Hillsborough

[AnfieldForever]

Duration: 30 minutes

For more than two decades, the families of the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster have claimed that South Yorkshire Police covered up the full story of what happened on 15th April 1989. Now, Lucy Hester speaks to police officers, Hillsborough victims' family members and the author of an infamous article in the S#n newspaper which blamed Liverpool fans for the disaster.

This Sunday 22:25 BBC One only on North West, Yorkshire

[Bender]

there's a story on the bbc site shocking BBC

[meffin]

Sun reporter voices regret over Hillsborough headline – but insists report was ‘balanced’



Harry Arnold, the Sun journalist responsible for one of the most infamous newspaper stories in British history, has spoken to the BBC about the events which led to its publication.
The controversial piece, written in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, alleged that drunken Liverpool fans had urinated on a police officer and stolen money from the victims of a stampede which left 96 fans dead.
Despite later proven to be untrue Arnold defended the article, claiming the allegations had been presented in a ‘fair and balanced way’ and instead sought to apportion blame to his editor, the pugnacious Kelvin MacKenzie.
Mackenzie edited Arnold’s original words: “this is the truth about the Hillsborough Disaster’ to simply “The Truth” – a move which left Arnold ‘aghast’.
Speaking to Hillsborough: Searching for the Truth Arnold said: “I'd never used the words the truth, "this is the truth about the Hillsborough Disaster" I'd merely written, I hoped and I still believe, in a balanced and fair way.
"So I said to Kelvin MacKenzie, "You can't say that".
"And he said 'Why not?' and I said 'because we don't know that it's the truth. This is a version of 'the truth'.
"And he brushed it aside and said 'Oh don't worry. I'm going to make it clear that this is what some people are saying'”.
MacKenzie declined to take part in the documentary.
The government is set to release documents relating to the disaster on 12 September, the date of publication of a long-awaited report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

[paulg]

How is him writing lies, based on nothing but false rumours at best, "fair and balanced"?
Scumbag pushing the blame onto his editor instead of taking responsibility for his own story. Yes, MacKenzie is just as much to blame, but this guy is trying to wriggle out of it.

[Tee]

How is him writing lies, based on nothing but false rumours at best, "fair and balanced"?
Scumbag pushing the blame onto his editor instead of taking responsibility for his own story. Yes, MacKenzie is just as much to blame, but this guy is trying to wriggle out of it.

[dom9]

This article has a bit more info:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-19507065

The Sun journalist who wrote a story alleging drunk Liverpool fans abused victims and police during the Hillsborough disaster said he was "aghast" when he saw the headline.

Reporter Harry Arnold told the BBC his story had been written in a "fair and balanced way" and the controversial claims had been "allegations".

He said it was editor Kelvin MacKenzie who wrote the headline "The Truth".

Official papers will be released on Wednesday, 23 years after the disaster.

On 15 April 1989, 95 Liverpool fans were crushed to death and hundreds more injured on the steel-fenced terraces of Sheffield Wednesday's stadium, which was hosting the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

The 96th victim died in 1993 after four years in a persistent vegetative state.

Requests have been made by the BBC for a response or comment from Mr MacKenzie, but he has so far not responded.
'Can't say that'

In the programme, called Hillsborough: Searching for the Truth, Mr Arnold says: "On the Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie was the rather controversial editor at the time. He liked to write his own headlines.

"He wrote the headline 'The Truth', and the reason I know that is I was about to leave the newsroom when I saw him drawing up the front page.

"When I saw the headline 'The Truth' I was aghast, because that wasn't what I'd written.

"I'd never used the words the truth, "this is the truth about the Hillsborough Disaster" I'd merely written, I hoped and I still believe, in a balanced and fair way.

"So I said to Kelvin MacKenzie, "You can't say that".

"And he said 'Why not?' and I said 'because we don't know that it's the truth. This is a version of 'the truth'.

"And he brushed it aside and said 'Oh don't worry. I'm going to make it clear that this is what some people are saying'.

"And I walked away thinking, well I'm not happy with the situation.

"But the fact is reporters don't argue with an editor.

"And in particular, you don't argue with an editor like Kelvin MacKenzie."
'Rancid lie'

Liverpool fan Dave Kirby, who was at Hillsborough on the day of the tragedy, said: "Talk about kicking you when you're down. That was our hour of need.

"We had our arms open, looking for compassion and they came up with that despicable, obscene, rancid lie.
Dave Kirby Liverpool fan Dave Kirby said The Sun had printed a "despicable lie"

"There were a few broadsheets that went with it but it was The Sun that went with 'The Truth'."

A police officer who was on duty at Hillsborough when the events of 15 April 1989 unfolded told the programme he understood the anger of people in the ground at the time.

The officer said he had been at the scene and the fans did not behave in ways described by The Sun's front page headline or strap-lines.

He said: "I didn't see any Liverpool fans urinating on a police officer, or any police officers, and I didn't see any Liverpool fans steal money, steal money from dead people or pick money up that had fallen out of people's pockets.

"I didn't see that. And it probably didn't happen."
Thousands of documents

Senior officers responsible for policing the game, David Duckenfield and Bernard Murray, faced disciplinary proceedings and both left the force.

Mr Murray was cleared of two counts of manslaughter and the jury could not reach a verdict on Mr Duckenfield at a private prosecution at Leeds Crown Court in July 2000.

The documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster will be released at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral on 12 September.

The government and police documents will be released in conjunction with a report from the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

It has examined hundreds of thousands of documents related to the disaster and has been chaired by the Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend James Jones.

To be honest, I have never read the article. He may have qualified it with words like 'alledged' or he may not. I don't know if that makes it any better or not.

Tabloid journalism has always been in the gutter, from my point of view.

[Buzzo]

Tabloid journalism

"And he said 'Why not?' and I said 'because we don't know that it's the truth. This is a version of 'the truth'.

Surely they shouldn't go to print then?

[Oberon]

Thought I'd put this as it's near the top.

It's a start

[Fredo]

Seen people tweeting that there's going to be a documentary on Hillsborough tonight at 10.30pm on BBC1 but can't see it on their schedule. There's a thread on RAWK about that as well.

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=297388.0

[Liverpool]

only on North West, Yorkshire

[Gibbo]

Sky channel 956 or 958 if it's not your usual channel.

[Fredo]

Sky channel 956 or 958 if it's not your usual channel.

Don't have SKY.

[ashey]

You can get it on Sky Channel 956

[Gibbo]

You can get it on Sky Channel 956

If only someone told us sooner.

[Catrin]

Don't have SKY.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mrmq1/Hillsborough_Searching_for_the_Truth/