The BBC director-general has warned that British journalism is facing a dangerous period
because of attempts by police to force news organisations to hand over confidential sources.
Mark Thompson was speaking the week after Scotland Yard dropped its attempt to obtain a production order, which would have compelled the Guardian to disclose the source of a story revealing that a mobile phone belonging to Milly Dowler was hacked by the News of the World.
In a speech in Taiwan on Sunday morning, Thompson said the affair was part of a disturbing trend
for police forces in many parts of the UK routinely to demand that journalists disclose sources and hand over journalistic materials
.
He added: At the BBC, we receive an ever-growing number of demands for untransmitted news rushes which the police seem to regard as having no more privilege or protection attached to them than CCTV pictures.
The police asked broadcasters to pass them footage of rioters in the summer, a request which most of them said they were happy to comply with providing the police obtained court orders requiring them to do so — via redwolf.newsvine.com
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