Journalists tell of rape and death threats 

Paramilitary groups are responsible for most threats – yet no prosecutions  

Official state failure to provide protection 

‘Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of threats and violence’ - Patrick Corrigan 

Journalists in Northern Ireland face regular deaths threats and attacks while living and working in the most dangerous place in the UK to do their job. 

A new report by Amnesty International features interviews with reporters who have been told they will be shot or stabbed, threatened with bombs under their car and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave the country – all because of their journalism. 

Some journalists have been physically attacked. Equipment has been damaged. Their cars have been battered with poles laced with nails. Two journalists have been killed. 

For those most at risk, their homes are protected by bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked up to police stations. 

Amnesty’s research for the report - Occupational Hazard? Threats and violence against journalists in Northern Ireland – uncovered more than 70 incidents of threats or attacks on journalists in Northern Ireland since the start of 2019.  

Most threats come from a range of proscribed paramilitary groups, loyalist and republican, as well as from armed organised crime groups, some with links to paramilitaries.  

Most threats against journalists go unpunished. There have been no prosecutions for any threats from paramilitary groups.  

For decades, some have felt that dealing with threats was just part of their job; an ‘occupational hazard’ they have been forced to accept.  

But now, by coming together and sharing their stories, journalists in Northern Ireland are saying ‘enough is enough’.   

Lack of police protection  

Journalists report having little expectation of people being held account for making threats. Many reporters interviewed by Amnesty said that they feel the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has failed to effectively investigate attacks and threats against them. Since June 2022, there have been only two successful prosecutions for threats against journalists. There have been no prosecutions for threats from paramilitary groups, the single most significant source of such threats. 

With journalists excluded from the government’s home protection scheme, which funds the installation of security measures, many have been left feeling at risk. 

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International UK’s Northern Ireland Director, said:  

“Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of threats, intimidation and violence from armed groups, which makes it the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter.  

“They are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence. This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. 

“Yet there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats.   

“When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack. The state must create a safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals. It is currently failing to do so.” 

Living in fear 

The police visited Belfast Telegraph crime correspondent Allison Morris’ house nine times between December 2023 and October 2024 to deliver threats from paramilitary or criminal groups. On one occasion, she received a threat and 24 hours later a pipe bomb was found near her home. She said:

“I’m convinced someone’s going to kill me at some point. I always think I’ll never die of natural causes. Most of the time, I pretend that the threats don’t annoy me, but clearly, they do. This is not a normal way to live.” 

Sunday World northern editor Richard Sullivan said:

“I’ve had threats to kill me, to use a bomb on my car and on my house. I’ve been given 24 hours to leave the country.” 

Sunday Life journalist Ciaran Barnes said:

“I’ve got bulletproof windows front and back. I’ve got a bulletproof door. I’ve got cameras all around the house. I’ve got sensor activated lights and panic alarms.”  

The home security measures are paid for by his employer, as journalists are ineligible for access to the government’s Home Protection Scheme.  

National Union of Journalists assistant general secretary Séamus Dooley said: “In what is supposed to be normalised society, post the peace process, journalists are living in fear and behind high security measures. That really is not the sign of a normal functioning democracy.” 

Amnesty has made a series of recommendations for the police and various government departments, including: 

• Justice Minister Naomi Long MLA should establish and chair a new Media Safety Group, with representatives from the PSNI, Public Prosecution Service (PPS), media organisations and the NUJ, to deliver a new journalist safety strategy 

• The PSNI must review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutions  

• The PSNI must produce new guidance and training for officers on the protection of journalists during public disorder 

• The Northern Ireland Office and Department of Justice should ensure at-risk journalists can access a Home Protection Scheme 

• The UK government should establish an independent public inquiry into the 2001 murder of Martin O’Hagan if the expected Police Ombudsman’s investigation finds serious failings or wrongdoing by the police  

The report is based on research carried out by Amnesty between November 2024 and May 2025, including 26 interviews conducted by Patrick Corrigan and Kathryn Torney with 22 journalists about their experiences living with the threat of armed violence, NUJ representatives, the PSNI and a relative and lawyer of Martin O’Hagan.