News coverage of Ian Tomlinson’s death at the G20 summit

• Initially we were told that he died of a heart attack, bought on by natural causes but a week later The Gaurdian obtained footage which had been shot by an American investment fun manager and showed Tomlinson being struck on the leg from behind by a police officers with a baton and then being pushed to the ground by the same officer.
  
• When journalists asked if he had been in contact with police before his death they were told that speculation would only upset family.


• Evening Standard reported that the police had attempted to help him but an eyewitness account said that was not true. It was protestors not police who had tried to help.


• Video shows that the protestors stopped hurling objects at the police when they realised that someone was hurt.


• First video published by The Guardian



• Channel 4 then released another video- had been filming something else and this was in the background.


• Footage shot by freelance journalist Nabella Zahir- showed that there had not been a barrage of objects being thrown at the police whilst they were trying to save him, which the police had claimed.


• The Guardian said that the police mislead journalists. They had told them he had died of natural causes and that his family had not been surprised to hear that he had died of a heart attack.


• Reporters who approached the corners directly were refused comment.


• The morning The Guardian published photographs, his family visted scene and gave personal contact details to the journalist, Paul Lewis, and asked him to stay in contact if he found out any more about his death.


• Guardian handed video to IPCC as evidence.


• Some said that the extensive reporting of the story crossed the line in which people become obsessed with finding photographs and films of his last moment, designed to whip up outrage.


• Guardian criticised for burning their brand name onto the video so that when ever it was watched, their name appeared.


• Boris Johnson called the coverage an ‘orgy of cop bashing’.