Main Index to all Sections

Index to News Releases concerning Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation

The News Release reproduced here announces J B Hunt’s precedent-setting High Court hearing against the commercial television regulator the Independent Television Commission (ITC), seeking the overturning of the ITC’s rejection of Hunt’s complaint of July 2000 against Granada Television.  Hunt had complained about Granada’s deliberate censorship of all news relating to the investigation that he and his colleague Malcolm Keith-Hill had undertaken into the Neil Hamilton ‘cash for questions’ affair.
        Hunt disseminated this Release to major news programmes and news input/planning departments of Britain’s news organisations.  They included: BBC political programmes; BBC News Planning; BBC News Gathering; BBC Breakfast News Planning; BBC General Factual Group; BBC News 24; BBC News; BBC Four News; BBC One O’ Clock News; BBC Six O’ Clock News; BBC Ten O’ Clock News; BBC Radio PM Programme; BBC Radio Today Programme; BBC Radio The World Today Programme, Five News; Channel Four News; Channel Five News; Press Association; ITN; Sky News Sunrise; Sky News at Ten; Sky News; Sky Radio News; and local broadcasters Granada TV and BBC NW.
        Prior to the case Hunt received calls from the BBC’s media correspondent Torrin Douglas and other media journalists.  Hunt’s action was the first test of the most controversial clause of the 1990 Broadcast Act, which, during its passage through Parliament, caused an outcry among Britain’s broadcasters, who claimed that outlawing censorship was an attack on broadcasters’ freedoms to select which news to broadcast (see www.coverup.net for 10 Guardian articles condemning the clause as an assault on broadcasters’ right to free speech). 
        However, despite this controversy the only national news broadcaster known to have carried the story was the Ceefax teletext news service.  The only BBC station to carry news was the local broadcaster BBC NW, based in Manchester. 
        No national daily newspaper or broadcaster reported the case, whether in their news, media, or law pages, despite the Press Gazette describing it as a “landmark case”, which Left-wing media lawyers Goodman Derrick claimed in their law bulletin would have “potentially catastrophic” implications for broadcasters.

8 October 2002 For immediate release

On Thursday, 10 October 2002, at the Royal High Courts of Justice, Strand, London, former Granada Tonight reporter Jonathan Boyd Hunt will seek to overturn the Independent Television Commission's rejection of his complaint of 13 July 2000 against Granada TV.  Hunt's complaint alleged that Granada had failed to cover the 'cash for questions' political controversy impartially, contrary to the ITC Code.

It is believed to be the first ever Judicial Review of a ruling by a television Regulator concerning broadcasters' requirement to report political controversies with "due impartiality".  It follows Hunt's successful two-hour hearing of 16 January this year, before the Honourable Mr Justice Burton.  Mr Justice Burton granted Hunt permission to bring the case after being satisfied that there was an arguable case that the ITC's rejection of his complaint was 'irrational'.

Hunt's complaint concerns Granada's admitted failure to report the existence and findings of a six-month independent investigation into the 'cash for questions' affair, conducted by Hunt and fellow freelance Malcolm Keith-Hill, following the May 1997 general election.  Hunt claims that he & Keith-Hill found no reliable evidence to support the 'cash for questions' allegations against the accused former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton.  Instead Hunt claims he and his colleague found copious, undisputable evidence of a conspiracy to pervert the course of Sir Gordon Downey's Parliamentary Inquiry, conducted by senior Guardian journalists and Mohamed Fayed and his staff. 

Hunt's complaint hinges on the requirement under Section Three of the ITC Code, that:
        "licensees must ensure that justice is done to a full range of significant views and perspectives
        during the period in which the controversy is active";

and that:
        "Reporting should be dispassionate and news judgements based on the need to give viewers an
        even-handed account of events.  In reporting on matters of industrial or political controversy, the main
        differing views on the matter should be given their due weight in the period during which the
        controversy is active…"

Taking account of their independent status and the evidence they unearthed, it is Hunt's contention that his & his colleague's investigation constituted a most significant view.  This being the case, he argues that the ITC Code therefore bound Granada to do justice to their investigation and report it with due weight. 

The case is publicly funded, and is expected to last 1-2 days.  Video playback facilities will be available to the Court and may be used. 

Jonathan Boyd Hunt is represented by Mr. David Berkley Q.C. and Mr. Andrew E. C. Thomson, of Tanfield Chambers, Francis Taylor Building, Temple, London.  Hunt's solicitor is Mr Mark Lees of Beesley and Company, St John Street, Manchester.  The ITC is expected to be represented by Mr David Pannick Q.C., who acted in Camelot's successful Judicial Review proceedings against the Lottery Commission of September 2000.  It is expected that Mr. Pannick will be supported by Mr Jonathan Moffett, who acted against Hunt at the permission hearing of 16 January. 

Editors' information:
        Between January and December 1996 Jonathan Boyd Hunt reported and co-directed over 20 features for Granada Tonight.  For his final broadcasts, which concerned an investigation into crime and decay in East Manchester, Hunt represented Granada for Best NW News Reporter of the Year.
        Hunt has constructed two websites containing information about his legal action and investigation:
        www.coverup.net is dedicated to the High Court Action.  A document entitled: "Submission to the High Court seeking Judicial Review (skeleton argument)" gives a concise overview of the case.  Like all documents on both websites this is downloadable as a 'Rich Text Format' document.
        www.guardianlies.com concerns Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation.  The website contains over 280 web pages and 650 A4 pages of text documents.  Section Three contains discussions of some of the evidence which Hunt contends shows that a conspiracy took place to pervert the course of the Downey Inquiry.

        Jonathan Boyd Hunt can be contacted on 07973 xxx xxx

News Release 8 March 2000

This web page is situated in Guardianlies.com/Section One: The British media's censorship of Hunt & Keith-Hill's investigation

Help promote this website with a donation from as little as £1 or $1 - and spread the word