The head of the BBC in Northern Ireland has said the implications of Gerry Adams’ libel victory against the broadcaster are “profound”.
Adam Smyth, director of BBC NI, said their legal team had warned that the jury’s decision in the high-profile defamation case could “hinder freedom of expression”.
The BBC has been ordered to pay the former Sinn Fein leader 100,000 euro (£84,000) after a jury decided they had defamed him in a 2016 episode of its Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, by alleging he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson.
Mr Adams denies any involvement in Mr Donaldson’s death in 2006.
Speaking outside Dublin High Court alongside Spotlight reporter Jennifer O’Leary, Mr Smyth said they were disappointed with the verdict.
He said: “We believe we supplied extensive evidence to the court of the careful editorial process and journalistic diligence applied to this programme and accompanying online article.
“Moreover, it was accepted by the court, and conceded by Gerry Adams’ legal team, that the Spotlight broadcast and publication were of the highest public interest.”
Mr Smyth said the BBC had not wanted to come to court.
But he added: “It was important that we defend our journalism and we stand by that decision.
“Our past is difficult terrain for any jury and we thank them for their diligence and careful consideration of the issues in this case.
“The implications of their decision, though, are profound.
“As our legal team made clear, if the BBC’s case cannot be won under existing Irish defamation law, it’s hard to see how anyone’s could.
“And they warned that today’s decision could hinder freedom of expression.
“Of course, a case of this importance, duration and complexity involves significant expense. In common with other media organisations, the BBC has insurance and makes financial provision for ongoing and anticipated legal claims.”
Mr Smyth said the BBC would now take time to consider the implications of the ruling.
Ms O’Leary said she had entered the witness box in the trial with “nothing to hide, only sources to protect and I want to thank them for trusting me”.
She paid tribute to the witnesses who had appeared for the BBC in the case, including Ann Travers, whose sister was murdered by the IRA in 1984.
She said: “And there are thousands of Ann Travers across this island and in Britain – victims and survivors of the Troubles and the years after the peace agreement – who carry the burden of their grief and trauma with incredible courage.
“They are the people I’m thinking of – all of them.”
