A BBC journalist in the Gerry Adams defamation case says she believes it was in the public interest to broadcast claims made against the former Sinn Fein leader.
Gerry Adams alleges the BBC defamed him in a Spotlight programme in 2016, saying it falsely claimed he sanctioned the killing of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson in Glenties.
A source named ‘Martin’ made allegations in the programme about the former Sinn Fein Leader.
The show’s reporter, Jennifer O’Leary says she met with this source ten times and went out of her way to meet him as many times as she could.
She told the High Court she had over 60 meetings after the source’s allegations and spoke to five additional sources.
She said any reasonable person who watched the Spotlight programme that night and the claim of the sanctioning of Denis Donaldson’s murder would know it was an allegation as opposed to a fact.
She said straight after the programme it was reflected that Gerry Adams denied the allegation.
She told the court it was in the public interest to include the Adams allegation.
‘’Was I to ignore it?’’ She asked.
