Dan Johnson (journalist)

Dan Johnson (born c. 1984) is an English journalist and presenter, currently working as the West & South West of England correspondent for BBC News.

This article is about the BBC journalist. For the founding editor of Standpoint magazine, see Daniel Johnson (journalist).

Dan Johnson
Born1984 (age 38–39)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
NationalityEnglish
Occupation(s)Journalist and presenter
Known forWest & South West of England correspondent for BBC News

Early life

Johnson was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, and spent his formative years in Worsbrough.[1] He was educated at The Kingstone School and Barnsley College. Johnson studied Geography at the University of Leeds, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism at City, University of London.

Career in journalism

Johnson began his career with the BBC in 2008 as a journalist for BBC Radio Sheffield, moving to television in 2011 when he joined the newsroom as a reporter for BBC Look North. His recent time at the BBC has been controversial. Johnson has been criticised for pursuing headline grabbing stories which are based on dubious sources. Media commentators have claimed that his research methods are impact driven, rather than evidence based. Mr. Justice Mann, in his judgement against the BBC, described Johnson as "capable of letting his enthusiasm for his story get the better of his complete regard for truth on occasions".[2]

In 2022 it was announced Johnson would join BBC West as West & South West England Correspondent based in Bristol. In the same year he also travelled across Ukraine making a documentary called Locked Away: Ukraine’s Stolen Lives looking at the broken care system for disabled people and how its gotten worst since Russia invaded.

Battle of Orgreave

In October 2012, Johnson investigated the events at the 1984 Battle of Orgreave, and the trials which arose from it, for BBC One regional news and current affairs programme, Inside Out: Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.[3] The programme examined the evidence that senior officers with South Yorkshire Police (SYP) had conspired to co-ordinate statements to wrongly charge arrested miners with riot, an offence which at the time carried a punishment of life imprisonment.[4] Following the broadcast, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the House of Commons that the issue needed to be investigated, and SYP referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).[5][6] The subsequent IPCC investigation concluded that there was "evidence of excessive violence by police officers, a false narrative from police exaggerating violence by miners, perjury by officers giving evidence to prosecute the arrested men, and an apparent coverup of that perjury by senior officers."[7]

Previously, Johnson had been the principal researcher for David Hencke and Francis Beckett's Marching to the Fault Line: The Miners' Strike and the Battle for Industrial Britain (2009).[1]

Main article: BBC controversies § August 2014: Coverage of Cliff Richard's property search

In July 2014, Johnson was alerted by a source that Cliff Richard was being covertly investigated by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) over an alleged historical offence of sexual assault.[8] On 14 July, he contacted Carrie Goodwin, SYP's communications director, and detailed the information he had received.[9] Chief Constable David Crompton said: "We were placed in a very difficult position because of the original leak and the BBC came to us knowing everything that we knew, as far as the investigation was concerned."[8]

Contrary to established procedures, under which Johnson's disclosure of the leak "should have been treated as a critical incident and should have triggered a Gold Group [a meeting led by the Association of Chief Police Officers] under a Chief Officer to determine the next steps", the police controversially struck a deal with Johnson and the BBC giving them exclusive access to, and insider knowledge of, the investigation.[9] This led to the BBC having a news crew and helicopter in position above Richard's home in Berkshire to provide live news coverage as the police commenced a raid on the property on 14 August 2014, and extraordinary contact between Johnson and SYP's press officer. Johnson received a text alerting him that the police were "Going in now, Dan", to which he replied "Give me a shout before they take anything out, so we can get the chopper in place for a shot."[10][11] The BBC later apologised for the "distress" caused to Richard by its live coverage,[12] and in 2018 Richard was awarded £210,000 in damages against the BBC.[13]

Awards

References
  1. Hencke, David; Beckett, Francis (2009). Marching to the Fault Line: The Miners' Strike and the Battle for Industrial Britain. London: Constable. p. i. ISBN 978-1-849-01025-2.
  2. "Sir Cliff Richard OBE and The British Broadcasting Corporation, The Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police" (PDF). London. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  3. "Inside Out: Yorkshire and Lincolnshire". BBC One. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  4. "Miners' strike: MP calls for Orgreave policing inquiry". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  5. "Miners' strike policing: Labour calls for Orgreave inquiry". BBC News. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  6. "IPCC apologise for Orgreave probe delay". BBC News. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  7. Conn, David (6 May 2016). "South Yorkshire interim police chief welcomes Orgreave inquiry". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  8. "Cliff Richard raid: Police accused of 'sheer incompetence'". BBC News. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  9. Waugh, Rob (24 February 2015). "What South Yorkshire Police did wrong on Cliff Richard raid – report". The Yorkshire Post. Leeds. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  10. Burrell, Ian (19 August 2014). "BBC faces corruption allegation over its Cliff Richard police raid coverage". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  11. Jamieson, Sophie (26 October 2016). "Revealed: the remarkable texts between the police and the BBC before raid on Sir Cliff Richard's house was broadcast live on TV". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  12. Foster, Patrick (23 June 2016). "BBC sorry for 'distress' caused by coverage of Sir Cliff Richard sex abuse claims". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  13. Cowell, Alan (20 July 2018). "Cliff Richard, British Pop Star, Wins Privacy Suit Against BBC". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  14. "The Guardian Student Media Awards 2006". The Guardian. London. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  15. Keating, Matt (13 November 2006). "Young, gifted and hacks". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  16. "Winners". Royal Television Society. 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  17. "O2 Media Awards Yorkshire and Humber 2013 – The Winners". The Blue. 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
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