Mark Hirst

Mark Hirst

Mark Hirst speaking outside the Scottish Parliament at the return of the William Wallace "safe conduct" letter.
Born Scotland
Occupation Broadcast journalist

Mark Hirst is a foreign correspondent with RIA Novosti, (Rossiya Segodnya/Russia Today), Russia's largest news organisation.[1][2] Hirst is a former broadcast journalist[3] with STV News.[4] He has also produced and appeared in a number of documentary films for UK and international broadcasters.

History and career

Hirst is a graduate of Queen Margaret University obtaining a BA Degree in Communication Studies. In 2001 Hirst was appointed as a communications officer for Orkney Islands Council.

In June 2002 it was reported that Hirst attended a briefing by the British Security Service (MI5) in the North of Scotland. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Herald[5] and Irish Sunday Tribune Hirst claimed the Intelligence Officer who conducted the briefing told delegates that the IRA "had fought a just cause" and "had won a successful campaign". The Home Office refused to comment but subsequently issued a DA-Notice preventing the UK media from publishing details of the officer’s identity. Martin Ingram, a former intelligence officer in the army’s spying arm, the Force Research Unit said: “I think what this officer is saying is an honest appraisal.”[6]

In 2003 he was appointed as press officer for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration. In August 2004 Hirst was a speaker at the Damien Walsh Memorial Lecture at Queens University Belfast as part of the Féile an Phobail. The event was organised by the Victims and Survivors Trust.[7][8] Former civil rights leader and journalist Eamonn McCann gave the second part of the lecture focused on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.

In 2003, in association with Atlantic Television and France 3, Hirst produced and appeared in Histoire d'un naufrage confidentiel (The Story of a Secret Sinking). The film won Best 'International Maritime Documentary' at the International Film Festival in Toulon in 2004. The film has subsequently been shown in 85 countries around the world and 200 million viewers. In 2005 Hirst founded the Lancastria Association of Scotland. In 2008 he successfully petitioned the Scottish Parliament calling on the Scottish Government to commission a Commemorative Lancastria Medal, which he designed. In June 2008 the first medals were issued by the First Minister of Scotland.[9][10][11] In 2012 Hirst was Associate Producer for the documentary Maritime Mysteries, Case Closed which was broadcast on TV5 Monde.[12]

Hirst has been a regular contributor to the Scottish Left Review magazine[13][14][15] and also the Scots Independent newspaper.[16] As a freelance journalist he has written for every national and regional newspaper in Scotland. He is a former reporter for Orkney Farmer magazine.[17][18][19]

In 2009 Hirst was involved in supporting the Justice for Megrahi Committee and in June and July of that year he twice met together with Christine Grahame with Abdelbaset al-Megrahi at Greenock Prison shortly before his release back to Libya.[20]

References

  1. ↑ RIA Novosti article, "Scottish nuke ban could lead to annexation and US sanctions", April 2014
  2. ↑ RIA Novosti article, "Scottish independence forecasts uncertain", April 2014
  3. ↑ Journalisted.com, "Mark Hirst - journalisted.com", April 2012
  4. ↑ STV News, "Disabled girl in respite battle", July 2013
  5. ↑ Extract from Sunday Herald article, "Fury as MI5 describe IRA terror as ‘just”", June 2004
  6. ↑ Sunday Herald article, "MI5 describe IRA terror as ‘just’", June 2004
  7. ↑ VAST, "Victims and Survivors Trust", August 2004
  8. ↑ Féile an Phobail official website, people’s festival”, November 2013
  9. ↑ Lancastria Wiki, "Lancastria", July 2013
  10. ↑ Scotsman story by Mark Hirst, "Wartime loss that has been ignored too long", August 2007
  11. ↑ Scotsman newspaper story by Mark Hirst, "Recognition remains sunk without trace", April 2012
  12. ↑ Grand Angle Productions, "Martyred Ships", November 2012
  13. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "We don't need no thought control by Mark Hirst", August 2010
  14. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "Gassing the past by Mark Hirst", May 2010
  15. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "Are we targets by Mark Hirst", May 2011
  16. ↑ Scots Independent, "Flag in the wind", July 2008
  17. ↑ Orkney Farmer Magazine, "The Orkney Farmer magazine team", July 2013
  18. ↑ The Scotsman,"Scots shipping boss linked to previous sinkings", August 2013
  19. ↑ The Sun "Disaster skipper deadly sinking number 2", August 2013
  20. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "Fragments of truth", August 2009

External links

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