Suzanne Breen (born 1967) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

journalist.

Career

Suzanne Breen, a native of

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

, has been a journalist for several Irish newspapers including ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' and ''

The Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...

''. She has also contributed to several Irish magazines such as ''

Fortnight A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (two weeks). The word derives from the Old English term , meaning "" (or "fourteen days," since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights). Astronomy and tides In astronomy, a ''lunar fortnight'' is h ...

'' and '' Magill''. She was the

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

editor for the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tab ...

''.Police 'demand Real IRA sources'

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, 3 May 2009; retrieved 12 May 2009 She has also written for ''

Village Magazine ''Village'' is an Irish current affairs and cultural magazine. Launched in October 2004 and originally published weekly, it is known for its investigative reporting and describes itself as being "driven by a clearly-stated political agenda and ...

'' on Northern Irish issues.Suzanne Bree
"Johnny Adair: "Any Taig Will Do"
''Village Magazine'', 8 January 2005; retrieved 12 May 2009. In 2017 she was appointed Political Editor of the

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...

Dispute over right to protect sources

She was contacted by the

Real IRA The Real Irish Republican Army, or Real IRA (RIRA), is a dissident Irish republican paramilitary group that aims to bring about a United Ireland. It formed in 1997 following a split in the Provisional IRA by dissident members, who rejected the ...

when they claimed responsibility for the shootings at Massereene Barracks and admitted killing

Denis Donaldson Denis Martin Donaldson (1950 – 4 April 2006) was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a member of Sinn Féin who was killed following his exposure in December 2005 as an informer in the employ of MI5 and the Specia ...

. In 2009, she was approached by the

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ') is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...

and asked to hand over details about sources, which she refused to do.Suzanne Breen
I'm not going to put my life in danger to do the PSNI's job
, Tribune News, 3 May 2009; retrieved 12 May 2009. She was supported by the

National Union of Journalists The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). Structure There is ...

and the ''Sunday Tribune''."We will rigorously defend Suzanne Breen's right to maintain confidentiality"
, ''Tribune News'', 3 May 2009; retrieved 12 May 2009Journalistic confidentiality
National Union of Journalists, Sunday Tribune, 10 May 2009; retrieved 12 May 2009 Breen stated that her life could be in danger if she reveals her sources. Initially, the judge said he was minded to grant the order to the PSNI, but, in June 2009, the High Court in Belfast ruled in her favour, saying she did not have to hand over her notes. She had been told by a third party that if she handed over her notes, she and her family would be in danger from the

Awards

* Northern Ireland Journalist of the Year (1994) * Northern Ireland Feature Journalist of the Year (1995, 1996, 1997, 2010, 2016). * Outstanding journalism by women on the island of Ireland (1999)."Journalism awards"

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

, 18 January 1999; retrieved 28 January 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breen, Suzanne Journalists from Northern Ireland Place of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Columnists from Northern Ireland 1967 births