Mark Hirst

Mark Hirst

Mark Hirst speaking outside the Scottish Parliament.
Born Scotland
Occupation Broadcast journalist

Mark Hirst is a foreign correspondent with Sputnik News, formerly RIA Novosti, (Rossiya Segodnya/Russia Today), Russia's largest news organisation.[1][2] Hirst is a former broadcast journalist with STV News[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 2003 he was appointed as press officer for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.

In June 2002 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 an Intelligence Officer who conducted the briefing told delegates that the IRA "had fought a just cause" and "had won a successful campaign". 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] The Home Office refused to comment. Subsequently it issued a DA-Notice preventing the UK media from publishing details of the officer’s identity.

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, Hirst produced and appeared in Histoire d'un naufrage confidentiel (The Story of a Secret Sinking) in association with Atlantic Television and France 3. The following year, it was entered at the Toulon Film Festival, a festival specialising in exploration, the environment and knowledge of the sea and under the sea, and won Best 'International Documentary'. The film was subsequently shown in 85 countries and potentially 200 million viewers. In 2005 Hirst co-founded the Lancastria Association of Scotland. In 2008 he successfully petitioned the Scottish Parliament to commission a Commemorative Lancastria Medal, which he designed.[9][10][11] In 2012 Hirst was an Associate Producer for the documentary Maritime Mysteries, Case Closed which was broadcast on TV5 Monde.[12] In 2015 Hirst directed a one hour documentary, The Ablyazov Syndicate, examining the alleged multi-billion dollar fraud of the BTA Bank by its former Chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov. [13][14]

Hirst has been a regular contributor to the Scottish Left Review magazine[15][16][17] and also the Scots Independent newspaper.[18] As a freelance journalist Hirst claims he has written for every national and regional newspaper in Scotland. He is a former reporter for Orkney Farmer magazine.[19][20][21]

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. ↑ The Ablyazov Syndicate, "The Ablyazov Syndicate documentary", January 2016
  14. ↑ IMDb profile "The Ablyazov Syndicate", "Trailer - Ablyazov Syndicate documentary", January 2016
  15. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "We don't need no thought control by Mark Hirst", August 2010
  16. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "Gassing the past by Mark Hirst", May 2010
  17. ↑ Scottish Left Review, "Are we targets by Mark Hirst", May 2011
  18. ↑ Scots Independent, "Flag in the wind", July 2008
  19. ↑ Orkney Farmer Magazine, "The Orkney Farmer magazine team", July 2013
  20. ↑ The Scotsman,"Scots shipping boss linked to previous sinkings", August 2013
  21. ↑ The Sun "Disaster skipper deadly sinking number 2", August 2013
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