In the week when he sent 1,700 troops to Afghanistan, defence
secretary Geoff Hoon issued a blistering criticism of Computer
Weekly.
During a parliamentary debate on the 1994 Chinook crash on the Mull
of Kintyre last week, Hoon said there had been "so much nonsense
written about the subject in Computer Weekly".
Following the crash in which 29 people died, two RAF air marshals
found there was no doubt whatsoever that the two pilots were
grossly negligent in causing the crash.
Since 1997, Computer Weekly has campaigned for the verdict to be
overturned and has published evidence that questions the
reliability of the aircraft's computerised Fadec engine control
system.
Hoon said, "Some of the evidence [in Computer Weekly] may be
acceptable, but the way in which that journal hysterically pursues
the subject does not give me cause to accept anything it says at
face value".
In 1999, then home secretary Jack Straw presented a Freedom of
Information award for Computer Weekly's work on the Chinook story.
The award was for uncovering "persuasive evidence that problems
associated with the helicopter's software had surfaced in the weeks
before the accident".
In 2001, Computer Weekly received a PPA award, the publishing
equivalent of an Oscar, for its work on the Chinook crash. And the
Public Accounts Committee published in full a Computer Weekly
report revealing inaccuracies in statements to parliament over the
crash. Its subsequent report accused the Ministry of Defence of
"unwarrantable arrogance".
Today Computer Weekly publishes an open letter to the minister
urging him to specify what parts of the published Chinook evidence
he regards as "nonsense". Otherwise he should retract his
statements and apologise, it says.
The MoD said it would respond in due course.