Suzanne Breen wins Libel settlement from NUJ

[mutley]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12665116

An investigative journalist, who was taken to court by the PSNI to pressure her to hand over information about her sources, has received an apology and retraction as part of a settlement reached in her libel case against the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).
Suzanne Breen will also receive undisclosed damages from the union.
Ms Breen began defamation proceedings against the NUJ after its magazine published comments about her stance on protecting sources in her stories on the Real IRA.
The comments followed her victory in a legal battle with police in June 2009 who were trying to make her surrender information on dissident republicans.

Glad that she won this case, Should the NUJ have been commenting on her protection or sources in the first place? I don't have any knowledge of the comments they wrote, but I'm assuming that it was not in a favourable light, surely the protection of sources is taken as a given amongst journalists, which makes the NUJ actions here a bit strange

[5intheface]

Can't abide the woman, never could and it's unlikely to change but she was badly wronged on all sides throughout this case.

[Baron von Biffo]

Two things come to mind reading that - Firstly, it always strikes me as a bit odd when journalists sue for defamation given that they tend to be very vocal in their opposition to the defamation laws and in particular to the payment of large sums in damages. It would be interesting to hear how Breen squares that circle.

Secondly, I thought there was a legal principle that you can't sue yourself that prevented people from suing organisations that they are members of. The article cited says that she sued the NUJ rather than say the editor of the magazine or the author of the article complained of. Perhaps someone with legal training could comment.