Courts / Ireland / Report

"Not conceivable" that journalists were negatively briefed about McCabe, Chairman says

Summary

On 12 June 2018, Mr Justice Peter Charleton, chairman of the Disclosures Tribunal, said it was not conceivable that senior Garda officers had negatively briefed journalists about whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe. The tribunal was hearing evidence from two Irish Examiner journalists who claimed journalistic privilege over any conversations with confidential sources. Security correspondent Cormac O'Keeffe stated he felt obliged to claim privilege to protect the flow of information from sources. Mr Charleton expressed concern that a journalist could refuse to answer questions about what sources said and then write an article the next day. The tribunal was also considering allegations that Superintendent David Taylor, then Garda press officer, had directed a smear campaign against McCabe. Former commissioners Martin Callinan and Nóirín O'Sullivan denied any such campaign, and the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed no prosecution after a Garda investigation into allegations made by Miss D in 2006.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: "Not conceivable" that journalists were negatively briefed about McCabe, Chairman says. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• February 2014 Other
• April 2018 Other
• July 2014 Other
• June 2014 Other
• March 2014 Incident
• April 2014 Other
• January 2014 Incident
• 2018-06-12 Publication

Why: "I'm just not in a position to get into discussing what may or may not have happened that may or may not reveal a source because of what I see as an overriding principle of journalistic privilege," Mr McConnell said. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report