Former journalist and founder in 1990 of the British Association of Journalists, a group which had broken away from the National Union of Journalists following a bitter dispute within the NUJ over negotiations about mergers with print unions. At the time of giving evidence, the BAJ was the recognised union for journalists working within MGN Ltd and claimed around 1,150 members. Turner gave evidence of the deep-seated culture of bullying and corporate greed that existed in the national press. He requested Lord Justice Leveson to enable journalists to give evidence to the Inquiry secretly and be guaranteed anonymity. Steve Turner died in May 2016.
Irish Secretary of the National Union of Journalists with overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of union activities, organisation and financial affairs in Ireland North and South at the time of giving evidence. He was also a member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) Executive Council and of the Press Council of Ireland's finance and administrative committee. Offered the Inquiry a brief history of recent legal debates on the press in Ireland including proposals for a draconian privacy bill. Told the Inquiry that the UK obsession with editors was not mirrored in Ireland.
Full-time industrial officer of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), with responsibility for members in the Metropolitan Police Service. Prior to this, he was a lay official of PCS and one of its predecessor unions for more than 18 years.
Founded 1998, now the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most PCS members work in UK government departments and other public bodies, although some work for private companies. Andrew Thomas, PCS full-time officer with responsibility for the police, gave evidence on the guidance offered to members about interacting with the media.
UK trade union formed in 2001, representing engineers, managers, scientists and members in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Mike Sparham, full-time officer representing Metropolitan Police Service members at that time, told the Inquiry that Prospect did not have a view on the ACPO guidelines relating to media matters. Most members had no direct contact with the media so would be unaware of the guidelines, he said.
