MA Final project II

INVESTIGATION INTO THE IRAQ INQUIRY
JNL 6019 MA Project Production File 080112675
Programme Slot:
BBC File on Four
Why?
This is an investigative piece of journalism and file on four is one of the BBC’s vehicle for
Investigative journalism so I think this would be an appropriate slot.
Why this and not Face the Facts which is the BBC’s other vehicle for Investigative
Journalism?
Face the Facts looks at issues that are simpler cases of ‘wrongs put right’. In view of the
complex nature of the issue and the complicated policy issues underlying the controversy at
the heart of the story I feel it is better suited for File on Four

BILLING
The long awaited Inquiry into the Iraq war has begun but how will it be carried
out and who will it call? What will it achieve and will critics be satisfied? Will
prosecutions follow in The Hague or elsewhere?
Coming up in the program Aminah Khan trawls through the controversy in
search of answers.....
ON AIR
Coming up later in the program......... “Why the Iraq Inquiry is not about heads on platters”.

CUE
A fresh inquiry into Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war takes off amidst
speculation as a fresh surge of violence erupts in Iraq. But why has it caused
controversy and what can we hope to see from it?
Aminah Khan has been in Westminster investigating in the weeks leading up to
the inquiry’s launch......

SCRIPT
MONTAGE SEQUENCE
The British Flag no longer flutters in the hot shingled winds of Basra and the 6 year long
operation´s now come to a close making the time ripe for reflection.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said its time for an inquiry.
CLIP
[Brown]
But he planned to have it behind closed doors. This caused discontent across Britain
following which the Chairman of the Inquiry Sir John Chilcot said it would be in public
As the last of the troops step down on the tarmac of home turf the probing begins into this
widely criticised conflict.
There have already been previous inquiries into Britain’s involvement in Iraq but the Prime
minister says the remit of this inquiry is wider than any of them
CLIP
[ Brown]

The Inquiry can ask for any UK document, including confidential papers, and call any UK
citizen to give evidence.
Sir John says the former Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of them.
CLIP
[Chilcot]
Sir John also hopes to speak to international decision makers involved in the conflict and the
Iraqi people themselves and maybe even a visit to Iraq by panel.
But there are some concerns about Sir John chairing this inquiry because he also sat on the
Butler Inquiry which cleared the former Prime Minister Tony Blair and his aide Alistair
Campbell of sexing up the dossier of evidence used to make a case for war in Iraq . Some
critics called it a whitewash. The question is whether this one will be and will Britain’s
critics be satisfied?
Jo Swinson an MP for the Liberal Democrats, who opposed the war along with a handful of
conservatives and labour backbenchers, is the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. Maybe
she’ll have some answers.

WILDRTRACK : Trains sounds and announcements.
“......This is Westminster. Alight here for Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament...
¨(fades out)
CLIP
[Jo Swinson:]
The decision to invade Iraq led to the resignation of ministers and wide spread protests. The
Stop War Coalition has been demanding an inquiry for a long time. Is this what they hoped
for?
I’m just crossing the street outside the palace of Westminster to speak to Lindsey German
one of the founders of Stop the War
CLIP
[Interview with Lindsey German]
Sir John and his panel are to hear from the families.
The panel includes the former ambassador to Moscow Sir Roderick Lyne,
Chairman of the joint human rights commission Baroness Usha Prashar,
War historian Sir Martin Gilbert and strategic analyst and historian of recent conflicts Sir
Lawrence Freedman.

The shadow foreign secretary William Hague says that some of them have already
commented on the war
CLIP
[MP William Hague]
None of the members have military or governmental experience or even legal expertise
which has raised some concerns among the public and politicians.
But the Prime minister says they will have experts to advise them.
CLIP
[Gordon Brown]
This inquiry can praise or blame whoever it likes and Sir john says the panel won’t hesitate
to point out flaws.
CLIP
[Sir John Chilcot]
But blame does mean criminal or civil liability because it’s not a judicial inquiry and it’s not
a court of law.
CLIP
[Former Soldier Steve McLaughlin]

Steve McLaughlin is a former rifleman and author of the book Squaddie; a Soldier's story
who served in Iraq
CLIP
[ Steve McLaughlin]
CLIP
[Professor of International law Nick Grief]
Professor Nick Grief is an expert in international law from the University of Bournemouth
who was also a member of the previous peace rights inquiry which looked at the legal aspect
of the war. He says this inquiry can’t lead to prosecutions even in an international court.
CLIP
[Professor of International law Nick Grief]
WILDTRACK
EMBANKMENT GARDENS LIVE MUSIC ACTUALITY
I’m almost at the end of my quest which has brought me out into sunshine at the
embankment gardens. Its almost 90 degree Fahrenheit, people are soaking in the sun and the
sound of the Midwest ambassadors playing and Chris should be here any minute. Chris
Ames, is an investigative journalist who uncovered the first full draft of the famous so called
‘sexed up’ dossier of evidence. I wonder how he thinks this inquiry will pan out.

ACTUALITY OF MEETING
CLIP
[Chris Ames]
CLIP
[MP Gisella Stewart]
Gisella Stewart is a labour MP who voted for the war . She says this Inquiry is vital to clear
any misconceptions people may have about Iraq
CLIP
[Gisella Stewart]
Gisella was also on the foreign affairs select committee that carried out a previous inquiry
into the reasons for going to war. She says this inquiry could help clarify why Britain got
involved.
CLIP
She also says the inquiry could put military operations in the future on a firm legal footing
CLIP

The Inquiry panel is already calling for papers and launched its own website. The hearings
which begin in the autumn will be open to the press and the public and may even televised
on the internet.
But the findings of the inquiry will only be out after the next general election.
This is Aminah Khan reporting for JUS news
TUNE....fades out
OUT: for JUS News
DUR:14.28”
For more on this story and exclusive insights and interviews log on to our website at
www.jus.shef.ac.uk/broadcast-09/iraq-inquiry-catalyst-change

RESEARCH WORK
CD: LIST OF DOCUMENTS:
FOLDERS
Reports
• Butler Report
• Hutton Report
• Hansard :See Opposition Day Debate- Iraq Inquiry, p. –
• House of Commons Select Committee Iraq Inquiry Report
• Investigatory inquiries and the Inquiries Act 2005
• Timeline of House of Commons Responses to the Iraq War
FOI:
Information received under the Freedom of Information Act, Courtesy Chris Ames
Includes drafts of the dossier and Downing Street correspondence
Correspondence
• Internal
- Incoming
- Outgoing
• External
- Incoming
- Outgoing

ROUGH WORK
- Time tables
- Article extracts
- Notes

ONLINE REVERSIONING
Iraq Inquiry a Catalyst for Change?
WEBPAGE includes
TEXT
VIDEO INTERVIEW
AUDIO INTERVIEW
EMBEDDED AUDIO CLIPS
HYPERLINKS
EXTERNAL LINKS

Potential leads for further stories?
Claims that could be investigated:
They were beyond the scope of this investigation ie. They did not contribute to this particular story or were
single source claims and could not be verified which meant accuracy was in the least unsure.
Single source claims were one of the underlying issues of the Iraq war controversy where the 45-minute claim was
from a single source and MP Swinson said “that’s not an objective way to make foreign policy”
1. Who is Al Sadiya?
Investigation into the Iran-Iraq relations in post war Iraq
Former Rifleman Steve McLaughlin who served in Iraq in 2003 says ¨Over the course of the last few
years I’ve had a chance to meet many Iraqi citizens, people who´ve been involved with the conflict
from the other side and I think life for the average Iraqi is significantly worse than it was under
Saddam.
It was bad under Saddam but I think it’s now worse because what they´ve now got is a lot of
intertribal warfare between different sects of the Muslim religion. You´ve got Sunnis killing Shias,
Shias killing Sunnis, Shias killing Shias and there´s lots of criminality. You´ve also got a very strong
Iranian influence which isn´t necessarily helpful, causing trouble from Iran. The Shias in Iran are
now supporting the Shias in Iraq and that´s making life very uncomfortable for the Sunni minority
t has quietened down which is good I can see that but I think its a false peace its not necessarily a
lasting enduring peace. In Baghdad in particular there are still lots of bombs that go off on a daily
basis especially in mosques. So for the actual Iraqi citizen the war goes on. They´re living in a time
of great uncertainty. The Iraqis have got to live in Iraq and face the consequences of our actions for
decades to come and the consequences of our actions in Iraq might be the rise to power of a new
young vigorous strong dictator.
That might happen and one candidate is Al Sadiya, leader of the Mardi army. The Iranians are
supporting him to a very great degree and he´s got a lot of power with the Shias in Iraq. He´s a very
young man, he´s 37 years old and if he rises to power life for the Sunnis will be intolerable because
he will run Iraq as a religious strict Islamic theocracy.
One of the good things about Iraq especially for women under Saddam although it wasn´t a bed of
roses it was a largely secular country which meant if you were a woman and if you wanted to be a
doctor you could be a doctor. A Shia could marry a Sunni and vice versa. You could travel freely
within that country; you could do business with different tribes. Now all that is over.

All that is finished and if Al Sadiya or someone similar rises to power Iraq will be run on strictly
divided theoretical lines and it will be a lot worse for the average Iraqi¨
2. Investigation into the US-UK relations in Obama led America
Professor Michael Codner says the Iraq Inquiry may or may not affect the so called special
relationship because there is a new administration unless it pilloried the United States.
He said¨ There were some pretty nasty things like when Rumsfeld was asked, this was shortly before
the war, what would happen if the United Kingdom decided not to support America he said well
they´re irrelevant anyhow or something to that effect which completely undermines that line of the
argument that this was all to do with influence¨
3. Will the Inquiry change the government?
Professor Michael Codner says that ¨no political party apart from the Liberal Democrats could claim
very much mileage from the apportionment of blame. I mean the Tories can say they were deceived
but a Tory Prime minister would have had every bit the same challenge that Tony Blair had, because
of the special relationship¨.
So now that blame can be apportioned what could be the implications in the run up to the general
election?

MA Final project II

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