All Sections

View and post jobs in journalism
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Editor's Pick
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Broadcast Journalism
    • Digital Journalism
    • Magazines
    • Media Law
    • National Newspapers
    • People
      • Appointments
      • Obituaries
    • Regional Newspapers
  • Press Gazette Podcast
  • British Journalism Awards
  • Press Gazette Email Newsletter

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
Close
[mashshare]
Skip to content
  • About us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • RSS
All sections

Search

Search pressgazette.co.uk

Close

Press Gazette

Subscribe to our email newsletter Journalism email newsletter
  • News
  • Comment
  • Data
  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Marketing
  • Awards
  • Jobs

Menu

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • National Newspapers
  • Regional Newspapers
  • Digital Journalism
  • Broadcast Journalism
  • Media Law
  • Magazines
  • Wires and Agencies
  • Obituaries
  • News
  • Comment/Analysis
  • Jobs
  • British Journalism Awards

In the news

  • Platforms
  • Publishers
  • Interviews
  • Marketing
Close
Sun reporter paid 'stooge' police officer £500 for story tips, court told
Mail Online and News Corp reach 'settlement' over Australian story-stealing claims
September 24, 2014
  • Comment/Analysis
  •    
  • Digital Journalism
  •    
  • Media Law
  •    
  • News
  •    
  • Social media
  •    

There's nothing to see here: Met Police chief ignores nearly 50 questions about use of RIPA to spy on journalists

By William Turvill Twitter

Share this

  • Tweet
  • Share 0
  • Reddit
Comments
0

The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police declined to answer questions about the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act being used by his force to spy on journalists today.

In a regular Q&A hosted on Twitter, Bernard Hogan-Howe faced nearly 50 questions from 20 different Twitter accounts this afternoon under the hashtag #AskMetBoss asking about his force's use of RIPA to spy on journalists. Some of the questions were additionally retweeted more than ten times.

But he chose instead to answer questions about the number of horses used by the force, how he thinks Londoners rate the Met's service and how many graduate recruits will be taken on next year.

Here are some of the tweets he blanked, and some of the questions the Met chose to answer instead.

Does @metpolice routinely use RIPA to access journalists' phone records during "leak inquiries"? #AskMetBoss

— Sean O'Neill (@TimesCrime) September 24, 2014

How many times has the @MetPoliceUK used RIPA to secretly obtain journalists’ phone records? #Askmetboss #SaveOurSources

— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014

RIPA was intended to detect + prevent serious crime. Why has it been used by @MetPoliceUK to find lawful, journalistic sources? #AskMetBoss

— Dominic Ponsford (@Domponsford) September 24, 2014

@metpoliceuk Why do you use opaque laws which don't require a judge's consent to target journalists' confidential sources? #AskMetBoss

— Hugo Gye (@HugoGye) September 24, 2014

.@BeakyBobby Our survey shpws about 7/10. Hard for me to speak on their behalf #AskMetBoss

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014

Loads of journalists challenging The Met on RIPA on the #AskMetBoss. No answer though.

— Courtney (@c_greatrex) September 24, 2014

#AskMetBoss How many times has @metpoliceuk used RIPA to circumvent PACE protections on journalists' sources?

— Gareth Corfield (@GazTheJourno) September 24, 2014

OK, we are going to talk ‘horses’, but not RIPA? #AskMetBoss

— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014

738 have signed petition saying police shd ask judge to get journalists' phone records. What do u think? #askmetboss http://t.co/CF5wHsFMZ8

— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014

#AskMetBoss @metpoliceuk when will you answer the RIPA question? How often has the Met used RIPA to pry into reporters' phones?

— Sean O'Neill (@TimesCrime) September 24, 2014

Do you understand quite how important the RIPA question is? #AskMetBoss

— Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) September 24, 2014

#AskMetBoss Do you only answer questions where the answer shows you in a positive light? #SaveOurSources

— Gareth Corfield (@GazTheJourno) September 24, 2014

Hogan-Howe doesn't seem to be answering @wturvill's questions about the @metpoliceuk's abuse of RIPA powers. How odd. #AskMetBoss

— joshi herrmann (@joshiherrmann) September 24, 2014

About half of questions to Bernard Hogan-Howe in #askMetboss Q&A about use of RIPA to seize journos phone records. And none of the answers.

— Chris Baynes (@seeBaynes) September 24, 2014

Have you heard of RIPA? #AskMetBoss

— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014

.@terry95_8 We have over 100 horses but 32 boroughs, 8 football league teams, many protests, festivals. Would love to get more! #AskMetBoss

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014

Is it harassment to keep asking the same question? RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA RIPA #AskMetBoss

— Duke_of_Monton (@Duke_of_Monton) September 24, 2014

thanks everyone – that's all for now – see you next time #AskMetBoss

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) September 24, 2014

Did I miss it, or did @metpoliceuk fail to answer the RIPA question at all? #AskMetBoss

— Paul Bernal (@PaulbernalUK) September 24, 2014

🙁 #AskMetBoss #SaveOurSources @MetPoliceUK

— Press Gazette (@pressgazette) September 24, 2014

SIGN UP HERE FOR

MEDIA MONITOR

Press Gazette's weekly email providing strategic insight into the future of the media

Subscribe

Related Stories

  • The whole journalism industry played its part in campaign to protect sources from police spying
  • ACPO scuppered Press Gazette FoI requests on police use of RIPA by issuing blanket guidance
  • 300 police media leak probes in five years - forces refuse to reveal how many involved RIPA spying
  • Cracks are appearing in the dam of silence over police spying on journalists and their sources

Explore these topics

  • Metropolitan Police
  • RIPA
  • Save Our Sources
Browse, search and add journalism jobs
Comments
No comments to display

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More content

Post a job on Press Gazette

Most Popular

  1. Sunday Times exposure of crime boss David Hunt shows that sometimes big media is needed to expose big wrongs
  2. Isle of Man paper wins right to speak in court
  3. New York Times third-party cookies New York Ties Interview: New York Times explains the in-house adtech it is using to prepare for the death of third-party cookies
  4. Cash for conspiracies: How David Icke, 'alternative' media and tech giants make money from coronavirus conspiracies
  5. cookies Enter Sandbox: How Google is building an internet without cookies - and why publishers are concerned

Latest Jobs

  • Global Witness logo investigative journalist job Investigation Officer (Forests), Global Witness
  • Editor in Chief, Scottish Sun
  • Features Producer, Economist Radio
Mail Online and News Corp reach 'settlement' over Australian story-stealing claims

© copyright 2021 Press Gazette Ltd. Made in Taiwan.