Sacked war row journalist seeks £2.2m compensation
A journalist who claims he was sacked for refusing to cover the war in Iraq was told by his employers they needed reporters who “would kick down doors”, an employment tribunal heard today.
Richard Gizbert, a London-based reporter for ABC News, is claiming £2.2m (€3.2m) in compensation after he said his 11-year career with the news channel came to an end after he twice refused to cover the Middle East conflict.
His legal team is set to argue that health and safety protection in UK employment law should apply to journalists employed in this country who are assigned to war zones.
In a statement Canadian-born Mr Gizbert, 47, said Mimi Gurbtz, vice-president of news coverage at the Disney-owned network, told him the changing face of news meant they needed reporters who would get stuck in.
But Miss Gurbtz told the panel at the central London tribunal that Mr Gizbert’s contract was terminated as part of a cross-network cost-cutting exercise.
She said she had been told in 2004 to reduce the news coverage budget by 10%, which led to many job losses.
She added: “Since the beginning of 2004 many of our own staff and freelancers have had their contracts cut or reduced in order to meet the budget, including camera crews and correspondents who would travel to war zones.”
The tribunal heard Mr Gizbert first joined the network in 1993 and was at first willing to travel anywhere, at any time.
He covered many high profile foreign stories, including the conflict in Bosnia and Chechnya.
But as time progressed he was less willing to travel for long periods of time - and to dangerous places – because of his family commitments.
In 2002 his contract changed from a staff one to that of a freelancer contracted to work 100 days a year at $1,000 (€828) a day. This meant his work preferences could be accommodated, and in fact he worked much more than 100 days a year.
However, Miss Gurbtz said the cut meant freelancers like Mr Gizbert were likely to be shown the door as he “became a luxury they could no longer afford”.
Challenged by Patrick Green, representing Mr Gizbert, that his client was dismissed because he was inflexible, Miss Gurbtz said: “I would say it may be in the list of reasons, but very low down, if at all.”
She pointed out a staff reporter also based in the ABC London bureaux refused to travel to Iraq but has not had his contract terminated.
She also added the extent of the cuts meant “many of our camera operators who spent most of their 30 year careers embedded in war zones had their contract ended.”
The tribunal is due to hear from former BBC journalist, Martin Bell, who will tell them that since September 11, war reporters are no longer just at risk of being “caught in the crossfire but are targets themselves”.
He will refer to the attack on BBC security correspondent, Frank Gardner, and executed American journalist, Daniel Pearle.
The tribunal is expected to last five days.
