Dispatches (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dispatches is the British television
current affairs
documentary
series on Channel 4
, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British
society
, politics
, health
, religion
, international current affairs and the environment
, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.
into the campaign against the MMR vaccine
by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield
. Among a string of allegations, Deer revealed that, when Wakefield claimed a possible link between the vaccine and autism
, his own lab had produced secret results which contradicted his claims, and he had registered patent claims on his own single measles vaccine.
Following the programme, Wakefield, funded by the Medical Protection Society
sued Channel 4, The Sunday Times and Deer personally for libel, but sought to have his lawsuit stayed by the court, so that he did not need to pursue it. The case became high profile when Channel 4 obtained a court order compelling Wakefield to continue with his lawsuit or abandon it. During two years of litigation, three High Court judgments were obtained against Wakefield from Mr Justice David Eady
, including new law that the General Medical Council
was required to supply materials from its own investigations to defendants facing libel actions from doctors. In his first judgment, Eady said:
In pleadings submitted to the court, Channel 4 spelt out what they said the programme had alleged. It said that Wakefield: Had dishonestly and irresponsibly spread fear that the MMR vaccine might cause autism in some children, even though he knew that his own laboratory's tests dramatically contradicted his claims and he knew or ought to have known that there was absolutely no scientific basis at all for his belief that MMR should be broken up into single vaccines. In spreading such fear, also acted dishonestly and irresponsibly, by repeatedly failing to disclose conflicts of interest and/or material information, including his association with contemplated litigation against the manufacturers of MMR and his application for a patent for a vaccine for measles which, if effective, and if the MMR vaccine had been undermined and/or withdrawn on safety grounds, would have been commercially very valuable. Caused medical colleagues serious unease by carrying out research tests on vulnerable children outside the terms or in breach of the permission given by an ethics committee, in particular by subjecting those children to highly invasive and sometimes distressing clinical procedures and thereby abusing them. Has been unremittingly evasive and dishonest in an effort to cover up his wrong-doing.
In January 2007, Wakefield discontinued his claim and paid Channel 4's and Deer's costs.
s throughout Britain. West Midlands Police
investigated whether criminal offences had been committed by those teaching or preaching at the Mosques and other establishments and found that there had been insufficient evidence to bring charges against anyone featured in the documentary.
West Midlands Police
launched an investigation, immediately after the programme was transmitted, into whether criminal offences had been committed by those teaching or preaching at the mosques and other establishments. They presented their evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service
who advised that “a realistic prospect of a conviction was unlikely”.
However Bethan David of the CPS agreed with West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Anil Patani (security and cohesion) that a damaging and distorting impression had been given of the speakers by the programme. On 7 August 2007 the CPS issued a statement:
The police investigation initially looked at whether there had been any criminal offences committed by those featured in the programme and following careful consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), West Midlands Police have been advised that there is insufficient evidence to bring charges against those individuals featured within the programme.
"West Midlands Police acknowledge the concerns that some parts of the programme may have been considered offensive, however when analysed in their full context there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against any individual. ACC Anil Patani for West Midlands Police said: "As a result of our initial findings, the investigation was then extended to include issues relating to the editing and portrayal of the documentary. The priority for West Midlands Police has been to investigate the documentary and it’s making with as much rigour as the extremism the programme sought to portray".
""The police investigation concentrated on three speakers and their comments in the programme. CPS reviewing lawyer Bethan David considered 56 hours of media footage of which only a small part was used in the programme. She said: "The splicing together of extracts from longer speeches appears to have completely distorted what the speakers were saying. "The CPS has demonstrated that it will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible for criminal incitement. But in this case we have been dealing with a heavily edited television programme, apparently taking out of context aspects of speeches, which, in their totality, could never provide a realistic prospect of any convictions".
"The CPS was also asked by the police to consider whether a prosecution under the Public Order Act 1986 should be brought against Channel 4 for broadcasting a programme including material likely to stir up racial hatred. Miss David advised West Midlands Police that on the evidence available, there was insufficient evidence that racial hatred had been stirred up as a direct consequence of the programme. It would also be necessary to identify a key individual responsible for doing this together with an intent to stir up racial hatred, which was not possible.
West Midlands Police then complained to Ofcom
that the programme had been subject to such an intensity of editing that those who had been featured in the programme had been misrepresented (creating an unfair, unjust and inaccurate perception of both some speakers and sections of the Muslim community within the West Midlands); the footage had been edited in a way that resulted in material being broadcast in a form so altered from the form originally delivered that it was “sufficient to undermine community cohesion”; and the programme was “likely to undermine feelings of public reassurance and safety of those communities in the West Midlands for which the Chief Constable has a responsibility”.
The resulting complaints to Ofcom were rejected by Ofcom on 19 November 2007. "Undercover Mosque was a legitimate investigation, uncovering matters of important public interest... On the evidence (including untransmitted footage and scripts), Ofcom found that the broadcaster had accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context."
Ofcom also did not uphold complaints from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia & the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
, from the Islamic Cultural Centre
, and from the London Central Mosque
.
In a move supported by Channel Four, the makers of the documentary then launched a libel action against the CPS and West Midlands Police. In a statement released for Kevin Sutcliffe and programme makers Hardcash Productions said:
On 15 May 2008 when the matter came to the High Court, West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service apologised to the makers of the documentary for accusing them of distortion and agreed to a payment of £100,000. The statement, released to the media by West Midlands Police, after the High Court hearing, said they now accepted there had been no evidence that Channel 4 or the documentary makers had "misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity".
It added that the Ofcom report showed the documentary had "accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context". The police statement concluded: "We accept, without reservation, the conclusions of Ofcom and apologise to the programme makers for the damage and distress caused by our original press release." The same statement was later posted on the Crown Prosecution Service website.
Kevin Sutcliffe, deputy head of current affairs at Channel 4, said the apology was a vindication of the programme team in exposing extreme views.
"Channel 4 was fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the subject matter but recognised the programme's findings were clearly a matter of important public interest. "The authorities should be doing all they can to encourage investigations like this, not attempting to publicly rubbish them for reasons they have never properly explained," he said. Channel 4 boss Julian Bellamy said they had had no choice but to pursue action when the police and CPS refused to withdraw their remarks.
The National Secular Society
subsequently called for a Public Enquiry into the role of the West Midlands Police and the CPS in referring the matter to Ofcom in the first place. Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, said: “While the Police and CPS have now apologised, they have yet to explain why this apology was not issued in response to the widespread public outcry during 2007 about their targeting of Channel 4 or even to the total rejection by OFCOM of Police/CPS complaints on 19 November 2007. It had to be forced on them by the courts. The intransigence of the Police and CPS has seriously undermined public confidence in both institutions."
programme broadcast on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The programme uses footage filmed by undercover reporters in UK Mosques and Islamic institutions as well as interviews with Muslim academics and prominent figures. It is reported to contain statements by Islamic preachers espousing violence towards homosexual men, other religions and apostate
s.
One of the people quoted in the programme was Khalid Yasin
. His videos were found to be on sale in the Regents Park mosque bookshop espousing extremist views such as public beheadings, amputations, lashings and crucifixions. He is quoted in the programme as saying ; "and then people can see, people without hands, people can see in public heads rolling down the street, people can see in public people got their hands and feet from opposite sides chopped off and they see them crucified, they see people get punished they see people put up against the pole ?.. and because they see it, it acts as a deterrent for them because they say I don't want that to happen to me". He published a response to a letter from the producer of the programme calling them "hypocritical and exploitative bigots, [you are] audacious liars and opportunistic media vermin" and "unethical [and] merchants of journalistic vomit".
by their family and community and left abandoned, tortured, imprisoned or killed in the delta state of Akwa Ibom
in Nigeria
. The programme followed Sam Itauma, a Nigerian who started a school for the abandoned children called CRARN (Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network) and Englishman Gary Foxcroft who started the charity, to support the school. The programme suggests that the problem is caused by a combination of African traditional beliefs and extreme Christian Pentecostal groups. In particular the programme singles out Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries
for producing a film called "End of the Wicked" which the charity workers blame for the increase in children being abandoned by their families.
, was shocked and angry at the programme's findings. Head-teacher Truda White said in an interview with the Guardian:
broadcast a documentary as part of its Dispatches series, "Ryanair caught napping". Two undercover reporters obtained jobs as cabin crew, based at Ryanair's operations at London Stansted Airport and spent 5 months secretly recording the training programme and cabin crew procedures. The documentary criticised Ryanair's training policies, security procedures, aircraft hygiene and highlighted poor staff morale. It claims to have filmed Ryanair cabin crew sleeping on the job; using aftershave to cover the smell of vomit
in the aisle, rather than cleaning it up; ignoring warning alerts on the emergency slide; encouraging staff to falsify references for airport security passes; and asking staff not to recheck passengers' passports before they board flights. Staff in training were allegedly falsely told that any Boeing 737-200 (now no longer in service with Ryanair) impact would result in the death of the passenger sitting in seat 1A and that they should not pass this information on to the passenger.
Ryanair denied the allegations and published its correspondence with Dispatches on its website. It also alleged that the programme was misleading and that promotional materials, in particular a photograph of a stewardess sleeping, had been faked by Dispatches.
. Beginning two days after the killing of an American member of the International Solidarity Movement
Rachel Corrie
by an IDF
bulldozer, the film includes footage of the aftermath of an Israel
i flechette
attack in a densely populated area and documents the deaths of Tom Hurndall
, a British
ISM activist
, and James Miller
, the Channel 4 cameraman who was shot as he filmed Israeli troops bulldozing Palestinian homes,.
. The documentary detailed donations to Britain's MPs and featured the Conservative Friends of Israel
. Also covered was the Israel Lobby's alleged influence on the BBC and other British Media and the programme further claimed that many media outlets were frightened of broaching the lobby. The Conservative MP Michael Mates
said: "The pro-Israel lobby … is the most powerful political lobby. There's nothing to touch them."
Also featured was the Israel Lobby's funding of ex Prime Minister Tony Blair
and the subsequent Cash for Honours scandal. It also mentioned the BBC's refusal to broadcast the DEC
appeal for the Gaza humanitarian crisis in 2009 while broadcasting DEC appeals for other crises.
(16 November 1988)
Terms For Peace (1990)
The Case Against War (1990)
Missing Inaction (1991)
Bordering on Big Brother (28 October 1992)
The Key to Watergate (16 June 1993)
The Hill (6 October 1993)
Terror on the Doorstep (26 October 1994)
The Gaul (6 November 1997)
China's nuclear tests in Xinjiang Province(1998)
Secrets of the Gaul (21 May 1998)
MMR: What they didn't tell you (18 November 2004)
Ryanair caught napping (13 February 2006 21:00)
How To Beat Your Kid's Asthma (6 April 2006 21:00)
Britain's Rubbish (13 April 2006 21:00)
Britain's Yobs (24 April 2006 20:00)
Iraq - The Women's Story (8 May 2006 20:00)
Gaza:The Killing Zone (19 May 2006 20:00)
What Muslims Want (7 August 2006 20:00)
Public Service, Private Profit (14 August 2006 20:00)
How Safe Is Heathrow? (4 September 2006 20:00)
The Labour Loans Scandal (25 September 2006 20:00)
The Drug Trial That Went Wrong (28 September 2006 21:00)
Burma's Secret War (2 October 2006 20:00)
The Data Theft Scandal (5 October 2006 21:00)
Britain's Mental Health Scandal (9 October 2006 20:00)
The Blunkett Tapes (12 October 2006 20:00)
The Lost Generation (6 November 2006 20:00)
Jihad TV (6 November 2006 23:00)
Iraq's Death Squads (Tuesday 7 November 2006 23:00)
Britain's Healthcare Lottery (27 November 2006 20:00)
Fighting The Taliban (8 January 2007 20:00)
Meeting The Taliban (11 January 2007 23:05)
Undercover Mosque
(15 January 2007 20:00)
At Home With The Terror Suspects (5 February 2007 20:00)
The Supermarket That's Eating Britain (19 February 2007 20:00)
NHS - Where Did All The Money Go? (26 February 2007 20:00)
Greenwash (5 March 2007 20:00)
Charles - The Meddling Prince (12 March 2007 20:00)
When Did You Last Beat Your Wife? (19 March 2007 20:00)
Cameron
- Toff At The Top (26 March 2007 20:00 - a personal view by Peter Hitchens
)
Undercover Prisoner (2 April 2007 20:00 - a covert investigation of life inside an open prison
)
The Indian Miracle (30 April 2007 20:00 - investigation of the underside of the economic miracle in India
)
Gordon Brown - Fit For Office? (14 May 2007 20:00)
Afghanistan Unveiled (17 May 2007 21:00)
Bin Wars (24 May 2007 21:00)
Kidnapped to Order (11 June 2007 20:00)
Britain's Bad Housing (7 July 2007 20:00)
Britain Under Attack (6 August 2007 20:00)
Unholy War (17 September 2007 20:00 - Investigation of the violence and intimidation facing Muslims who convert to Christianity in Britain)
Nice Work If You Can Get It (24 September 2007 20:00)
Immigrants - The Inconvenient Truth (1 October 2007 20:00)
China's Stolen Children (1 October 2007 20:00)
Why Kids Kill (28 January 2008 20:00)
Heat or Eat - The Pensioners' Dilemma (4 February 2008 20:00)
The Children Left Behind (11 February 2008 20:00)
How The Banks Bet Your Money (18 February 2008 20:00)
Checking in to Airport Chaos (25 February 2008 20:00)
Undercover in Tibet (31 March 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 1 (7 April 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 2 (14 April 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 3 (21 April 2008 20:00)
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
current affairs
Current affairs (news format)
Current Affairs is a genre of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or are ongoing at the time of broadcast....
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
series on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, international current affairs and the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.
Awards
- 2007 RTSRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award in Current Affairs - International for "China's Stolen Children – Dispatches Special" by A True Vision Production - 2001 RTSRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award in Current Affairs - International for "Dispatches: Beneath The Veil" by Hardcash - 1999 RTSRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award in Current Affairs - International for "Dispatches: Prime Suspects" by Hardcash - 1998 RTSRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award in Current Affairs - Home for "Dispatches: Inside the ALF" by David Monaghan Productions - 1997 RTSRoyal Television SocietyThe Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
Award in Current Affairs - Home for "Dispatches: Secrets of the Gaul" by Anglia TV
MMR: What they didn't tell you
Broadcast on 18 November 2004, MMR: What they didn't tell you, featured an investigation by Sunday Times journalist Brian DeerBrian Deer
Brian Deer is a British investigative reporter, best known for inquiries into the drug industry, medicine and social issues for the Sunday Times of London.- Career :...
into the campaign against the MMR vaccine
MMR vaccine
The MMR vaccine is an immunization shot against measles, mumps, and rubella . It was first developed by Maurice Hilleman while at Merck in the late 1960s....
by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield is a British former surgeon and medical researcher, known as an advocate for the discredited claim that there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, autism and bowel disease, and for his fraudulent 1998 research paper in support of that claim.Four years after...
. Among a string of allegations, Deer revealed that, when Wakefield claimed a possible link between the vaccine and autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, his own lab had produced secret results which contradicted his claims, and he had registered patent claims on his own single measles vaccine.
Following the programme, Wakefield, funded by the Medical Protection Society
Medical Protection Society
The Medical Protection Society is a not for profit organisation which offers legal and ethical help to medical and dental professionals...
sued Channel 4, The Sunday Times and Deer personally for libel, but sought to have his lawsuit stayed by the court, so that he did not need to pursue it. The case became high profile when Channel 4 obtained a court order compelling Wakefield to continue with his lawsuit or abandon it. During two years of litigation, three High Court judgments were obtained against Wakefield from Mr Justice David Eady
David Eady
Sir David Eady , styled The Hon. Mr Justice Eady, in legal writing Eady J, is a High Court judge in England and Wales. As a judge he is known for having presided over many high-profile libel and privacy cases....
, including new law that the General Medical Council
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
was required to supply materials from its own investigations to defendants facing libel actions from doctors. In his first judgment, Eady said:
In pleadings submitted to the court, Channel 4 spelt out what they said the programme had alleged. It said that Wakefield: Had dishonestly and irresponsibly spread fear that the MMR vaccine might cause autism in some children, even though he knew that his own laboratory's tests dramatically contradicted his claims and he knew or ought to have known that there was absolutely no scientific basis at all for his belief that MMR should be broken up into single vaccines. In spreading such fear, also acted dishonestly and irresponsibly, by repeatedly failing to disclose conflicts of interest and/or material information, including his association with contemplated litigation against the manufacturers of MMR and his application for a patent for a vaccine for measles which, if effective, and if the MMR vaccine had been undermined and/or withdrawn on safety grounds, would have been commercially very valuable. Caused medical colleagues serious unease by carrying out research tests on vulnerable children outside the terms or in breach of the permission given by an ethics committee, in particular by subjecting those children to highly invasive and sometimes distressing clinical procedures and thereby abusing them. Has been unremittingly evasive and dishonest in an effort to cover up his wrong-doing.
In January 2007, Wakefield discontinued his claim and paid Channel 4's and Deer's costs.
Undercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque was first aired on 15 January 2007. The film caused a furore in Britain and the world press due to the content of the released footage. The documentary presents film footage gathered from 12 months of secret investigation into mosqueMosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s throughout Britain. West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
investigated whether criminal offences had been committed by those teaching or preaching at the Mosques and other establishments and found that there had been insufficient evidence to bring charges against anyone featured in the documentary.
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
launched an investigation, immediately after the programme was transmitted, into whether criminal offences had been committed by those teaching or preaching at the mosques and other establishments. They presented their evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
who advised that “a realistic prospect of a conviction was unlikely”.
However Bethan David of the CPS agreed with West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Anil Patani (security and cohesion) that a damaging and distorting impression had been given of the speakers by the programme. On 7 August 2007 the CPS issued a statement:
The police investigation initially looked at whether there had been any criminal offences committed by those featured in the programme and following careful consideration by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), West Midlands Police have been advised that there is insufficient evidence to bring charges against those individuals featured within the programme.
"West Midlands Police acknowledge the concerns that some parts of the programme may have been considered offensive, however when analysed in their full context there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against any individual. ACC Anil Patani for West Midlands Police said: "As a result of our initial findings, the investigation was then extended to include issues relating to the editing and portrayal of the documentary. The priority for West Midlands Police has been to investigate the documentary and it’s making with as much rigour as the extremism the programme sought to portray".
""The police investigation concentrated on three speakers and their comments in the programme. CPS reviewing lawyer Bethan David considered 56 hours of media footage of which only a small part was used in the programme. She said: "The splicing together of extracts from longer speeches appears to have completely distorted what the speakers were saying. "The CPS has demonstrated that it will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible for criminal incitement. But in this case we have been dealing with a heavily edited television programme, apparently taking out of context aspects of speeches, which, in their totality, could never provide a realistic prospect of any convictions".
"The CPS was also asked by the police to consider whether a prosecution under the Public Order Act 1986 should be brought against Channel 4 for broadcasting a programme including material likely to stir up racial hatred. Miss David advised West Midlands Police that on the evidence available, there was insufficient evidence that racial hatred had been stirred up as a direct consequence of the programme. It would also be necessary to identify a key individual responsible for doing this together with an intent to stir up racial hatred, which was not possible.
West Midlands Police then complained to Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
that the programme had been subject to such an intensity of editing that those who had been featured in the programme had been misrepresented (creating an unfair, unjust and inaccurate perception of both some speakers and sections of the Muslim community within the West Midlands); the footage had been edited in a way that resulted in material being broadcast in a form so altered from the form originally delivered that it was “sufficient to undermine community cohesion”; and the programme was “likely to undermine feelings of public reassurance and safety of those communities in the West Midlands for which the Chief Constable has a responsibility”.
The resulting complaints to Ofcom were rejected by Ofcom on 19 November 2007. "Undercover Mosque was a legitimate investigation, uncovering matters of important public interest... On the evidence (including untransmitted footage and scripts), Ofcom found that the broadcaster had accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context."
Ofcom also did not uphold complaints from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia & the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia
Diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia. King Faisal established the General Directory for the Foreign Affairs in 1926. Four years later it was given ministry status, even though it had a staff of fifteen employees in total—and no diplomatic missions abroad...
, from the Islamic Cultural Centre
London Central Mosque
The London Central Mosque is a mosque in North London, England. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, completed in 1978, and has a prominent golden dome. The main hall can hold over five thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall...
, and from the London Central Mosque
London Central Mosque
The London Central Mosque is a mosque in North London, England. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, completed in 1978, and has a prominent golden dome. The main hall can hold over five thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall...
.
In a move supported by Channel Four, the makers of the documentary then launched a libel action against the CPS and West Midlands Police. In a statement released for Kevin Sutcliffe and programme makers Hardcash Productions said:
On 15 May 2008 when the matter came to the High Court, West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service apologised to the makers of the documentary for accusing them of distortion and agreed to a payment of £100,000. The statement, released to the media by West Midlands Police, after the High Court hearing, said they now accepted there had been no evidence that Channel 4 or the documentary makers had "misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity".
It added that the Ofcom report showed the documentary had "accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context". The police statement concluded: "We accept, without reservation, the conclusions of Ofcom and apologise to the programme makers for the damage and distress caused by our original press release." The same statement was later posted on the Crown Prosecution Service website.
Kevin Sutcliffe, deputy head of current affairs at Channel 4, said the apology was a vindication of the programme team in exposing extreme views.
"Channel 4 was fully aware of the sensitivities surrounding the subject matter but recognised the programme's findings were clearly a matter of important public interest. "The authorities should be doing all they can to encourage investigations like this, not attempting to publicly rubbish them for reasons they have never properly explained," he said. Channel 4 boss Julian Bellamy said they had had no choice but to pursue action when the police and CPS refused to withdraw their remarks.
The National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
subsequently called for a Public Enquiry into the role of the West Midlands Police and the CPS in referring the matter to Ofcom in the first place. Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, said: “While the Police and CPS have now apologised, they have yet to explain why this apology was not issued in response to the widespread public outcry during 2007 about their targeting of Channel 4 or even to the total rejection by OFCOM of Police/CPS complaints on 19 November 2007. It had to be forced on them by the courts. The intransigence of the Police and CPS has seriously undermined public confidence in both institutions."
Undercover Mosque: The Return
This programme is a sequel to the Undercover MosqueUndercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque is a documentary programme produced by the independent television company hardcash productions for the Channel 4 series Dispatches which first aired on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The film caused a furore in Britain and the world press due to the content of the released footage...
programme broadcast on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The programme uses footage filmed by undercover reporters in UK Mosques and Islamic institutions as well as interviews with Muslim academics and prominent figures. It is reported to contain statements by Islamic preachers espousing violence towards homosexual men, other religions and apostate
Apostasy in Islam
Apostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
s.
One of the people quoted in the programme was Khalid Yasin
Khalid Yasin
Khalid Yasin and 'Abu Muhammad, Khalid Yasin' is a Muslim American teacher....
. His videos were found to be on sale in the Regents Park mosque bookshop espousing extremist views such as public beheadings, amputations, lashings and crucifixions. He is quoted in the programme as saying ; "and then people can see, people without hands, people can see in public heads rolling down the street, people can see in public people got their hands and feet from opposite sides chopped off and they see them crucified, they see people get punished they see people put up against the pole ?.. and because they see it, it acts as a deterrent for them because they say I don't want that to happen to me". He published a response to a letter from the producer of the programme calling them "hypocritical and exploitative bigots, [you are] audacious liars and opportunistic media vermin" and "unethical [and] merchants of journalistic vomit".
Saving Africa's Witch Children
This programme first aired 12 November 2008 and told the story of young children who had been labeled Witches and WizardsMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
by their family and community and left abandoned, tortured, imprisoned or killed in the delta state of Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom
Akwa Ibom is a state in Nigeria named after the Qua Iboe river. It is located in the coastal South-Southern part of the country, lying between latitudes 4°321 and 5°331 North, and longitudes 7°251 and 8°251 East...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The programme followed Sam Itauma, a Nigerian who started a school for the abandoned children called CRARN (Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network) and Englishman Gary Foxcroft who started the charity, to support the school. The programme suggests that the problem is caused by a combination of African traditional beliefs and extreme Christian Pentecostal groups. In particular the programme singles out Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries
Helen Ukpabio
Helen Ukpabio is the founder and head of African Evangelical franchise Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries based in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. She was born in the village of Mbente, Imo State, Nigeria and is married to Dr. Elijah Ukpabio. She has three children.During her early life she...
for producing a film called "End of the Wicked" which the charity workers blame for the increase in children being abandoned by their families.
Undercover Teacher
Airing in 2005, this episode was about a qualified science teacher, Alex Dolan, went undercover in schools in Leeds and London to expose the 'appalling teaching'. One school in particular, Highbury Grove SchoolHighbury Grove School
Highbury Grove School is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Islington. It covers the age range 11 to 18 inclusive and currently has about 1,100 pupils. It is classified as a Community School, specialising in business, enterprise studies and music . The head...
, was shocked and angry at the programme's findings. Head-teacher Truda White said in an interview with the Guardian:
Ryanair Caught Napping
On 13 February 2006, Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
broadcast a documentary as part of its Dispatches series, "Ryanair caught napping". Two undercover reporters obtained jobs as cabin crew, based at Ryanair's operations at London Stansted Airport and spent 5 months secretly recording the training programme and cabin crew procedures. The documentary criticised Ryanair's training policies, security procedures, aircraft hygiene and highlighted poor staff morale. It claims to have filmed Ryanair cabin crew sleeping on the job; using aftershave to cover the smell of vomit
Vomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
in the aisle, rather than cleaning it up; ignoring warning alerts on the emergency slide; encouraging staff to falsify references for airport security passes; and asking staff not to recheck passengers' passports before they board flights. Staff in training were allegedly falsely told that any Boeing 737-200 (now no longer in service with Ryanair) impact would result in the death of the passenger sitting in seat 1A and that they should not pass this information on to the passenger.
Ryanair denied the allegations and published its correspondence with Dispatches on its website. It also alleged that the programme was misleading and that promotional materials, in particular a photograph of a stewardess sleeping, had been faked by Dispatches.
Gaza: The Killing Zone
This episode, broadcast in May 2003, follows five weeks in the lives of those living in the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. Beginning two days after the killing of an American member of the International Solidarity Movement
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
Rachel Corrie
Rachel Corrie
Rachel Aliene Corrie was an American member of the International Solidarity Movement . She was killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defence Forces bulldozer when she was standing or kneeling in front of a local Palestinian's home, thus acting as a human shield, attempting to prevent the IDF from...
by an IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
bulldozer, the film includes footage of the aftermath of an Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i flechette
Flechette
A flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
attack in a densely populated area and documents the deaths of Tom Hurndall
Tom Hurndall
Thomas "Tom" Hurndall was a British photography student, a volunteer for the International Solidarity Movement , and an activist against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On 11 April 2003, he was shot in the head in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defense Forces sniper, Taysir Hayb...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ISM activist
International Solidarity Movement
The International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
, and James Miller
James Miller (filmmaker)
James Henry Dominic Miller was a Welsh cameraman, producer, and director, and recipient of numerous awards, including five Emmy Awards. He often worked with Saira Shah with whom he founded and operated an independent production company called Frostbite Productions in 2001...
, the Channel 4 cameraman who was shot as he filmed Israeli troops bulldozing Palestinian homes,.
Inside Britain's Israel Lobby
Broadcast on 16 November 2009 at 20:00 this episode investigated "one of the most powerful and influential political lobbies in Britain", the Israel LobbyIsrael lobby in the United Kingdom
The term Israel lobby in the United Kingdom is a term used to describe the loose coalition of groups and individuals who attempt to influence British foreign policy in support of Israel and its policies...
. The documentary detailed donations to Britain's MPs and featured the Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party and dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated associationIt was founded by the late...
. Also covered was the Israel Lobby's alleged influence on the BBC and other British Media and the programme further claimed that many media outlets were frightened of broaching the lobby. The Conservative MP Michael Mates
Michael Mates
Michael John Mates is a Conservative Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of East Hampshire from 1974 to 2010.He has been a member of the Privy Council since February 2004.-Education:...
said: "The pro-Israel lobby … is the most powerful political lobby. There's nothing to touch them."
Also featured was the Israel Lobby's funding of ex Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and the subsequent Cash for Honours scandal. It also mentioned the BBC's refusal to broadcast the DEC
Disasters Emergency Committee
The Disasters Emergency Committee is an umbrella group comprising fourteen UK charities. These charities are all associated with disaster related issues such as providing clean water, humanitarian aid and medical care....
appeal for the Gaza humanitarian crisis in 2009 while broadcasting DEC appeals for other crises.
Partial episode guide
The Day the Dream DiedThe Day the Dream Died
The Day the Dream Died is an episode of the UK documentary series Dispatches. The episode revealed new evidence about the assassination of President Kennedy.-External links:Chronological list of at the ....
(16 November 1988)
Terms For Peace (1990)
The Case Against War (1990)
Missing Inaction (1991)
Bordering on Big Brother (28 October 1992)
The Key to Watergate (16 June 1993)
The Hill (6 October 1993)
Terror on the Doorstep (26 October 1994)
The Gaul (6 November 1997)
China's nuclear tests in Xinjiang Province(1998)
Secrets of the Gaul (21 May 1998)
MMR: What they didn't tell you (18 November 2004)
Ryanair caught napping (13 February 2006 21:00)
How To Beat Your Kid's Asthma (6 April 2006 21:00)
Britain's Rubbish (13 April 2006 21:00)
Britain's Yobs (24 April 2006 20:00)
Iraq - The Women's Story (8 May 2006 20:00)
Gaza:The Killing Zone (19 May 2006 20:00)
What Muslims Want (7 August 2006 20:00)
Public Service, Private Profit (14 August 2006 20:00)
How Safe Is Heathrow? (4 September 2006 20:00)
The Labour Loans Scandal (25 September 2006 20:00)
The Drug Trial That Went Wrong (28 September 2006 21:00)
Burma's Secret War (2 October 2006 20:00)
The Data Theft Scandal (5 October 2006 21:00)
Britain's Mental Health Scandal (9 October 2006 20:00)
The Blunkett Tapes (12 October 2006 20:00)
The Lost Generation (6 November 2006 20:00)
Jihad TV (6 November 2006 23:00)
Iraq's Death Squads (Tuesday 7 November 2006 23:00)
Britain's Healthcare Lottery (27 November 2006 20:00)
Fighting The Taliban (8 January 2007 20:00)
Meeting The Taliban (11 January 2007 23:05)
Undercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque
Undercover Mosque is a documentary programme produced by the independent television company hardcash productions for the Channel 4 series Dispatches which first aired on 15 January 2007 in the UK. The film caused a furore in Britain and the world press due to the content of the released footage...
(15 January 2007 20:00)
At Home With The Terror Suspects (5 February 2007 20:00)
The Supermarket That's Eating Britain (19 February 2007 20:00)
NHS - Where Did All The Money Go? (26 February 2007 20:00)
Greenwash (5 March 2007 20:00)
Charles - The Meddling Prince (12 March 2007 20:00)
When Did You Last Beat Your Wife? (19 March 2007 20:00)
Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
- Toff At The Top (26 March 2007 20:00 - a personal view by Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
)
Undercover Prisoner (2 April 2007 20:00 - a covert investigation of life inside an open prison
Open prison
An open prison is an informal description applied to any penal establishment in which the prisoners are trusted to serve their sentences with minimal supervision and perimeter security and so do not need to be locked up in prison cells...
)
The Indian Miracle (30 April 2007 20:00 - investigation of the underside of the economic miracle in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
)
Gordon Brown - Fit For Office? (14 May 2007 20:00)
Afghanistan Unveiled (17 May 2007 21:00)
Bin Wars (24 May 2007 21:00)
Kidnapped to Order (11 June 2007 20:00)
Britain's Bad Housing (7 July 2007 20:00)
Britain Under Attack (6 August 2007 20:00)
Unholy War (17 September 2007 20:00 - Investigation of the violence and intimidation facing Muslims who convert to Christianity in Britain)
Nice Work If You Can Get It (24 September 2007 20:00)
Immigrants - The Inconvenient Truth (1 October 2007 20:00)
China's Stolen Children (1 October 2007 20:00)
Why Kids Kill (28 January 2008 20:00)
Heat or Eat - The Pensioners' Dilemma (4 February 2008 20:00)
The Children Left Behind (11 February 2008 20:00)
How The Banks Bet Your Money (18 February 2008 20:00)
Checking in to Airport Chaos (25 February 2008 20:00)
Undercover in Tibet (31 March 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 1 (7 April 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 2 (14 April 2008 20:00)
Immigration - The Inconvenient Truth, Part 3 (21 April 2008 20:00)
External links
- News - Dispatches Channel4.com
- The Killing Zone Official Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
location - Chronological list of Dispatches Episodes (1987-2007) British Film Institute (BFI)