‘TV crews pay thugs’

Press, 12 May 1981, Page 8

‘TV crews pay thugs’

NZPA-Reuter London Foreign photographers covering the latest troubles in Northern Ireland have been accussed of> helping to shape the news rather than simply record it. A “Sunday Observer” photographer, Tony McGrath, said there were reports of photographers paying young thugs to throve stones and bottles at any passing Army vehicles.

“One United States television crew is said to have such an incident on film,” he said.

“In the Lower Falls, a television crew was seen by police to be inciting rioters

to do damage on a building site, and in another incident a television crew was seen to be directing rioters to create action which was then filmed.

“The security forces have been receiving reports of photographers and television crews manipulating rioters to create better picture sequences.

"The very presence of groups of photographers and television crews on street corners in Belfast seems to induce young thugs to throw missiles at passing security vehicles.”

McGrath said some foreign journalists working in North-

ern Ireland had been under pressure from their editors to produce more action pictures, and as a result of this competitivenesss they were resorting to “stage-manag-ing” outbreaks of violence. “Last week-end I was approached by youths in the Falls Road asking what I wanted them to do,” McGrath said. “When I said I didn't want them to do anything I was informed that the ‘Frenchies’ always paid them. “This was substantiated by colleagues, many of whom received similar approaches.”