Today sees the release of the film trailer for Press Freedom: Domestic Extremist.
In November 2014 six journalists and members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) revealed that they were on a Domestic Extremist database and had seen evidence of the intelligence held on them.
I know this because I am one of those journalists that has ended up on the database, purely for doing my job.
The film documents the surveillance of six journalists, looks at the impact on them professionally and personally, knowing that their work activity has been monitored and the implications this surveillance has on press freedom and democracy in the UK.
There is also some evidence to suggest surveillance has been conducted away from working roles. This was raised in the initial ‘core participance” hearings (page 84) of the Pitchford Inquiry, that is looking into the practices of undercover policing of protest groups.
The film will go on to follow the legal case, being led by Shamik Dutta of Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, to challenge the legality of the police files and this surveillance of journalists.
Press Freedom: Domestic Extremist follows on from two previous short films, Collateral Damage in 2008 and Hostile Reconnaissance in 2010.
© Jason N. Parkinson/reportdigital.co.uk
HD footage available from http://www.reportdigital.co.uk
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