by TIM HICKS.

~~~~~

Two recent stories published in the national media make me bemoan irresponsible press coverage.

1. The Domino’s Pizza affair

A Bridlington couple who had sex openly in Domino’s Pizzas in Scarborough have been convicted by Scarborough Magistrates of outraging public decency. BBC Report here.

Magistrates are chosen from local people of good character and standing, so that their views and judgment reflect local sentiment and public opinion. The chair of the bench described the behaviour of this couple, which took place in full view of the street as “disgusting”.

Yet one national newspaper ran a story lauding their behaviour as if it was commendable, or normal.

The two individuals concerned gloried in the press coverage, acting as if they were celebrities.

On a point of principle, it saddens me that journalists would praise criminal conduct and feed the desire for publicity of criminals. They have, in short, rewarded criminality. In my opinion that was wrong and unethical.

2. Operation Conifer – the enquiry into allegations of sexual abuse by Sir Edward Heath.

The second was this article from the Daily Mail and others like it on the investigation into allegations of historical child sexual abuse against Sir Edward Heath, which has been in progress for some time, by Wiltshire Constabulary under Chief Constable Mike Veale.

At the request of Wiltshire Constabulary, the North Yorks Enquirer assisted in one aspect of this investigation concerning any evidence our investigation may have uncovered of contact between Sir Edward Heath and Scarborough’s Mayor Peter Jaconelli.

Based on this contact with the Wiltshire Police team, the conduct of the investigation appeared to be highly professional.

The NYE has followed events in the enquiry with great interest, whilst ensuring we would do nothing that would in any way prejudice or retard the investigation. However, and unfortunately, this has not been the case with other media organisations and some public figures. A summary of some of the public comments by public figures can be read here.

The NYE’s coverage on Operation Conifer can be read here and here. It includes the very measured response of Chief Constable Veale to this uninformed speculation, which he believed was potentially having a “prejudicial impact upon a live ongoing investigation”.

He has been supported in this concern by Chief Constable Simon Bailey, national lead for child protection at the National Police Chief’s Council, who featured recently in an NYE article on child protection.  Chief Constable Bailey has been quoted by the Daily Mail as cautioning against attempts to ‘undermine’ Chief Constable Veale and stressing that police must be able to “carry out investigations with complete independence without commentary which threatens to undermine the process”.

Chief Constable Mike Veale: Trying to impartially conduct a sensitive investigation, despite intrusive media comment

Yet newspapers still insist on publishing speculation and derogatory comments by politicians, instead of waiting to let the investigation take its course and assessing the Wiltshire investigation once the report has been issued officially.

One of those complaining about the investigation is Lord Armstrong of Ilminster. I met Lord Armstrong when I participated with him in a BBC Radio 4 “Today Programme” broadcast on the findings of the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Lord Armstrong was formerly Private Secretary to Sir Edward Heath and appears to me to be acting out of misplaced personal loyalty. It should not be forgotten that Sir Edward Heath’s reputation is best-served by a full and open investigation uncompromised in any way by press comment. A spokesman for the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation, which operates the museum at his home in Salisbury is quoted in a BBC Report as saying: “We wholeheartedly believe (the investigation) will clear Sir Edward’s name and we will co-operate fully with the police in their enquiries”.

The NYE investigation into Peter Jaconelli – an influential and senior Conservative Party politician – revealed that he was a child abuser and rapist, and routinely enticing children into prostitution. As with our investigation, the Wiltshire Police investigation has been subjected to unjustifiable criticism from entrenched political interests from the very start. Some of it has been personalised and directed at Chief Constable Veale, unfairly in my view.

Operation Conifer reveals a key conflict between the media and the police. On the one hand, the media has to hold public bodies including the police to account, for instance concerning large amounts of public money spent on historical investigations. But beyond that there is an overwhelming requirement to do nothing that will prejudice an on-going police investigation, or cause distress to victims of crime. This is particularly true in sensitive historical investigations into child abuse, when the police are appealing for victims of sexual abuse to come forward to them.

The conduct of Operation Conifer can only be assessed once the report has been issued. Until then, it should be allowed to run its course unhindered by unethical press speculation, entrenched political interests and people motivated by misguided loyalty.

The NYE will continue to monitor Operation Conifer and keep our readers informed of progress, but in a responsible way, as our readership would expect.

~~~~~

“Press Awards”

I read of the award of both the Newspaper of the Year to the Daily Mail and Website of the Year to the Mail Online with great satisfaction. I was particularly pleased to read that it was praised for its “strong and provocative voice, campaigning journalism and shaping of the national conversation”.

I have long admired the style of the Daily Mail for covering complex long-running issues in comprehensive in depth articles, that are direct and do not pull any punches. Occasionally I used Mail Online articles as background research information for some of my articles and I have tried to model the style of my North Yorks Enquirer (NYE) contributions on them. One of my favorite Mail Online articles is this one, which in conjunction with the book Jeremy Thorpe, by Michael Bloch, and other sources, I used to get the investigation into the suspicious disappearance of Henry Upon and the Thorpe case re-opened.

The award signifies a continuing trend in investigative journalism of relentlessly sticking with issues with long running campaigns, coupled with forthright comment that does not pull any punches. This has always been the style of the NYE, which is why I choose to write for it.

2nd Letter from Tim Hicks published in The Journalist

This is the second time that I have had  a letter published in The Journalist on the topic of citizen journalism.

My first letter can be read here and emphasised my opinion that citizen journalism is not a threat to established print media, which should try to work cooperatively with citizen journalists.

In my second letter, I point out that the citizen journalists of Real Whitby and the NYE have been far more effective in upholding the public interest by holding public bodies to account than any of the local traditional print media.

Both letters respond to scepticism expressed from fellow journalists about the value of citizen journalism.

Definition:

“an alternative and activist form of newsgathering and reporting that functions outside mainstream media institutions, often as a response to shortcomings in the professional journalistic field, that uses similar journalistic practices but is driven by different objectives and ideals“.

However, the reality is that citizen journalism is going to be a permanent fixture that improves local democracy, giving local citizens a voice and exposing wrongdoing. I believe that, in the future, every area will be served by an internet news magazine like the North Yorks Enquirer and that every police force will be subject to effective media scrutiny by citizen journalists.

As with the Daily Mail, the NYE style is of a “strong and provocative voice, campaigning journalism and shaping of the national conversation”.

I am particularly proud of the exclusive exposure of the expenses payments made to Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, the double dipping of expenses by some SBC Councillors, our determined pursuit of the Peter Jaconelli scandal and the NYE’s consistent support of the brave and principled Scarborough Borough Council (SBC) whistle-blower Ben Marriott. Follow up article here. NYE articles have shaped national perceptions by being the source of articles in the national media, regional press and regional television.

The NYE performs a vital service in North Yorkshire holding public bodies to account and covering stories on an ongoing basis as they develop that other media outlets will not cover. Citizens and Councillors are now able to use the NYE to voice their concerns openly in a way never possible before. The quality of the reporting by local print media has improved immeasurably over the last two years, because they have had to meet the standard of investigative journalism provided to the people of Scarborough and Whitby by the NYE.

The progress we have made and the service we have provided to our local community has come at a price. The citizen journalists of the NYE try to maintain high journalistic standards and to act in the public interest, even if that involves conflict with public bodies. The duty of a free press is to hold public bodies to account and consequently this has often brought NYE journalists into conflict with them. A few examples:

• The NYE publishes North Yorkshire Police (NYP) appeals for information to help them keep our communities safe and has assisted in a number of police investigations by NYP, and other forces. However, our coverage of the Chief Officer’s expenses scandal and the failure of the police to arrest Peter Jaconelli and Jimmy Savile, despite the fact they were known to be openly offending in Scarborough and Whitby, has led to NYP adopting an entrenched position. Even now, the Police & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Mrs Julia Mulligan will not respond to our press enquiries, or implement the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recommendations, that the NYE does comply with. To quote Chief Constable Andy Trotter, Chair of the ACPO Communications Advisory Group, writing in the ACPO Guidance on this matter:

“A successful working relationship between the Police Service and the media is vital. Moreover, working with the media to engage the public – either to help solve crimes or demonstrate police work is now part of the everyday business of policing. The relationship has changed in recent years. There is a greater degree of openness than ever before. Police forces have responded positively to the demands of the Freedom of Information Act and share a great deal of material that might have been kept from the public in past decades.

The rapid pace of technological change continues to bring new challenges, around the clock, for both media departments in police forces and the media. How the media report has changed dramatically over recent years – mobile phone footage, citizen journalists and social media such as twitter are all immediate, direct communication which sit outside the traditional broadcast and print arenas. They have become part of the mainstream.”

• Scarborough Borough Councillor, retired Chief of Scarborough Police during the Jaconelli years, double-dipper extraordinaire and former Mayor, Cllr Tom Fox (Conservative), stood up in full Council and advocated that NYE journalists should be subject to threat and retaliation for “saying what they like when they like”.

• SBC threatened to sue Tim Thorne, Glenn Kilpatrick, Nigel Ward and myself (the Whitby four) and tried to shut Real Whitby down. It was castigated for this in Private Eye and on BBC Inside Out

I hope the NYE will continue to provide incisive investigative journalism and satirical photoons, to the people of North Yorkshire. The photoon leading the article showing the NYE team hiding in a fallout bunker relates to one of my favourite stories broken by the NYE concerning Councillors who were members of the North Yorkshire National Park Authority, who were also landowners that could potentially make millions if an application for mining rights in the park was approved. This was followed by the resignation of Councillor Tim Lawn.

Yours, etc

Tim Hicks

• an “In My View” article by NIGEL WARD, updating readers on the burgeoning scandal surrounding the huge (and probably illegal) profits made by North Yorkshire Councils – from PCNs (parking tickets) and residents’ parking permits.

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Following a unprecedented volume of web-traffic visiting the North Yorks Enquirer in the wake of a series of articles by columnist Tim THORNE and guest author Andy STRANGEWAY, covering the disastrous mismanagement of on-street parking signage in Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) in a number of towns in North and East Yorkshire, the Scarborough News has today (10/12/15) published an article under the by-line of Ian JOHNSON, thus carrying the story to residents who still rely on print media for their local/regional news.

This follows coverage in most of the national newspapers earlier in the week, outlining the shocking news as announced in a Royal Automobile Club (RAC) 2015 report, that Councils throughout the country have made a massive £700,000,000 PROFIT on the administration of parking in the last financial year alone.

The Yorkshire Post coverage revealed that Yorkshire Councils netted £33.2M in the last twelve months, described as “eye-watering” by RAC spokesman Steve GOODING, who added:

• “The bottom line is that restrictions and charges should always be about managing traffic and never about revenue raising.”

As explained in the Daily Mail coverage on Monday 7th December 2015:

• “Technically the cash boost is referred to as a ‘surplus’ because councils are forbidden by law from making a ‘profit’ on parking. Any surplus must be used for transport or environmental projects – not to subsidise other areas of spending.”

County, Borough and District Councillors and members of the public are now demanding to know how and where this so-called “surplus” has been spent – with good reason, because the next question will be:

• “Who will foot the bill for the refund requests that are already flooding into our Councils”

In an attempt to resolve this question, and having failed to reach NYCC’s Head of Legal Barry KHAN by telephone this morning, I have emailed a request for a statement on behalf of North Yorkshire County Council, for whom the District and Borough Councils in North Yorkshire act as on-street parking administrators for and on behalf of the County Council.

——– Original Message ——–
Subject: ‘Unenforceable’ Parking permits and PCNs.
Date:     Thu, 10 Dec 2015
From:     Nigel
To:     Barry Khan <Barry.Khan@northyorks.gov.uk>

Good morning, Barry,

Having just failed to get through to you by telephone, could I ask you please to see if you can organise a statement for me on the matter of the shortcomings in signage of some of the Controlled Parking Zones throughout the County?

The Scarborough News  has picked up on the series of stories run by Tim THORNE and myself at the Enquirer and I am now fielding calls and emails every few minutes from members of the public (and Councillors) asking where the buck stops on the matter of potential refunds against permits and PCNs that, as it turns out, are not legally enforceable. Essentially, I need to be able to let readers know to whom requests for refunds should be addressed.

I regret troubling you with this, but I know I can rely on you to put me in the picture. A short statement would clear that up in a stroke.

Very kind regards,

Nigel

At the time of publication (7:00pm on Thursday 10th December 2015), I have heard nothing from NYCC.

Robert GOODWILL MP [Con.] (Scarborough & Whitby) was appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Transport on 9th December 2015.  So I have emailed today to solicit a comment from the highest local source:

——– Original Message ——–
Subject:     North Yorkshire Parking fiasco
Date:     Thu, 10 Dec 2015
From:     Nigel
To:     GOODWILL, Robert <robert.goodwill.mp@parliament.uk>

Robert,

The purpose of my email is twofold:

Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of State at the Department for Transport on 9th December 2015. Bravo!

Secondly, I intend to publish a further article on the subject of the burgeoning row about the “illegality” of the signage for the Controlled Parking Zones throught your constituency. For your convenience of reference, I include the following URL-links:

• “SBC Parking Refunds Ahoy!” by Tim THORNE (29th November 2015)
• “ERYC – Parking Tickets Refund” by Andy STRANGEWAY (2nd December 2015)
• “Parking Refunds For Whitby” by Tim THORNE (4th December 2015)
• “Parking Refunds On Cards For Harrogate” by Tim THORNE (9th December 2015)
• “ERYC: Beverley – More CPZ Refunds” by Andy STRANGEWAY (9th December 2015)

Could I ask you, please, to provide a comment to include in this evening’s article?

I thank you in confident anticipation of your definitive word on this topic ahead of my press-deadline of 7:00pm this evening.

Yours, with very kind regards,

Nigel

At the time of publication, I have heard nothing from Robert GOODWILL MP.

Of course, I was not anticipating an expression of total confidence that the legalities had been duly observed by the well-qualified (and highly paid) Council Officers who oversaw the implementation of the CPZs in North Yorkshire, in whom we  place our trust – or that every motorist who has been wrongly penalised would be duly reimbursed.

Even so, no response from either our top County Legal Officer or our Minister of State for Transport is extremely disappointing – however predictable.

See also the following Scarborough News article – which begs the question:

• “How did SBC manage to spend £3.6M administering the flawed scheme?”