Readers of the previous post will be aware that former Senior Investigating Officer of the Jersey Child Abuse Inquiry, Lenny Harper, and VFC submitted a complaint to the BBC Trust after trying to rectify the situation quickly, and easily, at a local level but managing director of BBC Jersey, Jon Gripton, didn't acknowledge either of our e-mails.
This is a small victory for those of us fighting for accurate reporting, an end to the propaganda and cover-up, also a reminder to the Chair of the Committee of Inquiry, Francis Oldham QC, that it's not the Bloggers who knowingly broadcast false information.
Below is a video of the "offending article" and the BBC's "correction" (not an apology for knowingly misleading its viewer(s)).
For those who wish to give evidence to the Committee of Inquiry please make contact through its website HERE.
Jersey bloggers hold the powerful to account because the mainstream (state media) outlets fail to do so. Now you have demonstrated that you hold the state media to account as well. It would be a dismal failure of the COI if they did not treat you in the high professional regard you have earned.
ReplyDeleteElle
Just for the record. My correspondence with the Inquiry. At least I got a reply albeit formulaic and hopefull some of this has registered.
ReplyDelete_______________________________
Dear Mr Duibhir,
Thank you for your emails over the past few days and we do note your comments.
Questions of media accreditation and the processes that will be followed by the Inquiry will be explained at the Inquiry's hearing on 3 April. The information which is made available at the hearing will also be published on the Inquiry's website - www.jerseycareinquiry.org - following the hearing so that those who are unable to attend can still access the information. Everyone will have access to the information on the same day.
Press Office
Independent Jersey Care Inquiry
________________________________________
From: Pól Ó Duibhir
Sent: 19 March 2014 10:51
To: Jersey Care Inquiry Press
Subject: Re: The Inquiry's dealings with the Press
I have been following your correspondence with the VFC Blog.
While you may feel you are being reasonable, you should, perhaps, take
into account the frustration of the Jersey Bloggers and the victims who
have been dealing with total obstruction and the lack of any real appeal
mechanism against "The Jersey Way".
Your inquiry will have a long uphill struggle to establish its
credibility against this background of distrust.
In the absence of a proper MSM, the bloggers have been for some years
now, the only locus of real debate where opposition to the
administration is taken seriously and not buried. They have also been
leaked material and accumulated evidence not available elsewhere.
It would be seen as a good omen by those concerned with establishing the
truth, and getting it recognised, if the bloggers were treated on an
equal footing with the MSM as far as accreditation and access are
concerned.
Pól Ó Duibhir
Dublin, Ireland
______________________
On 16/03/2014 20:59, Pól Ó Duibhir wrote:
I have been reading some disturbing correspondence on the Jersey Voice
for Children blog.
Can you confirm that you will be treating the more responsible
bloggers (eg Stuart Syvret, Voice for Children, Rico Sorda) on the
same basis as the "Mainstream Media" (eg BBC Jersey, Channel TV,
Jersey Evening Post)?
I take it you are aware of the conflicted position of the Island's MSM
in cooperating with the longstanding cover-up of abuse on the Island,
and it is very disturbing to read that you are currently giving them
exclusive access to Frances Oldham. How you expect to gain the trust
of victims in this way is beyond me. These victims have been let down
so often that they are loath to trust anybody, particulary after the
shutting down and smearing of the police investigation under Lenny
Harper. Had this not been shut down, your Inquiry might not even have
been necessary.
You should also be aware that recent inquiries commissioned by the
Church of England (Winchester Diocese) relating to clerical abuse in
Jersey have been hopeless conflicted. In case you might think that
such church matters have little to do with your (lay) inquiry, you
should recall that the Church of England is the established church in
Jersey and that there is intense interaction, amounting to collusion,
between the church and state authorities on the Island.
I would appreciate it if you would acknowledge receipt of this email
and also reply in an adult manner, avoiding the standard platitude
that all will be revealed on 3 April.
Pól Ó Duibhir.
Dublin, Ireland.
Misleading headlines, incorrect articles (shackles) and the blatent day-in-day-out bias by Jersey's MSM reporting- so very Jersey Way. It would be nice to think this small victory acts a catalyst of further 'regrets' but somehow....... (if only the media had done its job properly in the first place.) The CoI won't look at the Jersey Way media 'issue', but its an important backdrop the panel need to understand.
ReplyDeleteA little way to go to stop the people of Jersey listening and watching the BBC me thinks!
ReplyDeleteIt's not (or shouldn't be) about stopping people listing to/watching BBC. It's about stopping the BBC broadcasting "stories" it knows to be false.
DeleteLast week was the pits for BBC Jersey. They obviously have 'Englishised', to a ridiculous extreme, phrases like "should Jersey have a National day", and I love it when I go back hope because I can flash £1 notes. A. Touch of Crimea methinks.
ReplyDeleteLow Cement
Anonymous above 22 March 7.41 writes:
ReplyDelete"The CoI won't look at the Jersey Way media 'issue', but its an important backdrop the panel need to understand. "
On the contrary the CoI HAS to look at the issue of the behaviour of the media, just as they HAVE to consider the behaviour of the island's prosecution service, the way that judges made inaccurate pronouncements which served to denigrate the inquiry in the minds of the public, the suspension of Graham Power in every aspect, and so on. This "background" is absolutely essential to understanding what happened.
The Terms of reference were fought over for months by a group of supporters of the victims to achieve the goal of a FULL and INDEPENDENT inquiry. I copy the relevant TOR below
Daniel
TOR 4
4. Examine the political and societal environment during the period under review and its effect on . . . (pretty well everything connected with abuse in the island)
TOR 9
9. Review the actions of the agencies of the government, the justice system and politicians during the period under review, in particular when concerns came to light about child abuse and establish what, if any, lessons are to be learned.
The democratic notion that a free press is expected to provide a balance of power should be an issue of grave importance for a COI, especially since there were mentions of abuse survivors taking their stories to Jersey's old guard media, only to be ignored. Mainstream media mistreatment of survivors is something simply taken for granted in Jersey, but the victims are still owed an answer (and apology) from all who were in a position to intervene and help, but didn't. Outsiders unaware of the media's aggressive cover-up complicity may wonder why abuse was not reported anywhere for so many years, not understanding the hopelessness these children faced, if seeking help.
DeleteFor the COI to be meaningful, it will have to examine the limited options available to abused children who could find no place to turn. The role of religious institutions must also be examined, as should the role of medical professionals who never blew the whistle on suspicious injuries, and worse.
In the Unverified Digital World, Are Journalists and Bloggers Equal?
ReplyDeleteVFC,
ReplyDeleteOn that laughable Facebook Politics Jersey with Free Speech page, the fake profiles James, Julie, Carole and Sue are (sorry, that should read 'is' as we all know that it is just one person) indicating that 'they' or someone connected with 'them' have been in touch with the abuse inquiry team, to denigrate all of the bloggers and their backgrounds.
First of all, if I were you, I would put a data subject access request into the inquiry, under the data protection law, asking if anyone has provided any personal data about you to the inquiry. Secondly, I would ask the inquiry that they only consider representations from identifiable individuals with an identifiable postal address. Otherwise the inquiry must be asked to consider all such interventions vexatious and indeed symptomatic of the cover-ups, distractions and menacing behaviour that the inquiry has been set up to investigate.
Its been said for months that the hatred on these blogs would haunt them in this Inquiry.
ReplyDeleteIts online, it can be seen by the World and the Inquiry Team can see for themselves that many people without charge have already been witch hunted.
Then you wonder why they are reluctant to engage.
It's so easy to get under the skin of James/Julie/Carole/Sue that he copied the above to his own little hate site. You line 'em up, I'll knock 'em in.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, if someone has tried to malign your fact-based blog, to try to prevent open and independent reporting of the inquiry, you have a right to know who they are.
Hopefully the Committee of Inquiry will be able to get the disgraced Home Affairs Minister, Ian Le Marquand, to finally address this OPEN LETTER from the former Senior Investigating Officer of the child abuse atrocities.
ReplyDeleteThe local Child Abuse Investigation starts tomorrow. Should be huge news today for the local media.
ReplyDeleteNot a whisper....
Is this the start of the, (they hope) £2million white wash to come?!
I did e-mail the COI Panel this morning concerning the low profile of PUBLIC meeting tomorrow 10:30am at St Paul's Centre and how there was no mention of it in the State Media.
DeleteHere is the e-mail I sent this morning and the reply I received 10 minutes ago.
"As the Committee/panel will be holding its first public meeting tomorrow I am a little concerned that I've heard nothing about it on any of the Island's local State Media.
Could you let me know if it is a deliberate strategy of the panel to keep this meeting low profile, if so why? Is it an oversight of the panel not to publish some kind of a Press Release making the public aware of the meeting tomorrow?
VFC"
Their reply.
"The Inquiry has publicised the Preliminary Hearing via it's website and via adverts in the local press on the 13th March 2014 : http://www.jerseycareinquiry.org/newsrelease20140313
This was picked up by media outlets at the time. The Inquiry intends to continue to use the website to publish all relevant and appropriate information during the course of its work, including any updates."
If it was a dinner appointment, you'd remind the person the day before.
DeleteNot a good omen. Going to be a box ticking exercise?
The fact that the COI Panel believe because they mentioned it almost three weeks ago that is sufficient is somewhat alarming.
DeleteWould'nt it be wonderful if Graham Power, Lenny Harper, and Stuart Syvret, turned up at St Paul's Centre tomorrow morning at 10-30.
ReplyDeleteIf they did you could be sure they wouldn’t be bumping into David Warcup, Mick Gradwell, and Bill Ogley.
Delete"Would'nt it be wonderful if Graham Power, Lenny Harper, and Stuart Syvret, turned up at St Paul's Centre tomorrow morning at 10-30"
DeleteThere's a tiny percent of me that believes you have some inside info and that you're hinting that it might happen. I really wish it would. Let's see tomorrow eh?