Stephen Nolan says someone threatened him with organised online smear campaign of intimidation

The BBC presenter made the comment yesterday amid a backlash on Twitter targeting the Nolan Show for its investigation into the funeral of Bobby Storey, which has led to a series of revelations over the last week which contradict what had been the official narrative as to what had happened at the IRA man’s funeral.

Speaking on his Radio Ulster programme yesterday, Mr Nolan said: “There is a coordinated campaign on Twitter against me and this programme.”

Mr Nolan said that many of the accounts targeting him appear to be anonymous ‘bot’ accounts which are controlled by individuals who use software to hide their identity while controlling multiple fake accounts.

The BBC man stressed that there was a difference between “the coordinated, sectarian, vile abusive stuff that’s being directed at me ... [and] other people having an absolute right to challenge me, to challenge this programme, to disagree with me.”

A caller challenged the journalist’s characterisation of the situation, arguing that simply many people were angry at how he had covered the funeral story in such detail.

The caller said that for Mr Nolan to state there was an orchestrated campaign against him was “nonsense”.

The BBC man responded: “I have had conversations with people in the past – and I’m not talking about this – but the Nolan team has had conversations with people in Northern Ireland in the past where they have told us when they are going to turn the bot campaign on against us, and the circumstances and conditions through which they would turn them off.

“Let me assure you, 100%, that there are organised, orchestrated campaigns designed to intimidate journalists in this country which are switched on and switched off.

“Now, I’m not talking about this, but I’m telling you that they exist in Northern Ireland.”

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