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Police apologise to weekly reporter over treatment at fire scene

Corutney FridayA police force has apologised to a weekly newspaper reporter after officers obstructed him at the scene of a house fire.

As reported on HTFP yesterday, Courtney Friday, of the Reading Chronicle, had a cordon physically erected in front of him by police to prevent him from accessing witnesses at the scene.

Courtney claimed one policeman told him to “show some respect” when he tried to approach the family whose house was on fire, and was further obstructed when he asked for the officer’s badge number.

After the incident, Courtney filed an official complaint which Thames Valley Police about his treatment.

He cited Association Of Chief Police Officers and Metropolitan Police guidelines which state that media should have freedom when photographing and speaking to parties at a crime or investigation scene.

As a result, the force apologised to Courtney in a phone call yesterday morning.

Said Courtney: “I thank them for their appropriate and professional response to my complaint, and I look forward to a better relationship between journalists and police officers across Thames Valley.”

After reaching the scene of the fire in the Woodley area of Reading on Monday evening, Courtney realised the roads were blocked by emergency service vehicles and tried to cut through an alleyway nearby.

At this point he was challenged by the officer, who radioed for backup and a cordon was put in place in front of Courtney.

The officer then told him the family did not wish to speak to him, to which Courtney responded it wasn’t the policeman’s job to decided this.

Eventually, the officer agreed to ask the family on his behalf and returned to tell him they did not want to be interviewed.

In his complaint, Courtney wrote: “I have the highest respect for the brave work that your officers do, and I want to maintain the relationship our newspaper has with Thames Valley Police.

“I simply want it relayed to the officers that they do not have the power to dictate the actions of the press.”

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman confirmed Courtney had received an apology for any problems he’d had and said the force was investigating the incident.

20 comments

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  • November 5, 2015 at 7:28 am
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    Good luck getting an off the record briefing over the coming months!

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:04 am
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    You have a memorable byline, Courtney Friday, but if you want to see it appear on something bigger than the Reading Chronicle, you’re going to have to learn how to master these situations.
    You do it with guile, wit and ingenuity.
    You do not do it by publicly crying until you get your way.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:13 am
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    AJ, I’m afraid the days of any kind of co-operation between the media and the Thames Valley Press were dead and buried long ago. Even an on-the-record briefing is a rarity. The anti-media culture in this force is a disgrace.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:26 am
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    That should, of course, have read ‘Thames Valley Police’. #EveryoneNeedsASub

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:28 am
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    Good luck to any journalist, anywhere, getting off-the-record briefings from any police force these days.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:36 am
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    Phew! We are all relieved that this drama is over! But perhaps now is a good time for the editor of the Reading Chronicle to take young Courtney aside and explain that while he has gained his victory, in the eyes of many of us who have been around the industry for rather longer, he’s made himself look a bit of a chump.
    And he might also ask why the paper’s website has a rather different version: “One of the families who lived in the damaged properties said they were “alive and well” but did not want to talk.”
    No mention here of a police officer saying the family didn’t want to speak.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:46 am
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    Good on him. A strong professional relationship is a two-way street.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:48 am
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    There’s essentially no such thing as an ‘off the record’ briefing anymore. Everything is controlled by press officers, who sometimes won’t even give an on the record statement about major news stories.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 9:53 am
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    Well done Thames Valley Police. We all make mistakes, it’s what we do about it that we are measured by.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 10:45 am
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    Who are these wimps on here who keep counselling an eager young reporter to back off when challenged by an out-of-order copper? He’s never going to get anywhere in his reporting career by tugging his forelock & saying OK officer, I won’t try to get on with my job because you don’t like the press. He might, I guess, get somewhere on the management-speak ladder more quickly, generating clickbait & vox pops – but real journalism? Depends what he wants, really – a harassed desk job not rocking anyone’s boat, or some self-respect.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 10:48 am
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    Good luck in your future dealings with the police mate. And if you drive keep looking over your shoulder!

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  • November 5, 2015 at 11:04 am
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    Well done there Courtney! Tell all the losers on here criticising you where to get off. And you have the perfect name for the nationals.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 12:09 pm
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    I have a feeling that those berating the reporter for his actions have not had to deal with the police – either front line officers or press offices – for many, many years.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 1:18 pm
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    It might not be the smartest move to publicise the fact that one has complained, but the complaint itself is justified. I work in the TVP area and find the force especially difficult to deal with – not so much the officers on the ground in my case but the comms team, who seem to delight in obstructiveness for its own sake. The young chap here was well within his rights to complain. Though as I said, I’d have kept it under my hat to avoid awkwardness in any future dealings.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 1:35 pm
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    What is it about the Reading Chronicle?

    If you’re not dancing on the graves of Hillsborough victims you’re sticking your ugly mugs in the faces of people who’ve just had their homes burned down and expecting them to give you a comment.

    No wonder Inspector Knacker shoved a cordon up.

    Get a grip.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 1:50 pm
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    GladImOutOfIt – I think I now understand why you’re out of it. I’m glad of it.

    Sub Up North – It’s that kind of dismissive attitude to good advice that this fellow needs to avoid if he wants a successful career.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 2:28 pm
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    The real issue here is the fact that the police either did not know or chose to ignore the set guidelines.
    All this could have been avoided had they followed them.

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  • November 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm
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    Easy guys, we’re losing the plot. Absolutely agree the officer in question was wrong. The point I and some of my colleagues are making is Courtney should have handled it differently. Perhaps a lack of experience, but certainly a missed chance for Courtney to show some tactful professionalism. A career is more than one incident. Some you win, some you lose. Calm down sone of you, no wonder doors remained closed. And finally, I had countless occasions in my 30 career when I was the only snapper given access. Ask yourself why. Good luck Courtney in a very tough job.

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