Journalist, producer and writer. Guest Lecturing @CityJournalism. Fan of legally complex stories.

Joined November 2009
Lara Whyte retweeted
What connects Tommy Robinson, Bonnie Blue, Leicester City FC, the tiny African island of Anjouan and an apparently respectable family of property investors from Mill Hill? It's a strange tale... theguardian.com/society/2026…
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Amnesty: Responding to a report of threats made in person against a freelance journalist reporting on a street protest outside a police station in Derry / Londonderry on Tuesday (13 October) evening, Patrick Corrigan, Head of Nations and Regions at Amnesty International UK, said:   “Threatening a journalist who is simply doing their job is an appalling attempt to silence independent reporting and must be condemned unequivocally. No journalist should face intimidation or threats of violence for covering a public protest. Such behaviour undermines press freedom and denies the public their right to access information in the public interest.   “Regrettably, this incident reflects a wider and deeply troubling pattern of threats and harassment directed at journalists in Northern Ireland. Amnesty International’s investigation last year documented more than 70 incidents since 2019, many of them linked to paramilitary groups.   “Our findings exposed an environment in which journalists can be left fearing for their safety, while those responsible for intimidation too often escape accountability.   “Journalists must be free to report on protests and matters of public concern without fear of threats or reprisals. The PSNI must take this incident - which occurred outside a police station - extremely seriously and ensure that those responsible are identified and held accountable.   “Intimidating journalists for carrying out their work has no place in a democratic society. Freedom of the press must be protected, and attempts to undermine it must never be tolerated.”
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Lara Whyte retweeted
The never-used Sec 9 request procedure - being specifically set-out in primary legislation by Act of Parliament - a legislature unbridled by a written constitution - makes the SOS’s decision unchallengeable. No court would go that far. And, if determination IS revoked, it could remove the Parades Commission from any future role in any Drumcree return parade:
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Lara Whyte retweeted
Thanks to everyone for their messages of support, both public and private. The Drumcree issue has left me fully convinced that almost everyone here wants peace & political stability. Peace however means more than simply the absence of violence and if we're serious about making it work then political rhetoric and stunts that create division have no place.
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"Almost all of my books were stolen to teach AI how to create its voice" But what really concerns Katherine Rundell is what the proliferation of AI is going to do to children's learning. Listen to The New Society with @tanjil_rashid_ wherever you get your podcasts.
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Best and worst of worlds in Belfast this summer. Was thoroughally depressed by June and July, August so far been such a tonic
I might have something in my eye. A Muslim woman has been in touch to say since the racist riots earlier this summer she hasn’t been out much. She and friends came into town yesterday evening and felt safe at the Fleadh. “Go Northern Ireland, go Ireland” #Belfast
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Lara Whyte retweeted
Last night my niece and her friends set up an impromptu stand in the city centre… and along came her dance idol! Lauren Smyth the lead of Riverdance! This is what dreams are made of for an 11 yo!!! ❤️🙏🏻🥹 #fleadhcheoil 🎶
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Oh Jeez, a talk that would have been attended by a dozen now taking on an internet life...
Replying to @ni_wrn
jkrwf.org will help with legal costs.
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Lara Whyte retweeted
What a sentence from @AlexKane221b in today’s @IrishTimes 😵‍💫😅
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Tonight on Channel 4 a documentary about the case of Stacey Hyde - a seventeen year old who killed a violent man who was attacking her in self defence but was convicted of murder - i acted as her lawyer at her criminal appeal and am interviewed for the doc worth a watch...
Tonight, Channel 4 will broadcast an episode of The Accused: Beyond Reasonable Doubt featuring the case of Stacey Hyde. 👉 Learn more: ow.ly/27jA50ZgMUQ 📺 25 June, 10pm on Channel 4
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Anyone monitoring Belfast violence: were any women spotted among the crowds of those enacting the pogroms of minority families? Or was it all men?
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Lara Whyte retweeted
I’ve spent this morning at Kinnaird Terrace and spoke to residents & witnesses of last night’s attack who are in complete shock. My thoughts are with the victim, his family and the people in the area where this attack took place – just meters from Girdwood and my old school. The idea that an attack like this could take place in our area is horrifying. The bravery of those who intervened to stop the attack and the police who arrested the assailant are to be commended. I have contacted Radius Housing, the PSNI, Belfast Trust & Belfast City Council this morning to ensure that residents living both in the building were the attack took place and on the street are given all support they require.
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Lara Whyte retweeted
Northern Ireland: Martin O'Hagan Family 'Fobbed off' as police ombudsman blocks publication of murder report - amnesty.org.uk/knowledge-hub… -
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Lara Whyte retweeted
Solidarity with @NiallStanage, a great journalist asking important questions, something not enough people do that WH briefing room.
LEAVITT: Why was Renee Good unfortunately and tragically killed? REPORTER: Because an ICE agent acted recklessly and killed her unjustifiably LEAVITT: Oh, ok. So you're a biased reporters with a biased opinion. You're a left-wing hack.
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Replying to @JohnnyMercerUK
Just a reminder. It was the courts that found your Legacy Act unlawful. Any government would have had to legislate because so much of it was unlawful (and unworkable). There’s so little evidence-based analysis in the current debate. Here is a small plea for some, please.
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Whatever your views on Israel/Palestine, Paul Givan went to an illegal settlement and used government resources to promote his visit. The settlement is illegal under international and UK law. Ignore all the noise, that’s what happened. He’d be gone in any other jurisdiction.
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One advantage of scrapping AS levels - it would give grammar schools one less excuse to kick students out to fiddle their league table place.
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