Journalists refuse to reveal sources of payments stories

The editor of the Sunday Tribune, Mr Matt Cooper, and a former managing editor of Magill, Mr John Ryan, both refused to reveal confidential sources for stories relating to the payment to the former minister for foreign affairs Mr Ray Burke at the Flood Tribunal yesterday.

Mr Cooper also told the tribunal that if he had known about alleged payments to Mr Burke by Renicks and Fitzwilton he would have investigated them with equal vigour.

Giving evidence in support of an article which appeared in the Sunday Tribune in July 1997 headlined "Ray Burke received £30,000 from property company" Mr Cooper said the source of the story was one person whom he refused to name, information which was already in the public domain and answers to questions which he had supplied to Government spokesman Mr Joe Lennon.

Mr Cooper said that in 1997 it was in the public domain that a large amount of money had been given to a senior Fianna Fail minister by a property company. In journalist circles in Dublin it was understood this minister was Mr Ray Burke.

Mr Burke was refusing to answer any media questions at the time and therefore Mr Cooper had contacted Mr Lennon to ask if Mr Burke had told the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, that the rumours, which were public knowledge, related to him. Mr Lennon confirmed this.

Mr Cooper also said that he had been told by his source that the payment was made to Mr Burke by Bovale Developments, the property company controlled by Mr Michael Bailey.

Mr Cooper was surprised because he, along with other journalists in Dublin, understood the payment was made to Mr Burke by the Murphy group company JMSE.

Under cross-examination by Mr Colm Allen SC, for the Baileys and Bovale, he said he became aware that the Baileys subsequently denied it was they who made the donation.

He was also aware that Mr James Gogarty had said he thought £80,000 had been given to Mr Burke. He said in subsequent editions of the Sunday Tribune the newspaper had carried the denial by the Baileys. ail. Mr Cooper said it was his source who would remain anonymous.

Mr Cooper said there was speculation in limited circles that JMSE was the company that made payment to Mr Burke. He said that at that stage it was thought that there had been only one such payment to Mr Burke. Mr John Ryan told the tribunal he was managing editor of Magill in 1997. He was approached by a source at a wedding who showed him either the letter from Mr Michael Bailey to Mr James Gogarty dated June 8th, 1989, or a copy of that letter.

Mr Ryan said he had later contacted his source again and arranged a meeting where he got another look at the letter, this time for no more than 45 seconds. The first occasion he had seen the letter had afforded him an opportunity to memorise quotes from it, which he then transcribed.

He had been in contact with Mr Bailey in advance of publishing the letter.