IN terms of investigative journalism, few pursuits could be considered more worthy than the unsolved murder of six innocent men, gunned down while watching a football match in a rural bar.
No Stone Unturned was a powerful piece of documentary making. Many years of investigation went into the film, some of which was based on a report by Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire into the 1994 loyalist massacre at Loughinisland.
Following its release last year, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Stephen Martin said that the suspected use of sensitive documents, thought to originate from the ombudsman's office, had been reported to Durham police who were already investigating how a solicitor's firm obtained separate documents from the watchdog's office.
Confidential documents and reports leaked to journalists have been at the heart of almost every significant news story and investigation for decades.
From medical negligence cases to parliamentary expenses scandals, to the abuse of children in care, without journalists shining a spotlight in corners that those in power and authority would rather they didn't, matters of huge public interest would never have seen the light of day.
It is no coincidence that when dictatorships and totalitarian regimes gain power the first strike is always on the freedom of the press.
The arrest of journalists is still taking place across the globe in places such as Turkey, Iran, Egypt and Syria and, as of yesterday, Northern Ireland.
To only report what information governments, powerful corporations, security agencies or other official organisations want reported is not journalism, it's at best public relations and at worst propaganda.
Regardless of where your political beliefs or allegiances lie, the arrest of journalists and film makers over the provenance of source material, that we as reporters should do all in our power to protect, should always be cause for concern. It sets a precedent and a very dangerous one at that.
Read more:
- Loughinisland material seized 'will not be examined' pending the outcome of a legal challenge over validity of the search warrant
- Arrests could have a 'chilling' effect on investigative journalism
- Loughinisland massacre journalists have both won justice awards in distinguished careers
- Police focus is on finding journalist's sources rather than solving murders, says NUJ
