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G20 Nigel Rosser exposed

Chief Reporter | 23.03.2009 18:00 | G20 London Summit | Climate Chaos | Other Press | Repression

Nigel Rosser is a tabloid journalist who recycles Met police press releases as scare stories in the run up to major demonstrations. He has previously written stories about Mayday and Climate camp.

Nigel Rosser, journalist
Nigel Rosser, journalist

Robert Mendick, the one on the right
Robert Mendick, the one on the right


Rosser's job is to be the voice of the Met which often conflicts with the reality of the world around him.

As journalists both Rosser and his partner in crime Robert Mendick have had complaints against them upheld by the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). 'Militants will hit Heathrow' (2007) was judged a breach of Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Code of Practice "care had not been taken over the piece, which was materially misleading. This was a serious breach of the Code" said the PCC, and 'Eco-protesters target school run mothers' (2008) had to be retracted by the Evening Standard with a grovelling apology "we wish to make it clear that there is no evidence that climate-change protesters had plans to target school-run mothers, deflate tyres or cover the windscreens of moving vehicles".

Who then are the Del boy and Rodney of the crime reporters circuit? And how close is their relationship to Scotland Yard?

Mendick seems to be the more clueless and senior of the pair. Back in 2005 he invented a story about the Dar Al Taqwa bookshop off Baker street being a supplier of terrorist literature. After being proven untrue he apologised by saying cryptically “This is my job. Tony Blair has asked us to go and look at all Islamic bookshops.”
Mendick the fantasist beginning to emerge?

Nigel Rosser is a kind of middle class spiv, the sort journalism always attracts, desperate for approval from the Met boys and his bosses. Ironically Rosser quit his job as a journalist a couple of years ago to become a property developer. Given Rosser's back on the muck-raking scene it seems he didn't make a particularly good job of that either.

Mendick is 42 years old, claims to have been educated at Cambridge (1985-1988), married with 2 children. He lives in north London and his chief contribution to journalism is getting the New Deal underlings at the Standard to write his stories for him.

There's a story going round that four years ago Rosser asked a senior detective to describe exactly what Kenneth Noye [gangster involved in Brinks Mat robbery serving time for murder] was like. The policeman looked him up and down and replied: "A middle-class boy like you? Absolutely your worst nightmare."

We know you're listening Robert and Nigel...


Both can be contacted directly at:
London Evening Standard
Northcliffe House
2 Derry St,
London,
W8 5TT

Chief Reporter

Additions

Their latest Evening Standard article about "Black Bloc anarchists to hijack..."

23.03.2009 19:01

Their article published today "'Black Bloc' anarchists to hijack summit protests using shields and truncheons" is another example of the almost carbon copy scare story that they and others trundle out ahead of protests. It starts with some headline claim or assertion and then fails to follow through with any fact.

A quick look at the story sees nothing substantive in it at all - it's all "is understood to be planning" / "is believed to be at the centre of plans" / "is said to be" etc

There are no verifiable sources at all, though this is not unusual for their style of journalism.

If you look at the 15 or so comments under the evening standard they are all either saying that people have a right to be angry over the current political / financial situation, or that the article is sensationalist and just trying to pave the way for a police repression of the demonstrators.

Pete


Comments

Display the following 17 comments

  1. befrienders united — Mister Spazbook
  2. Nigel's hit the big time — Dotty Lepkowska
  3. chris knight on more4 news — occasional tv watcher
  4. who is Chris Knight? — not him
  5. Who Chris Knight? — upthera
  6. chris knight — occasional tv watcher
  7. Policing debate and Evening Std Journalists — interested
  8. Yeah, Chris Knight... WTF?! — J
  9. Definitely Rosser and Mendick — Chief Reporter
  10. Not such a fantasy? — x
  11. low standards — angry
  12. mendick — yellow
  13. Chris Knight — Robbie
  14. Mortified — Kevin
  15. Chris Knight again.. — Sarah
  16. Rosser: Update — Steve Edwards
  17. Turning off the lights, legally — Danny
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