Manchester Evening News editor Sarah Lester has reacted through a strongly worded op-ed in response to Channel 4 News’ revelation that a GMP police officer is facing a criminal investigation by the police watchdog over allegedly ‘leaking’ CCTV footage of July 2024’s notorious Manchester Airport violence between police office and members of the public to the MEN.
The fracas saw a member of the public apparently kicked in the head by police as he lay on the ground.
Following the release of the initial footage, protests erupted across the city region, with demonstrations in Rochdale and roads and tram lines blocked outside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s offices.
“At the Manchester Evening News, we obtained additional CCTV footage that showed what happened in the lead-up to that moment. It gave critical context,” Lester noted in her piece. She added that the paper went through a rigorous process of verification and internal debate, before concluding that the new footage should be published:
“We did so because we believed, and still believe, that in a democracy, the public deserves the full picture,” she explained, adding: “The protests stopped overnight.”
Lester continued: “Many senior figures in Manchester, including within the police, told us they were relieved, even grateful, that we had published it.
“A man has since been convicted of assaulting a member of the public and two police officers. Legal proceedings are ongoing, so I cannot say much more.
“But last night, Channel 4 News revealed something deeply disturbing: a Greater Manchester Police officer is now under criminal investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), following an allegation that they leaked the footage to us.
“This is a truly chilling moment.”
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Lester added that, in August and September 2024, the IOPC contacted the Manchester Evening News, asking it to hand over the CCTV and identify our source, but the paper refused.
“The protection of sources is not optional. It is a cornerstone of journalism,” she added. “Under the Editors’ Code of Practice, enforced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), it is a moral – and professional – obligation.
“People who speak to us sometimes take enormous personal risks to shine a light on important issues. We are duty-bound to protect them.
“We do not know the identity of the person being investigated and we make no comment on them or the investigation.
“But we do ask: what public interest is being served by pursuing this individual? How much taxpayer money is being spent on this – while the justice system groans under the weight of backlogs and delays? What message does this send to others who might be considering speaking up?
“This is a bad decision.”
Lester also compared the events to the time when the MEN named the man suspected of planting the IRA’s huge 1996 bomb in Manchester: “The evidence was strong, but the investigation was shelved perhaps under political pressure amid the Northern Irish peace process,” she said.
“The only person who ended up in court was a police officer, accused and ultimately cleared of leaking information.
“It’s hard to believe we’re repeating the same mistake.”
She went on: “I’m proud to be the editor of the Manchester Evening News. Every day I see the profound impact our investigations, campaigns and day-to-day reporting have on the communities we serve. We published the airport video with the best intentions and believe the individual who shared it did so for the right reasons.
“When the Manchester Evening News launched in 1868, founding editor Mitchell Henry declared: ‘In putting ourselves into print, we have no apology to offer, but the assurance of an honest aim to serve the public interest.’
“Those words remain as true today as they were then, but newspapers cannot serve the public interest without the people who are willing to take a risk to tell the truth.
“The IOPC should think hard about whose interest their investigation serves.”
