Mark Hirst is a Scottish journalist. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of Radio Sputnik/Sputnik News UK, formerly RIA Novosti, (Rossiya Segodnya/Russia Today), Russia's largest news organisation.Russian Embassy Mass media in UK, "Russian mass media", May 2018RIA Novosti article, "Scottish nuke ban could lead to annexation and US sanctions", April 2014RIA Novosti article, "Scottish independence forecasts uncertain", April 2014 A former broadcast journalistJournalisted.com, "Mark Hirst - journalisted.com", April 2012 with STV News,"Disabled girl in respite battle", July 2013 he has also produced and appeared in a number of independently-made documentary films.
Background Hirst has a BA in Communication Studies from Queen Margaret University.
In 2001 Hirst was a communications officer for Orkney Islands Council. In 2003 he was appointed as press officer for the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration.
Politics Hirst has worked as a staffer for four Scottish National Party politicians including Sandra White and Christine Grahame
Journalism 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.VAST, "Victims and Survivors Trust", August 2004Féile an Phobail official website, "The people's festival", November 2013 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. At the Toulon Film Festival in 2004, a three-day maritime festival in France, it won Best 'International Documentary'. The film subsequently screened in 85 countries. In 2017 Hirst was Associate Producer for an episode of “Combat Ships” broadcast on the History Channel.Combat Ships Rescue ships episode “Rescue ships”, March 2017
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.Lancastria Wiki, "Lancastria", July 2013Scotsman story by Mark Hirst, "Wartime loss that has been ignored too long", August 2007Scotsman newspaper story by Mark Hirst, "Recognition remains sunk without trace", April 2012 In 2012 Hirst was an Associate Producer for the documentary Maritime Mysteries, Case Closed broadcast on the French international channel TV5 Monde.Grand Angle Productions, "Martyred Ships" , November 2012 In 2015 Hirst directed a one-hour documentary, The Ablyazov Syndicate, examining an alleged multibillion-dollar fraud of the BTA Bank by its former Chairman Mukhtar Ablyazov.The Ablyazov Syndicate, "The Ablyazov Syndicate documentary" , January 2016IMDb profile "The Ablyazov Syndicate", "Trailer - Ablyazov Syndicate documentary", January 2016
Hirst has contributed articles to the Scottish Left Review magazineScottish Left Review, "We don't need no thought control by Mark Hirst", August 2010Scottish Left Review, "Gassing the past by Mark Hirst", May 2010Scottish Left Review, "Are we targets by Mark Hirst", May 2011 and also the Scots Independent newspaper.Scots Independent, , July 2008 A former reporter for Orkney Farmer magazine.,Orkney Farmer Magazine, "The Orkney Farmer magazine team" July 2013 Hirst has written for every newspaper in Scotland. The Scotsman,"Scots shipping boss linked to previous sinkings", August 2013
Arrest, Charges, Trial, Acquittal In March 2020, Mark Hirst released a YouTube video where he said that the legally-protected anonymity of women who had accused Alex Salmond of sexual assault may not be continued and they were "going to reap the whirlwind." When those remarks were criticised by Rape Crisis Scotland, Hirst alleged Rape Crisis Scotland had been directed by the Labour Party. Following an investigation into reports of menacing communication, Hirst was arrested and charged by police in May. At a hearing in August 2020 Hirst pled not guilty to an amended charge that he had acted in a “threatening or abusive manner”. On 8 January 2021, at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, it was ruled that Mark Hirst had no case to answer. SNP MP, Kenny MacAskill, the former Scottish Justice Secretary writing in The Scotsman said the action following the Alex Salmond Trial raised serious questions about Scotland's prosecutors, stating, “This isn't just an abuse of process; it's looking like an abuse of power.” Responding to Hirst's acquittal the President of the Chartered Institute of Journalist, Professor Tim Crook, said, "Mark Hirst is a respected professional journalist and a member of our Institute. Freedom of expression in the UK means that he has the right to exercise his skills with political activism in the media.” Following his acquittal lawyers acting for Hirst confirmed they would sue both the Crown Office and Police Scotland for "malicious prosecution".
On 6 February 2026, Lord Lake, hearing Hirst's malicious prosecution suit in the Outer House of the Court of Session, ruled that he had no choice but to dismiss the action under Section 170 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Under Section 170, the Lord Advocate and Crown Office have effective immunity against being pursued for damages "unless the person suing has suffered imprisonment". However, Lord Lake also declared that provisions of Section 170 were incompatible with Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights as an unjustifiable restriction on the pursuer's right to have the merits of his claim determined.
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