A BBC journalist has rejected a suggestion that she engaged in "a box-ticking exercise" when finding sources to corroborate an allegation against Gerry Adams which is at the centre of a defamation case.Spotlight reporter Jennifer O'Leary was giving evidence for a third day in a High Court action by the former Sinn Féin leader.Mr Adams says that he was defamed in a 2016 Spotlight programme, and a subsequent online article, which claimed he sanctioned the killing of former senior Sinn Féin official Denis Donaldson.Mr Donaldson was shot dead in 2006, months after admitting being an informer for police and MI5 over two decades.Senior Counsel for Mr Adams, Thomas Hogan, put it to Ms O'Leary that she had set about contacting "yes men" to corroborate the allegation against Mr Adams and that "disaffected republicans and indiscreet security service people" were the only ones to whom she disclosed the allegation.She said this was a misrepresentation of the credible sources that she had spoken to, adding that the republican sources were in fact those who supported the peace process and had no agenda against Mr Adams."I was not going to any Tom, Dick or Harry to check" the allegation, Ms O'Leary said.She rejected a suggestion from counsel that the quality of her corroborative sources did not matter as long as she did it.Ms O'Leary also rejected that contradictory material had been "thrown in" to the programme in another box-ticking exercise.She said there was "nothing thrown in, it was carefully considered".It was put to her that a lot of material had been taken out. She said that it was not unusual for scripts to change throughout the process.Ms O'Leary also rejected a suggestion from Mr Hogan that giving Mr Adams the right to reply was "the final box-ticking exercise".She said this was "critically important and a fundamental element" of journalism.Mr Hogan suggested that through this "brand of journalism" she could make as serious an allegation as she wanted.Ms O’Leary replied that it was not a "brand of journalism" and was investigative journalism which was rigorously carried out.It was put to her that the allegation against Mr Adams was not "bona fide" and was "reckless".Ms O’Leary replied that it was done in good faith, the allegation was checked in good faith and the programme was made in the public interest.The editor of BBC Spotlight, who was the programme's deputy editor at the time, told the court they would have loved Gerry Adams to do an interview on camera. She said she believed a week was adequate notice to give him for his right of reply when they first planned to air the programme in June 2016.The programme was later postponed until September and the court has previously heard that Mr Adams sent a statement denying the allegations on the day of the broadcast.She also said that the online article had remained in place, despite being disputed by Mr Adams, because the BBC was "standing over its journalism"."It came from a programme which was very solid, well researched, well considered, much scrutinised piece of significant public interest journalism," she said.Earlier, she said her experiences of reporter Jennifer O'Leary was one of a hardworking journalist who was passionate about her work.During cross-examination, it was put to her by Declan Doyle, counsel for Gerry Adams, that the "big reveal of the programme is that Gerry Adams murdered Denis Donaldson, or sanctioned the murder, it doesn’t matter - that’s the big reveal".She said she would not use the phrase 'big reveal' as that hited at some sort of sensationalist exposé and said the programme had to be viewed in its entirety.She said it was a well considered programme with very many elements of real significance. Mr Doyle suggested it was exactly that "a big sensationalist exposé and a false one at that of Gerry Adams".Ms Jones said this was not the case and said the tone was measured, the language precise and there was "so much care taken over this programme".She added that it was a "solid piece of journalism and the result of many months of work and a lot of diligence, rigour and scrutiny".
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