project. We commissioned a poll from ICM who asked Asians if they would describe themselves as a coconut. Perhaps not surprisingly for a term that is undoubtedly derogatory only 12 per cent did. But a third said that they thought you needed to BE a coconut to get on in British society. To find more about our poll have a look .

If you listen to the Asian Network you will know that the issues of identity crop up again and again as first, second, and now a third generation of people born and brought up here wrestle with their cultural identity. They all have to balance their cultural heritage with the influences they get from modern day British society.

The Asian Network project is our contribution to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of partition. Other parts of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ are looking closely at the events of 60 years ago and their effect on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We felt that our focus should be on our British Asian audience and we've asked them to send their thoughts on their lives now to be put up on our special website, which we've launched today.

Husain Husaini is head of news at the Asian Network

Host

´óÏó´«Ã½ in the news, Monday

  • Host
  • 30 Jul 07, 10:18 AM

The Guardian: Reports a poll which indicates that public trust in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has fallen sharply in the wake of recent scandals. ()

The Telegraph: "The ´óÏó´«Ã½'s long-awaited internet TV service - iPlayer - has successfully passed its most important test: remaining fully-functional for its first 48 hours." ()

The Independent: A reporter spends a day with the Ten O'Clock News team. ()

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