Sky suspends journalists over bogus story

War dispatch showing 'firing' of cruise missile filmed from docked sub

Matt Wells, media correspondent
Thursday July 17, 2003
The Guardian

Sky News faked a television report from a Royal Navy submarine during the Iraq war, according to a documentary team that filmed on the same vessel.

The Sky report, which was "security cleared" by a Ministry of Defence official and shown on at least one other British TV network, purported to show the preparation and firing of a cruise missile.

But the submarine was docked and the documentary crew says the events were staged for the benefit of Sky's camera.

Last night, after being alerted to the story by the Guardian, Sky launched an investigation and suspended the journalists involved.

The contested report will be shown as part of BBC2's Fighting the War series on Sunday, alongside footage of missiles being fired from HMS Splendid for real.

The BBC2 crew spent 10 days on the submarine, and were alarmed when they saw Sky's report, which was pooled and also shown on ITV News. The allegation raises serious questions about journalistic integrity, and undermines the trust inherent in the pool system. ITV was alarmed that it unwittingly rebroadcast the disputed report.

Neil Grant, the series producer of Fighting the War, said: "Viewers need to be able to trust the editorial integrity of a news report. People assume that what they see on the news is for real. This sort of thing undermines the journalistic community of which we are part."

Sky's reporter, James Forlong, opens his film with the words: "Beneath the waters of the Persian Gulf, [this is] the nuclear powered submarine HMS Splendid and the final moments before a cruise missile is launched." The clear implication is that the sub is at sea; but the MoD has confirmed it was docked. Its location is known to the Guardian, but remains classified. No missile was launched while the Sky team was on board.

Forlong continues: "The coordinates set, the target many miles over the horizon." Members of the crew are seen examining a screen, and looking through the periscope. "Missile seen to fly," says one, and a picture is shown of a missile shooting into the air from under the water.

But the BBC documentary alleges that the crew members were simply re-enacting their drill for the benefit of the camera. There was no target, and the pictures of the cruise missile were taken from library footage.

A crew member is then shown apparently steering the submarine, and others are seen sitting in the mess. Both sequences were staged, according to the BBC.

One version of the report, which was shown in various forms between March 31 and April 2, ends with a close-up of a finger pushing a red button marked "Fire". But the BBC documentary shows that Splendid's missiles are fired by computer.

One HMS Splendid crew member tells the BBC: "A left mouse push fires it. Kinda crazy really. We actually asked for a great big red button, but they wouldn't give us one."

Mr Grant said yesterday: "When viewers are watching something, they need to believe that what they are seeing is true."

Sky staff were said to be "shell-shocked" at the suspensions of Forlong and producer Lucy Chaytor. Nick Pollard, head of Sky News, said last night: "We are fiercely proud of our reputation for accuracy and integrity in our reporting. This allegation has come as a complete surprise and will be fully investigated."

A Navy spokesman said: "The MoD offered to Sky TV, on a pooled basis, a facility to illustrate the preparations for and the procedures involved in the firing of a Tomahawk land attack missile, filmed in an ex ercise context. Considerations of operational security at the time in relation to the activities of the submarine meant that the media facility had to be conducted under carefully prescribed security conditions."

ITV News said: "We didn't know there was any question over the validity of this report. As members of a pool, we would routinely expect the highest of journalistic standards from other members of the pool. We in turn would police very carefully the accuracy of our own pool contributions."

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