The National Union of Journalists said it was “extremely worried” about the “chilling effect” of police officers questioning members of the press, after a Scottish journalist revealed police had come to his home last week and asked him to reveal his source for stories he had written.
The NUJ said the questioning was not an isolated incident and it had been contacted by other members of the press in recent months with complaints that they had been questioned by police about sources.
Paul Smith, a freelance journalist based in Falkirk, told the Guardian that officers had left a calling card at his house last week, asking him to contact them in relation to their inquiries. When he called and asked for more details he was told it was in relation to his work as a journalist, but they could not give more details, he said.
Smith said he was “shocked and taken aback” when two detectives came to his house on Friday and told him the Police Scotland communications team had raised concerns about the in-depth information he had obtained in several stories – published in the Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Record. Smith said he was asked to disclose if he had contacts within Police Scotland or other emergency service, and if so, who they were.
“I said: ‘Hell will freeze over before I reveal any of my sources,’” Smith said. “No journalists should be made to feel like they need to disclose sources – if they had asked this to a more inexperienced reporter, they may have felt they had to give the information.”
He added that he had told officers he had lived in Falkirk for 29 years and had many contacts within the community where the stories had occurred. “The press team could have called me to discuss this months ago, but it felt like a bully tactic to get sources from me. It’s mind-blowing to be honest,” he said.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said inquiries were carried out after police received information that an officer had “allegedly disclosed information without authorisation”.
A spokesperson said: “These enquiries have revealed no evidence of criminality or misconduct. It is both appropriate and justified to investigate any report such as this and it is completely inaccurate to suggest these enquiries were conducted to establish the source of general media reporting.”
Nick McGowan-Lowe, the national organiser for the NUJ’s Scottish office, said a small number of other journalists had contacted the union about being contacted by police about sources and it was writing to Police Scotland’s chief constable, Jo Farrell, who took up the post five months ago.
“We’re extremely worried about the chilling effect that this is going to have on legitimate journalism,” he said. “It’s extremely intimidating for any journalist to have police officers turn up at their home simply for doing their job. You also have to ask if this is a good use of police resources.”
Smith’s local MSP, Michelle Thomson, said she supported the journalist “without reservation” and had requested a meeting with the area commander. “I consider this to be unacceptable,” she said. “Journalists must be able to protect their sources. A free press is a vital part of our democracy.”
Smith said the police visit had made him feel uncomfortable, and like he was being treated as a criminal rather than a witness. “It’s clear from the visit on Friday that journalists are being treated as a threat to the force,” he said. “I think there are serious sort of questions to be asked and answered in terms of the tactical approach towards journalists.”
Following the visit Smith contacted the Scottish justice and home affairs secretary, Angela Constance. A Scottish government spokesperson said in response: “A free, vibrant and independent press is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and journalists must be able to report on behalf of the public in a safe and free environment.”
Smith then asked Police Scotland repeatedly if they had checked his phone records and if he was under investigation. He said initially he received an email saying “it would be inappropriate to comment”. A day later an officer confirmed his phone records had not been looked into and he was not “currently under investigation”, but he would not be told the outcome of any investigation, he said.
The journalist added that he hoped Scotland’s new chief constable would try to repair relationships with journalists. “It is a very sour relationship at the moment,” he said. “It needs to improve.”
