In July 2011, "The Sunday Times" was implicated in the wider News International phone hacking scandal which primarily involved the "News of the World", a Murdoch tabloid newspaper published in the UK from 1843 to 2011. Former British prime minister Gordon Brown accused "The Sunday Times" of employing "known criminals" to impersonate him and obtain his private financial records. Brown's bank reported that an investigator employed by "The Sunday Times" repeatedly impersonated Brown to gain access to his bank account records. "The Sunday Times" vigorously denied these accusations and said that the story was in the public interest and that it had followed the Press Complaints Commission code on using subterfuge.
Phone hacking scandal
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times | Phone hacking scandal
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. May 2010 May 2010 May 2010
cast of the movie the girl with the dragon tattoo
user
Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara
assistant
what is the movie about?
user
Mikael Blomkvist's investigation to find out what happened to a woman from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years prior. He recruits the help of Salander, a computer hacker.
assistant
where was it film?
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Stockholm, Sweden; Uppsala; Zurich, Switzerland; and finally Oslo, Norway.
assistant
who composed the score for the film?
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Reznor and Ross
assistant
is there a sequel to it?
user
Yes, "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest".
assistant
when are these sequels going to be released?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
is the latter aforementioned sequel a novel?
user
Yes, it is the second novel in the best-selling "Millennium" series.
assistant
when was it published?
user
Posthumously, in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009.
assistant
how was it received?
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The English version immediately became a number 1 bestseller - Joan Smith at "The Sunday Times" said that this novel was “even more gripping and astonishing than the first”.
assistant
mention a few notable stories from the above mentioned media outlet?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
any scandals associated with the media outlet?
user
In July 2011, it was implicated in the wider News International phone hacking scandal which primarily involved the "News of the World".
assistant
when did it come online?
user
In July 2011, "The Sunday Times" was implicated in the wider News International phone hacking scandal which primarily involved the "News of the World", a Murdoch tabloid newspaper published in the UK from 1843 to 2011. Former British prime minister Gordon Brown accused "The Sunday Times" of employing "known criminals" to impersonate him and obtain his private financial records. Brown's bank reported that an investigator employed by "The Sunday Times" repeatedly impersonated Brown to gain access to his bank account records. "The Sunday Times" vigorously denied these accusations and said that the story was in the public interest and that it had followed the Press Complaints Commission code on using subterfuge.
The Sunday Times | Phone hacking scandal
Some email messages were discovered suggesting Jonathan Rees made requests for sums of around £1,000 for contact details of senior members of the Royal Family and friends. Former deputy prime minister John Prescott claimed he knew of "direct evidence" indicating "The Sunday Times" was involved in illegal news gathering activities. Former prime minister Gordon Brown alleged his bank account was accessed by "The Sunday Times" in 2000, and that "The Sun" gained private medical records about his son, Fraser, who has cystic fibrosis. Rebekah Brooks telephoned Brown to tell him that "The Sun" was going to reveal that his son had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and tried to persuade him not to spoil the newspaper's exclusive by announcing it himself first.
News International phone hacking scandal | Other victims
By 2002, an organised trade in confidential personal information had developed in Britain and was widely used by the British newspaper industry. Illegal means of gaining information used included hacking the private voicemail accounts on mobile phones, hacking into computers, making false statements to officials, entrapment, blackmail, burglaries, theft of mobile phones and making payments to public officials.
News International phone hacking scandal | Early investigations, 1990s–2005
News International announced that they had sacked Ian Edmondson on 26 January 2011, the same day that the Metropolitan Police launched "Operation Weeting."
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | News Corporation internal re-investigation
On 20 July, "Private Eye" asked how the "Sunday Mirror" had, early in 2003, obtained a transcript of phone calls by Angus Deayton and in October 2003 had come into possession of every call and text message made by Rio Ferdinand one afternoon (when he claimed to have missed a drugs test due to having his mobile switched off). The latter story was co-written by James Weatherup, who moved to the "News of the World" the following year. On 22 July, former "Daily Mirror" financial journalist James Hipwell spoke to "The Independent", claiming that the practice had been "endemic" at the Mirror during his time there under the editorship of Piers Morgan.
News International phone hacking scandal | "Daily Mirror" allegations
In the wake of the renewed allegations in September 2010, from "The New York Times", the Home Affairs Select Committee in London opened a new inquiry into phone hacking. Two days after the Home Affairs Select Committee announced its inquiry, the House of Commons voted to refer allegations of hacking against politicians to the Standards and Privileges Committee, with the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | New inquiries (September 2010)
It was reported in July 2011 that relatives of some of the victims of the bombings may have had their telephones accessed by the "News of the World" in the aftermath of the attacks. The revelations added to an existing controversy over phone hacking by the tabloid newspaper. The fathers of two victims, one in the Edgware Road blast and another at Russell Square, told the BBC that police officers investigating the alleged hacking had warned them that their contact details were found on a target list, while a former firefighter who helped injured passengers escape from Edgware Road also said he had been contacted by police who were looking into the hacking allegations.
7 July 2005 London bombings | Alleged newspaper phone hacking
"The Guardian" later ran a front-page story accusing "The Sun" of improperly obtaining the medical records of Brown's son, but was later forced to issue an apology upon discovering that the information came from a member of the public. Other victims of hacking included former Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner John Yates, who revealed on 12 January 2011 that his phone was hacked between 2004 and 2005. The phone of chat show host Paul O'Grady was also hacked by the "News of the World" after he suffered a heart attack in 2006.
News International phone hacking scandal | Other victims
In December 2009, a parliamentary question was tabled about the possible tapping of minister Tessa Jowell's phone.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Parliamentary investigations
After the 2006 conviction of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, and with assurances from "News International", the Press Complaints Commission and the Metropolitan Police Service that no one else had been involved in phone hacking, the public perception was that the matter was closed. Nick Davies and other journalists from "The Guardian", and eventually other newspapers, however continued to examine evidence from court cases and use Freedom of Information Act 2000 requests to find evidence to the contrary.
News International phone hacking scandal | 2009–2011: Renewed investigations
The office cat knew", about the illegal activities used to scoop stories. On 17 January 2011, "The Guardian" reported that Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator paid by the paper, testified that he had been asked by the newspaper's leadership to hack voicemail accounts on its behalf. In April 2011, attorneys for the victims alleged that as many as 7,000 people had their phones hacked by the "News of the World"; it was further revealed that the paper's owner, Rupert Murdoch, had attempted to pressure Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Labour Party MPs to "back away" from investigating the scandal. Three journalists on the newspaper were initially arrested: Ian Edmondson and Neville Thurlbeck on 5 April and James Weatherup on 14 April.
News of the World | Phone hacking scandal
Beginning on 8 July 2009, "The Guardian" made a series of allegations that the phone hacking activities at the "News of the World" went far beyond the activities for which the "News of the World" royal editor Clive Goodman was jailed in 2007, those activities being limited to members of the royal household. The paper alleged that hacking victims included public figures such as former deputy prime minister John Prescott, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, Tessa Jowell when she was Olympics Secretary, Boris Johnson when he was the opposition's spokesman on higher education, publicist Max Clifford and even Rebekah Brooks, then editor of the "News of the World"'s sister paper "The Sun".
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | 2009
In 2006, a UK tabloid newspaper phone-hacking scandal arose involving the defunct "News of the World" newspaper and other British titles published by News International, a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Reporters and managers working at the newspapers were accused of 'hacking' the phone voicemail inboxes of celebrities, notable public figures (such as the British Royal Family), and even the victims of crimes (including Milly Dowler) and their families, in order to gather material for stories. There were also allegations of police bribery and other misdemeanours. The resulting public outcry led to several high-profile resignations. Advertiser boycotts led to the News of the World being shuttered, publishing its final edition on 10 July 2011, after 168 years of publication.
List of scandals in British journalism | Phone hacking, "News of the World" (2006–)
The newspaper "unreservedly" apologised for its phone hacking activities during April 2011. On 4 July 2011, it was disclosed that potential evidence had been deleted in spring 2002 from the hacked voicemail account of Milly Dowler, then missing, but later found to have been murdered.
News of the World | Phone hacking scandal
This is a partial list of timelines available online that contain detailed chronological information relating to the phone hacking scandal.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Timelines
On 22 July 2011, Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, said that Murdoch has "questions to answer in Parliament," a day after former top executives of the "News of the World" accused the News Corporation executive of giving "mistaken" evidence.
James Murdoch | Phone hacking scandal and aftermath
The News International phone-hacking scandal was a controversy involving the now-defunct "News of the World" and other British newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories. Whilst investigations conducted from 2005 to 2007 appeared to show that the paper's phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians, and members of the British royal family, in July 2011 it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings had also been hacked.
News International phone hacking scandal | Introduction
Within five weeks of the article appearing,
News International phone hacking scandal | The "Guardian" December 2010 report
The Committee concluded: Other News International newspapers, including "The Sun" and "The Times", downplayed the report, devoting minimal coverage to it and emphasising the "News of the World"'s response.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Select Committee report (2009 - February 2010)
The scandal has triggered multiple investigations from various governmental agencies looking at other News Corporation-owned media outlets in addition to "News of the World". With the unfolding scandal at the "News of the World" came allegations that another News Corporation-owned tabloid, "The Sun", itself engaged in phone hacking. In February 2011, the Metropolitan Police investigated the claims of Scottish trade union leader Andy Gilchrist, who accused "The Sun" of hacking into his mobile phone to run negative stories about him; the stories were published shortly after Rebekah Brooks was installed as the paper's editor. On 5 July 2011, the head of the Press Complaints Commission Baroness Buscombe said in interview with Andrew Neil on the BBC programme "The Daily Politics", that she had been lied to by the "News of the World" over phone hacking.
News International phone hacking scandal | Further UK investigations
"The Guardian" reported on 7 July 2011, that former "News of the World" editor and David Cameron's former spokesman Andy Coulson was to be arrested the following day, along with a senior journalist the paper refused to name. Sky News reported on 8 July 2011, that Coulson had been formally arrested, although the Metropolitan Police would only confirm that a "43-year-old man" had been arrested for "conspiring to intercept communications", he was then released without charge. On 30 May 2012, Coulson was charged with perjury, and later that year his and Rebekah Brooks' trial date was set for 9 September 2013.
News International phone hacking scandal | Andy Coulson
This report and its conclusions were withdrawn on 6 July 2011, two days after The Guardian reported on the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone. The organisation's future was placed in doubt as a result of its failure to address the phone hacking scandal as it unfolded.
News media phone hacking scandal | Press Complaints Commission (PCC)
In light of the new allegations in "The Guardian" in July 2009, the Metropolitan Police Service commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson asked his assistant commissioner John Yates to review the original 2006 investigation for new evidence. In one 8-hour meeting, Yates reviewed the investigation and decided not to take any further action. In a public statement later, and in a July 2009, appearance at the Home Affairs Select Committee, he said of the initial investigation that he "found it to be satisfactory." In a direct response to John Prescott, who had been particular outraged at the fact that police did not inform him of his phone being hacked, Yates specifically stated that there was no material evidence that Prescott's phone had been hacked.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | 2009 review of original investigation
When teenager Milly Dowler disappeared in 2002, agents of "News of the World" hacked into her mobile phone messages hoping to acquire information they could use for a story. Surrey police were reportedly advised of this hacking at the time, but no action was taken.
News media phone hacking scandal | Victims
Following the "News of the World" phone hacking affair that led to the closure of that paper on 10 July 2011, there was speculation that News International would launch a Sunday edition of "The Sun" to replace the "News of the World". The internet URLs "sunonsunday.co.uk", "thesunonsunday.co.uk" and "thesunonsunday.com" were registered on 5 July 2011 by News International Newspapers Limited. A similar URL "sunonsunday.com" is not affiliated, having been registered in Italy on 24 September 2007. On 18 July 2011, the LulzSec group hacked "The Sun" website, where they posted a fake news story of Rupert Murdoch's death before redirecting the website to their Twitter page.
The Sun (United Kingdom) | Fallout from the "News of the World" scandal
The "News of the World" phone hacking scandal investigations followed the revelations in 2005 of voicemail interception on behalf of "News of the World". Despite wider evidence of wrongdoing, the "News of the World" royal phone hacking scandal appeared resolved with the 2007 conviction of the "News of the World" royal editor Clive Goodman and the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, and the resignation of editor Andy Coulson. However, a series of civil legal cases and investigations by newspapers, parliament and the police ultimately saw evidence of "industrial scale" phone hacking, leading to the closure of the "News of the World" on 10 July 2011.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Introduction
On 3 July 2013, Channel 4 News broadcast a secret tape in which Murdoch dismissively claims that investigators were "totally incompetent" and acted over "next to nothing" and excuses his papers' actions as "part of the culture of Fleet Street".
News International phone hacking scandal | Introduction
On 28 July 2011, it was reported that Sara Payne's mobile phone was one of those targeted by the "News of the World" as part of the News International phone hacking scandal, which had led to owner Rupert Murdoch's decision to close the newspaper down soon after the allegations were publicised earlier that month. She was said to be "absolutely devastated and deeply disappointed" at the disclosure, while a colleague close to her said that she was "in bits" over the affair.
Sara Payne | News International phone hacking scandal
Lewis stated that he, "The Guardian" newspaper, and Labour MP Chris Bryant had all been threatened to be sued by solicitors Carter-Ruck acting for AC John Yates, all the costs for which after the actions were dropped were picked up by the Metropolitan Police; Lewis submitted letters from Carter Ruck in evidence to the committee. In closing, Lewis stated that the reason for the investigation having taken so long was not only due to the Metropolitan Police: "The DPP seems to have got it wrong and needs to be helped out." On 20 July 2011, the HASC published their completed report on the UK Parliament website.
News International phone hacking scandal | Home Affairs Select Committee
Levi Bellfield had been convicted of the murder just two weeks before these revelations – he had already been convicted of two murders and an attempted murder which took place after Milly's disappearance and the discovery of her body. It was later established that Dowler's phone had deleted the messages automatically, 72 hours after being listened to. "The Guardian" commented that the "News of the World" did not conceal from its readers in an article on 14 April 2002 that it had intercepted telephone messages and also informed Surrey police of this fact on 27 March 2002, six days after Milly went missing.
News International phone hacking scandal | Milly Dowler's voicemail
The scandal generated broad interest worldwide shortly after "The Guardian" reported in July 2011 that murdered teenager Milly Dower's phone had been hacked into by agents of "News of the World" and after Rupert Murdoch announced that the 168-year-old newspaper would be closed as a consequence. Samples of media coverage appearing immediately after "The Guardian" article about Milly Dowler's phone are included with the phone hacking scandal reference lists.
News media phone hacking scandal | Media coverage of the scandal
On 26 January 2007, both Goodman and Mulcaire pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to four and six months imprisonment respectively. On the same day, Andy Coulson resigned as editor of the "News of the World", while insisting that he had no knowledge of any illegal activities. In March 2007, a senior aide to Rupert Murdoch told a parliamentary committee that a "rigorous internal investigation" found no evidence of widespread hacking at the "News of the World".
News International phone hacking scandal | 2005–2006: Royal phone hacking scandal
On 6 July 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron announced to parliament that a public government inquiry would convene to further investigate the affair. On 13 July, Cameron named Lord Justice Leveson as chairman of the inquiry, with a remit to look into the specific claims about phone hacking at the "News of the World", the initial police inquiry and allegations of illicit payments to police by the press, and a second inquiry to review the general culture and ethics of the British media. On 20 July 2011, Cameron announced to Parliament the final terms of reference of Leveson's inquiry, stating that it will extend beyond newspapers to include broadcasters and social media.
News International phone hacking scandal | Leveson inquiry
It was announced on 13 July 2011 that Leveson would lead the public inquiry into issues of British press culture, practices and ethics raised by the News International phone hacking scandal. On 20 July, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the scope of the inquiry had widened to include the BBC and social media. The hearings began on Monday 14 November 2011. The full report was published on 29 November 2012 and is available online.
Brian Leveson | Press ethics inquiry and "News International" phone hacking scandal
[but] Scotland Yard received 'very little material' from News International and Burton Copeland." News International employees Jonathan Chapman and Daniel Cloke, respectively the heads of the legal and human resources departments, were asked to review a limited number of emails which were made available to them "through an electronic folder of emails assembled by News International's IT department". They were asked to determine whether the emails contained evidence that others at News International were aware of Clive Goodman's illegal activity or that others themselves were engaged in similar activity. Within this limited mandate, Chapman and Cloke found no such evidence.
News media phone hacking scandal | News Corporation
In July 2011, Murdoch, along with his son James, provided testimony before a British parliamentary committee regarding phone hacking. In the UK, his media empire remains under fire, as investigators continue to probe reports of other phone hacking. On 14 July, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons served a summons on Murdoch, his son James, and his former CEO Rebekah Brooks to testify before a committee five days later. After an initial refusal, the Murdochs confirmed they would attend, after the committee issued them a summons to Parliament. The day before the committee, the website of the News Corporation publication "The Sun" was hacked, and a false story was posted on the front page claiming that Murdoch had died.
Rupert Murdoch | News International phone hacking scandal
In January 2011, following evidence emerging from the civil case by Sienna Miller, the Crown Prosecution Service announced a review of the evidence collected during the Metropolitan Police's original investigation into phone hacking at the "News of the World". The director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, said that the decision was motivated in part by developments in the civil courts. In April 2011 the Metropolitan Police admitted that in the previous four years it had only contacted 36 people to warn them that they might have been victims of phone hacking.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | 2011
Details emerged 7 September 2011 that senior journalist Amelia Hill of "The Guardian" was questioned under caution but not arrest, for several hours by officers from Operation Weeting the previous week. Hill had reported the names of individuals linked to the phone hacking scandal minutes after their arrests and it is thought her questioning was linked to the earlier arrest of a 51-year-old detective suspected of leaking information to the newspaper.
News International phone hacking scandal | Cautions
He was arrested by appointment at a London police station by detectives working on Operation Weeting, the police investigation into phone hacking. On 24 July 2012, he was charged with conspiracy to intercept communications without lawful authority during the period from 3 October 2000 to 9 August 2006 from the phones of Milly Dowler, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Abigail Titmuss, John Leslie Andrew Gilchrist, David Blunkett MP, Delia Smith, Charles Clarke MP, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Sienna Miller, and Wayne Rooney . James Desborough was arrested after arriving, by appointment, at a south London police station the morning of 18 August 2011 for questioning concerning criminal activities at the "News of the World".
News International phone hacking scandal | Stuart Kuttner, Greg Miskiw, James Desborough, Dan Evans and others
On 26 July Trinity Mirror announced an internal review of its editorial procedures.
News International phone hacking scandal | "Daily Mirror" allegations
On 11 March 2003, as part of an Enquiry into Privacy and Press Intrusion by the Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport, he asked Rebekah Wade (now Brooks) whether she had ever paid police officers for information. Seated beside Andy Coulson, the editor of the "News of the World", she said 'yes'. Bryant had his phone hacked later that year by the "News of the World", a fact which became known to the Metropolitan Police when they seized material from the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire. Bryant sought judicial review of the Metropolitan Police along with John Prescott and Brian Paddick, in an attempt to force them to contact all the victims of phone hacking by the "News of the World".
Chris Bryant | Phone hacking scandal
In September 2010, "The New York Times" published the results of an investigation it had begun in March which revealed further details about the extent of the "News of the World"'s phone hacking, and about editor Andy Coulson's alleged knowledge of it. The investigation also revealed that a journalist at the "News of the World" had been attempting to hack into the voicemail messages of a "television personality" in 2010. The journalist was suspended from reporting and faced legal action by the personality. The "Times" piece cited Sean Hoare, a former colleague, as saying that Coulson had "actively encouraged" phone hacking.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | The New York Times
In July 2011, it was announced that the Dowler family was preparing a claim for damages against the "News of the World". News Group Newspapers described the allegation as "a development of great concern". Reacting to the revelation, Prime Minister David Cameron said that the alleged hacking, if true, was "truly dreadful". He added that police ought to pursue a "vigorous" investigation to ascertain what had taken place. Leader of the opposition Ed Miliband called on Rebekah Brooks, the "News of the World" editor in 2002, and then the chief executive of News International, to "consider her conscience and consider her position".
News International phone hacking scandal | Milly Dowler's voicemail
A small number of victims of phone hacking engaged solicitors and made civil claims for invasion of privacy. By March 2010, News International had spent over £2 million settling court cases with victims of phone hacking. As information about these claims leaked out, "The Guardian" continued to follow the story. On 8 & 9 July 2009, the newspaper published three articles alleging that:
News International phone hacking scandal | The "Guardian" July 2009 reports
Other newspapers ultimately followed suit, obtaining and evaluating information from court records, Freedom of Information requests, and field contacts, reportedly including police officers. While Scotland Yard and News International continued to insist that the practice of looking for news scoops by phone hacking was limited to a single "rogue reporter" and his private investigator, a small number of victims engaged solicitors and made civil claims for invasion of privacy. As information about settlements on these suits leaked out, "The Guardian" newspaper reported about it, calling public attention to considerable evidence that the practice was widespread. On 8 & 9 July 2009, the newspaper published three articles alleging that:
News media phone hacking scandal | Investigative reporting
On 14 November 2005, the "News of the World" published an article written by royal editor Clive Goodman, claiming that Prince William was in the process of borrowing a portable editing suite from ITV correspondent Tom Bradby. Following the publication, the Prince and Bradby met to try to figure out how the details of their arrangement had been leaked, as only two other people were aware of it. Prince William noted that another equally improbable leak had recently taken place regarding an appointment he had made with a knee surgeon. The Prince and Bradby concluded it was likely that their voicemails were being accessed.
News International phone hacking scandal | 2005–2006: Royal phone hacking scandal
There they seized "11,000 pages of handwritten notes listing nearly 4,000 celebrities, politicians, sports stars, police officials and crime victims whose phones may have been hacked." The names included eight members of the royal family and their staff. There were dozens of notebooks, two computers containing 2,978 complete or partial mobile phone numbers and 91 PIN codes, plus 30 tape recordings made by Mulcaire. Significantly, there were at least three names of "News of the World" journalists other than Goodman and a recording of Mulcaire instructing a journalist how to hack into private voice mail. All of this material was taken to Scotland Yard.
News International phone hacking scandal | 2005–2006: Royal phone hacking scandal
There was concern about diverting resources to this effort because of the demands of other priorities, including following up on the 2005 London transit bombings and surveillance operations on possible bomb plotters. On 8 August 2006, detectives from the Met went to "News of the World" with a search warrant to search Clive Goodman's desk. At the same time, police raided the home of Glenn Mulcaire and seized "11,000 pages of handwritten notes listing nearly 4,000 celebrities, politicians, sports stars, police officials and crime victims whose phones may have been hacked." The names included eight members of the royal family and their staff.
News media phone hacking scandal | Discovery of phone hacking
The Guardian; (4 July 2012) Journalists at "The Guardian" began pursuing the illegal acquisition of confidential information in 2002. In July 2009, it published three articles alleging that Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) entered into large settlement agreements with hacking victims that included gagging provisions that prevented the public from learning the Metropolitan Police Service held evidence that NGN journalists repeatedly used criminal methods to get stories. The articles also alleged that many people at "News of the World", including then editor Andy Coulson, were aware of widespread phone hacking and that the public and Parliament had been misled about its scope.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Reporting by independent news organizations
Whitepages and Yellowpages are expressions that came up in the 19th century shortly after the invention of the Telephone . Phonecompanies were editing them on paper. With the arrival of the internet more and more directories went online. 1994 White Pages Australia published by a division of Telstra were the first to get online . They were soon followed by White Pages New Zealand published by Telekom New Zealand . In Europe many Telecom operators started to put their directories online, most of the times using the translation of the english expression "white pages" into their local language like "pages blanches", "paginas blancas" or "pagine bianche" Used to the comfort of their Telekom Monopoly they were not realising that many international internet users would not understand expressions that are not in English.
Hôtel de Villeroy | Whitepages in over 50 countries
Later on the same day the "Guardian" articles were published, Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson asked Assistant Commissioner John Yates to take a fresh look at the phone hacking to see if it should be reopened in the light of these allegations. Yates reportedly took just eight hours to consult with senior detectives and Crown Prosecution lawyers to conclude there was no fresh material that could lead to further convictions. His review did not include examination of possible leads from the thousands of pages of the available evidence seized in raids between 1999 and 2006. In response to emerging evidence that illegal acquisition of confidential information was more widespread than had been acknowledged by news organisations and the police, Parliamentary committees held hearings.
News media phone hacking scandal | Metropolitan Police/Scotland Yard
During this period the spectre of inappropriate, unpopular invasion of privacy became broadly publicised. However, police officers, news media executives, the court took action that contained investigations and prevented the public from learning the true scope of the illegal activity.
News media phone hacking scandal | Royal household scandal (2005–2007)
By 2002, the practice of publications using private investigators to acquire confidential information was widespread in the United Kingdom, with some individuals using illegal methods. Information was allegedly acquired by accessing private voicemail accounts, hacking into computers, making false statements to officials to obtain confidential information, entrapment, blackmail, burglaries, theft of mobile phones and making payments to officials in exchange for confidential information. The kind of information acquired illegally included private communication, physical location of individuals, bank account records, medical records, phone bills, tax files, and organisational strategies. Individuals involved in the scandal included victims, perpetrators, investigators, solicitors, and responsible oversight officials.
News media phone hacking scandal | Introduction
He also alleged that phone hacking took place at some of the Mirror's sister publications. Trinity Mirror, the publisher of the "Daily Mirror" and "Sunday Mirror", rejected Hipwell's claims. A spokesman said: "Our position is clear... Our journalists work within the criminal law and the Press Complaints Commission code of conduct." The BBC's "Newsnight" programme reported other sources at the "Sunday Mirror" confirming use of phone hacking, with one source saying "At one point in 2004, it seemed like it was the only way people were getting scoops." It was also said that the paper made use of private investigators.
News International phone hacking scandal | "Daily Mirror" allegations
On 7 July 2011, James Murdoch announced the closure of the British tabloid newspaper the "News of the World" in the wake of a phone hacking scandal. On 19 July 2011, along with his father, Rupert, he appeared at a hearing of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee. He appeared once again before the same committee on 10 November 2011. James maintained that until late in 2010 he was unaware that more than one "rogue reporter" from the "News of the World" tabloid had been involved in phone hacking. This statement was challenged by the formal legal manager and editor for the newspaper, who claimed they had informed James of the "Transcript for Neville" email, a potential "smoking gun" indicating several of the newspaper's journalists may have been involved, during the settlement negotiations with Gorden Taylor in 2008 and alerted him to the potential liability if this document became public.
James Murdoch | Phone hacking scandal and aftermath
This information was provided by "two people familiar with both the contents of the e-mails and the discussions between the executives and the law firm". This letter was used by various News International executives in their defence during a parliamentary investigation into phone hacking in 2009.
News International phone hacking scandal | Harbottle and Lewis
Coulson denied the claims and indicated that he would allow himself to be questioned by the Metropolitan Police Service regarding the phone hacking affair.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | The New York Times
The "News of the World" royal phone hacking scandal was a scandal which developed in 2005 to 2007 around the interception of voice mail relating to the British Royal Family by a private investigator working for a "News of the World" journalist. It formed a prelude to the wider News International phone hacking scandal which developed in 2009 and exploded in 2011, when it became clear that the phone hacking had taken place on a much wider scale. Early indications of this in the police investigation were not followed through, and the failures of the police investigation would go on to form part of the wider scandal in 2011.
News of the World royal phone hacking scandal | Introduction
The paper went online at Irish Newspaper Archives in September 2020 (1978-1989) editions but (1949-1977) & (1990-1995) will be online in future.
The Sunday Press | Digital archive
On 2 October 2012, two individuals associated with the earliest investigations (1999) into the phone hacking scandal were arrested. Private investigator Jonathan Rees and "News of the World" journalist Alex Marunchak were arrested for alleged offences under section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and sections 1 and 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 by police officers working on Operation Kalmyk, part of Operation Tuleta dealing with computer hacking. These arrests came thirteen years after Rees' premises were raided under Operation Nigeria, during which large amounts of evidence indicating widespread illegal trafficking in confidential information was seized by the Metropolitan Police Service.
News International phone hacking scandal | Jonathan Rees and Alex Marunchak
The original Metropolitan Police investigation attracted renewed attention in April 2010, when it emerged that Andy Hayman, an assistant commissioner and the officer responsible for overseeing the original 2006 Scotland Yard inquiry, had quit the police force to work for News International as a columnist. In September 2010, with the opening of parliamentary inquiries following "The New York Times" investigation, the Metropolitan Police also indicated its intention to re-examine the allegations regarding the "News of the World", saying that it would consider new information that it had received.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | 2010
While news media companies were vehemently denying that phone hacking was widespread, some of their current and former journalists who had first-hand knowledge were publicly acknowledging that it was. In December 2010, "The Guardian" reported that more than 20 journalists who worked for "News of the World" had told "The Guardian", "The New York Times" or Channel 4's "Dispatches" that "illegal activity assisted by private investigators was commonplace and well known to executives, including editor Andy Coulson." It was evident from the 2005 convictions of Steve Whittamore, John Boyall, and others that illegal acquisition of confidential information for UK news media organisations had been commonplace in the past.
News media phone hacking scandal | Acknowledgements of hacking
On 18 July 2011, it was announced that former parliamentary commissioner for standards Elizabeth Filkin would "recommend changes to links between the police and the media, including how to extend transparency."
News International phone hacking scandal | Elizabeth Filkin
Marunchak was arrested by Scotland Yard detectives on 2 October 2012 and remained on bail for 23 months until 16 September 2014 when he was released from bail. In a formal letter to him the following year, on 9 September 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service stated it had "concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of offences contrary to the Computer Misuse Act (for ‘computer hacking’ offences)", "that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any associated or alternative offences" and "that no further action be taken in relation to this matter." Despite Marunchak's arrest in 2012 he was never charged nor brought to court.
News International phone hacking scandal | Jonathan Rees and Alex Marunchak
In 2006, three arrests were made as a result of the Royal Household/Goodman Inquiry into illegal interception of phone messages of members of the Royal household by Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire. Goodman and Mulcaire pleaded guilty to crimes. In September 2009, Metropolitan Police Service Assistant Commissioner John Yates testified before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee that "there remain now insufficient grounds or evidence to arrest or interview anyone else and...no additional evidence has come to light." In 2011, however, investigations renewed in response to public disclosures from the press. These resulted in many additional arrests that included law enforcement officers, public officials and former editors and executives of news organizations.
List of people arrested in the News International phone-hacking scandal | Background
In 2006, reporters at the paper used private investigators to illegally gain access to hundreds of mobile phone voicemail accounts held by a variety of people of interest to the newspaper. In 2007 the paper's royal correspondent, Clive Goodman, pleaded guilty to illegal interception of personal communication and was jailed for four months; the paper's editor, Andy Coulson, had resigned two weeks earlier. In 2009/2010, further revelations emerged on the extent of the phone hacking, and how it was common knowledge within the "News of the World" and its News International parent. According to a former reporter at the paper, "Everyone knew.
News of the World | Phone hacking scandal
New allegations about the conduct of "News of the World" executives emerged in December 2010. Papers lodged in the High Court by lawyers acting for Sienna Miller claimed to have uncovered evidence of the involvement of Ian Edmondson, a senior editor at the paper, in work undertaken by Mulcaire.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Sienna Miller case
Mr. Hayman left the Metropolitan Police in December 2007 and was soon [afterward] hired to write a column for "The Times of London"", another publication owned and controlled by News International. These events later led to questions about whether Met officials having close relationships with news media organisations created inappropriate conflicts of interest.
News media phone hacking scandal | Containment of the investigation
Not even all of these were notified. Politician George Galloway was notified by a detective on 24 August 2006 that his voicemail had been hacked and advised to change his PIN code to prevent re-occurrence. Galloway asked who had accessed his phone messages, but the detective refused to tell him. Hayman's investigation also stayed narrowly focused on the activities of Goodman and Mulcaire. No "News of the World" executives or reporters other than Goodman were questioned about phone hacking until Operation Weeting was initiated more than four years later. Hayman enjoyed a comfortable relationship with the newspaper, having "attended four dinners, lunches and receptions with "News of the World" editors, including a dinner on April 25, 2006, while his officers were gathering evidence in the [Royal household phone hacking] case ...
News media phone hacking scandal | Containment of the investigation
Former "News of the World" executive editor Neil Wallis was arrested in west London on 14 July, on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. He joined the paper in 2003 as a deputy to Coulson and in 2007, became an executive editor before leaving in 2009. Later that year his media consultancy company began to advise Paul Stephenson and John Yates, two high-ranking Metropolitan Police officers, providing "strategic communications advice" until September 2010. During that time, Yates made the decision that the phone hacking needed no further investigation, despite "The Guardian" alleging that the previous investigation had been inadequate. He was also paid to advise commissioner Stephenson and Yates.
News International phone hacking scandal | Neil Wallis
Lewis, who is not connected with the Harbotte & Lewis firm, first engaged with "News of the World" in 2005 when it was moving to print a story asserting marital infidelity on Gordon Taylor's part. Lewis worked for George Davies Solicitors LLP in Manchester specialising in defamation cases and was able to persuade the paper not to run the story. In 2006, in the criminal trial over the hacking of royals' voicemail accounts, it became public that the paper had also hacked, among others, Taylor's voicemail. In his "eureka moment", Lewis realised then that it was hacked information which had led to the earlier story about Taylor.
News International phone hacking scandal | Mark Lewis
The Committee again heard evidence from Les Hinton, by then chief executive officer of Dow Jones & Company, and Andy Coulson, by then director of communications for the Conservative Party. Their report concluded that it was "inconceivable" that no one, other than Goodman, knew about the extent of phone hacking at the paper, and that the Committee had "repeatedly encountered an unwillingness to provide the detailed information that we sought, claims of ignorance or lack of recall and deliberate obfuscation". Assistant Commissioner Yates returned to the Committee on 24 March 2011 and defended his position that only ten to twelve victims met the criteria given to the police by the Crown Prosecution Service.
News International phone hacking scandal | Scotland Yard's response
On 6 March 2012, Reuters reported that two senior journalists working for "The Sun", a newspaper owned by News International, appeared to have attempted suicide in the face of ongoing investigations relating to the phone hacking scandal. At that time, eleven current and former staff members of "The Sun" had been arrested on suspicion of bribing police or civil servants for information.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Attempted suicides
On the day before the sixth anniversary of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, it was reported that relatives of some victims may have had their telephones snooped on by the "News of the World" in the aftermath of the attacks. A man who lost two children in the bombings told the BBC that police officers investigating phone hacking had warned him that their contact details were found on a target list, while a former firefighter who helped rescue injured passengers also said he had been contacted by police who were looking into the hacking allegations. A number of survivors from the bombings revealed that police had warned them their phones may have been hacked and their messages intercepted; in some cases they were advised to change security codes and PINs.
News International phone hacking scandal | 7/7 London attack victims
Days after this became public, Max Clifford announced his intentions to sue and ultimately settled for £1,000,000. On 4 July 2011, "The Guardian" published an article disclosing that voicemail messages from Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked back in 2002 by an agent of "News of the World" looking for a story. This disclosure inflamed public opinion and led to the closure of "News of the World" and resignations of senior newspaper executives and police officials. The New York Times; (4 July 2011 ) "The New York Times" began investigative reporting on phone hacking in 2010 with an article titled "Tabloid Hack Attack on Royals, and Beyond." The article claimed the Metropolitan Police Service "failed to follow-up on clear leads" and "declined to pursue other evidence of criminality by others." The article also contradicted testimony by former "News of the World" editor Andy Coulson to Parliament that he was unaware of phone hacking.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Reporting by independent news organizations
In July 2009, "The Guardian" newspaper published a series of allegations that a culture of phone hacking went far beyond the single case of Goodman and Mulcaire's hacking of the royal household. It was alleged that a much wider range of people across different areas of public life, including the former deputy prime minister John Prescott, the Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, politicians Tessa Jowell and Boris Johnson, publicist Max Clifford and even Rebekah Brooks, then editor of the "News of the World"'s sister paper "The Sun", had been the victim of hacking ordered by the "News of the World".
Operation Weeting | Background
On 18 July, former "News of the World" journalist Sean Hoare, who was the first reporter to tell of "endemic" phone hacking at the publication for which he used to work, was found dead at his home in Watford, Hertfordshire. A police spokesperson said the death was treated as "unexplained" but not suspicious. In November 2011, the coroner for Hertfordshire concluded that Hoare died of natural causes after suffering from liver disease.
News International phone hacking scandal | Death of Sean Hoare
Guilty pleas by Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire in 2007 confirmed the practice was ongoing. In 2007, Piers Morgan asserted that phone hacking was common practice. "Loads of newspaper journalists were doing it. Clive Goodman, the "News of the World" reporter, has been made the scapegoat for a widespread practice." Andrew Neil former editor of "The Sunday Times" and former writer for the "Daily Mail" claimed that phone hacking "was systemic throughout the News of the World, and to a lesser extent "The Sun"." Sharon Marshall former TV editor for "News of the World" and contributor to "The Sun" said hacking was industry wide.
News media phone hacking scandal | Acknowledgements of hacking
On 15 December 2011, "The Guardian" published an article authored by Nick Davies disclosing that documents, seized from the home of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire by Metropolitan Police Service in 2006 and only recently made available to the public by court action, implied that "News of the World" editor Ian Edmondson specifically instructed Mulcaire to intercept voice messages of Sienna Miller, Jude Law, and several others. The documents also implied that Mulcaire was engaged by others at "News of the World", including chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and assistant editor Greg Miskiw, who had then worked directly for editor Andy Coulson.
News media phone hacking scandal | More investigative reporting
On 6 July 2011, "The Daily Telegraph" reported that the voicemail accounts of some relatives of British soldiers killed in action in Iraq since 2003 and Afghanistan since 2001 may have been eavesdropped by the "News of the World". The personal details and phone numbers belonging to relatives of dead service personnel were found in the Glen Mulcaire's files. In response to the allegations, The Royal British Legion announced that it would suspend all ties with the "News of the World", dropping the newspaper as its campaigning partner.
News International phone hacking scandal | British soldiers' relatives
A police enquiry revealed that the "News of the World" had a routine practice of intercepting mobile phone messages of celebrities, politicians and other public figures. The newspaper's reporter, Clive Goodman, and Glenn Mulcaire, a hired investigator, were convicted and jailed for intercepting the phone messages of members of the Royal Family in 2006.
Rebekah Brooks | Phone hacking scandal
The Home Affairs Select Committee held hearings regarding phone hacking by news media companies beginning in July 2009 and in September 2010. Like the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, the Home Affairs Select Committee questioned the Met's decision not to reopen the investigation following allegations that 27 other News International reporters may have illegally commissioned private investigators to carry out tasks. The Met's assistant commissioner John Yates responded that he had only looked into the original inquiry of Goodman. As information continued to emerge from court cases and investigative reporting, the Home Affairs Committee initiated another inquiry on 1 September 2010.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Home Affairs Committee
The PCC's subsequent report failed to uncover any evidence of any phone hacking by any newspaper beyond that revealed at Goodman's trial. In 2009 the PCC held another inquiry, to see whether they were misled by the "News of the World" in 2007, and if there was any evidence that phone hacking had taken place since then. It concluded it had not been misled and that there was no evidence of ongoing phone hacking. This report and its conclusions were withdrawn on 6 July 2011, two days after it was revealed that Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked.
News International phone hacking scandal | PCC investigations
The Metropolitan Police accepted their liability and he won damages of £30,000 from News International in 2012. Bryant called for and led the parliamentary debates on referring the phone hacking scandal to the Standards and Privileges Committee on 9 September 2010, and the Emergency Debate on whether there should be a judge led enquiry on 6 July 2011 which led to the setting up of the Leveson Inquiry.
Chris Bryant | Phone hacking scandal
The newspaper was encouraged earlier that year by "The Guardian" to investigate and report on phone hacking. The NY Times reported the disclosures made by "The Guardian" regarding Milly Dowler's hacked phone on the same day "The Guardian" article appeared. The Independent; (5 July 2011) "The Independent" covered "The Guardian's" story about Milly Dowler the same day. The newspaper also followed up with investigative reporting and published an article 22 September 2011 reporting that, within weeks of the arrests of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire in August 2006, "a senior police officer" advised Rebekah Brooks there was substantial "circumstantial evidence" in the documents seized from Mulcaire that "News of the World" journalists in addition to Goodman were implicated in phone hacking.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Reporting by independent news organizations
Even as scope of the scandal was unfolding, proposals were being debated in legislatures and in the press about whether regulatory remedies were warranted. Two days after "The Guardian" article regarding Milly Dowler was published, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a public government inquiry would be initiated. Cameron named Lord Justice Leveson to chair the inquiry that would look into phone hacking at "News of the World" and other newspapers, the diligence of the initial police inquiry, alleged illegal payments to police by the press, and the general culture and ethics of the media, including broadcasters and social media.
News media phone hacking scandal | Issues for consideration
Further investigations (beyond "News of the World" and/or beyond phone hacking) developed in 2011. Some of these also revealed further details of the phone hacking and of News International's handling of the phone hacking.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Further investigations
The News International phone hacking scandal is an ongoing controversy involving the "News of the World" and other British newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of Murdoch's News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were convicted of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of publishing stories. Advertiser boycotts contributed to the closure of the "News of the World" on 10 July 2011, ending 168 years of publication. The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the British press; a series of public hearings were held throughout 2011 and 2012. The Inquiry published the "Leveson Report" in November 2012, which reviewed the general culture and ethics of the British media, and made recommendations for a new, independent, body to replace the existing Press Complaints Commission, which would be recognised by the state through new laws.
History of British newspapers | The phone hacking scandal
All these documents went to Scotland Yard.
News media phone hacking scandal | Discovery of phone hacking
"The Sunday Times" has its own website. It previously shared an online presence with "The Times", but in May 2010 they both launched their own sites to reflect their distinct brand identities. Since July 2010, the sites have charged for access. An iPad edition was launched in December 2010, and an Android version in August 2011. Since July 2012, the digital version of the paper has been available on Apple's Newsstand platform, allowing automated downloading of the news section. With over 500MB of content every week, it is the biggest newspaper app in the world. "The Sunday Times" iPad app was named newspaper app of the year at the 2011 Newspaper Awards and has twice been ranked best newspaper or magazine app in the world by iMonitor.
The Sunday Times | Online presence
News International started an investigation of the evidence within the companies files, headed by group general manager Will Lewis. Lewis quickly came across an email which referred to "the file" at the solicitors, and in December 2010, subsequently obtained all records held by Harbottle & Lewis regarding Clive Goodman's 2007 claim for unfair dismissal. Shocked at the content within the more than 200 emails, Lewis passed the file to another law firm, Hickman Rose. In January 2011, this firm engaged Ken Macdonald, Lord Macdonald QC, the former head of the Crown Prosecution Service, to provide a report to the board of News Corporation on the contents of the emails.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | News Corporation internal re-investigation
The Metropolitan Police announced on 26 January 2011 that it would begin a new investigation into phone hacking, following the receipt of "significant new information" regarding the conduct of "News of the World" employees. Operation Weeting would take place alongside the previously announced review of phone hacking evidence by the Crown Prosecution Service. Between 45 and 60 officers began looking over the 11,000 pages of evidence seized from Mulcaire in August 2006. In June 2011, the issue of computer hacking was addressed with the launch of Operation Tuleta. Having failed thus far to put the phone hacking issue to rest, News International's law firm, Hickman & Rose, hired former Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald to review the emails that News International executives had used as the basis of their claim that no one at the "News of the World" but Clive Goodman had been involved in phone hacking.
News International phone hacking scandal | Operation Weeting begins
Yates then passed his findings back to the Chief Constable, and in agreement with lawyers and the head of the Crown Prosecution Service Keir Starmer, agreed that no further action need be taken, and the case not re-opened. The Metropolitan Police hence declined to re-open their hacking inquiry in response to the claims in "The Guardian" stating that "no additional evidence has come to light" and it "therefore consider[ed] that no further investigation is required".
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | 2009 review of original investigation
The Metropolitan Police announced on 26 January 2011, that it would begin a new and fresh investigation into the phone hacking affair, following the receipt of "significant new information" regarding the conduct of "News of the World" employees. Operation Weeting would take place alongside the previously announced review of phone hacking evidence by the Crown Prosecution Service.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Operation Weeting
In November 2005, within months of the guilty pleas resulting from Operation Glade, the Metropolitan Police Service was notified of irregularities with the telephone voicemails of members of the royal household. By January 2006, Scotland Yard determined there was an "unambiguous trail" to Clive Goodman, the "News of the World" royal reporter, and to Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator who was contracted to do work for the paper." The voicemail of one royal aide had been accessed 433 times. The Met's counter-terrorism group, then led by assistant commissioner Andy Hayman, had responsibility for the security of the royal family. He was charged with making the investigation.
News media phone hacking scandal | Discovery of phone hacking
Charges and a total of seven convictions concerning the illegal acquisition of confidential information were made in three separate waves in 2004–2005, 2006 and 2012. Further convictions resulted from the "R v Coulson, Brooks and others" trial which concluded in July 2014. Between February 2004 and April 2005, the Crown Prosecution Service charged ten men working for private detective agencies with crimes relating to the illegal acquisition of confidential information. No journalists were charged. Three private investigators and two of their sources pleaded guilty or were otherwise convicted. Steve Whittamore and John Boyall pleaded guilty to breaching the Data Protection Act 1998.
News International phone hacking scandal | Criminal charges and convictions
A number of arrests and convictions followed, most notably of the former "News of the World" managing editor Andy Coulson. Murdoch and his son, James, were summoned to give evidence at the Leveson Inquiry. Over the course of his testimony, Rupert Murdoch admitted that a cover-up had taken place within the "News of the World" to hide the scope of the phone hacking. On 1 May 2012, a parliamentary select committee report concluded that Murdoch "exhibited wilful blindness to what was going on in his companies and publications" and stated that he was "not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company".
News International phone hacking scandal | Introduction
On 14 July, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons served a summons on Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks, expecting them to appear before the parliamentary committee on 19 July. After an initial invitation to give evidence to the committee, Brooks stated she would attend but the Murdochs declined. Rupert Murdoch claimed to be unavailable on that date but said he would be "fully prepared" to give evidence in Leveson's inquiry, while James Murdoch offered to appear on an alternative date, the earliest of which was 10 August. The Murdochs did, however, later confirm they would attend after the committee issued them a summons to Parliament.
News International phone hacking scandal | Murdochs and Brooks summonsed to Parliament
Macdonald's report stated that he found evidence of indirect hacking, breaches of national security and serious crime; he closed on advising them to immediately call the police. After a board meeting in New York chaired by Rupert Murdoch in January 2011, when Macdonald's report and recommendations were accepted in full, Macdonald immediately passed 11 emails in evidence formally to Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick. Subsequently the "News of the World" disclosed that it had suspended Ian Edmondson, saying that it would take "appropriate action" if the litigation or the paper's own internal investigation found evidence of wrongdoing by any staff.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | News Corporation internal re-investigation
Very few people knew of the agent's whereabouts, which was kept secret for his protection. Hurst's personal computer was allegedly hacked by Marunchak with a Trojan programme which copied emails and relayed them to the hacker who in turn passed them along to newspaper personnel, putting the agent at risk. No apparent investigative action was taken by the Met from the time documentary evidence of the computer hacking came into its possession until 10 June 2011, when Operation Tuleta was launched. Like Operation Weeting, Tuleta was led by the Met's Sue Akers. Hurst stated the Met notified him of the 2006 hacking in July 2011.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Operations Tuleta (2011): computer hacking