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
In July 2011, it was implicated in the wider News International phone hacking scandal which primarily involved the "News of the World". Yes, the phone hacking scandal. In July 2011, they were 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. Yes, phone hacking scandal
cast of the movie the girl with the dragon tattoo
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Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara
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what is the movie about?
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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.
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where was it film?
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Stockholm, Sweden; Uppsala; Zurich, Switzerland; and finally Oslo, Norway.
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who composed the score for the film?
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Reznor and Ross
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is there a sequel to it?
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Yes, "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest".
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when are these sequels going to be released?
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Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
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is the latter aforementioned sequel a novel?
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Yes, it is the second novel in the best-selling "Millennium" series.
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when was it published?
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Posthumously, in Swedish in 2006 and in English in January 2009.
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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”.
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mention a few notable stories from the above mentioned media outlet?
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Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
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any scandals associated with the media outlet?
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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
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
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee spent 6 September 2011 questioning four witnesses: the News of the World's former editor Colin Myler, News Group Newspapers' former legal manager Tom Crone, its former group human resources director, Daniel Cloke, and News International's former director of legal affairs, Jonathan Chapman:. In September 2016, the Commons privileges committee stated that Colin Myler and Tom Crone had misled the Culture, Media and Sport Committee during that meeting by "answering questions falsely", and found them found in contempt of Parliament. Myler and Crone rejected this finding.
News International phone hacking scandal | Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee
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
The UK Press Complaints Commission (PCC) failed to question any journalists or editorial executives after Clive Goodman was convicted, choosing to accept Andy Coulsen's assertion that the hacking was "abberational, "a rogue exception," done by a single journalist. Its investigation of phone hacking concluded there was no evidence of phone hacking beyond what had already been reported. This report and its conclusions were ultimately withdrawn.
News media phone hacking scandal | Self-regulation of the press
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
In July 2009, "The Guardian", a newspaper owned by Guardian Media Group, reported that News Group Newspapers paid in excess of £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal News Group journalists' use on repeated occasions of illegal methods in the pursuit of stories. It has been alleged that News Group staff, including Clive Goodman, illegally accessed voicemail for the mobile phones of thousands of public figures, including politicians and celebrities. Goodman was jailed in 2007 for tapping the mobile phones of three members of the royal staff; this is an offence under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
News UK | Phone hacking allegations
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
The debate was precipitated by the some of the information procurement methods found to have been used by the now-defunct major British Sunday newspaper "News of the World", which was owned by NI.
Politico-media complex | UK media phone hacking scandal
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
With the behaviour of news media organisations at the centre of the scandal, questions were raised as to whether media coverage was stifled by ownership interests. Initial reaction by the Wall Street Journal, owned by News Corp, was to serve as a platform for owner Rupert Murdoch's response. A commentator at Fox, also owned by News Corp, said "I'm not going to touch it." Other industry commentators noted that the amount, aggressiveness, and focus of early media coverage of the scandal by news organisations varied widely, possibly reflecting the tension between journalistic integrity and the vested interests of the ultimate owners of those organisations.
News media phone hacking scandal | Media coverage of the scandal
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
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
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
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
Further, they claimed to have been misled by the Met during consultations on how broadly to investigate during the Royal Household/Goodman inquiry. Met officials reportedly "didn't discuss certain evidence with senior prosecutors, including the notes suggesting the involvement of other reporters"
News media phone hacking scandal | Metropolitan Police/Scotland Yard
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
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
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)
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
This contradicted testimony to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee by newspaper executives and senior Met officials that Mulcaire acted on his own and that there was no evidence of hacking by other than him and a single "rogue reporter," namely Clive Goodman. Within five weeks of this article appearing, Ian Edmundson was suspended from "News of the World", Andy Coulson resigned as Chief Press Secretary to David Cameron, the Crown Prosecution Service began a review of evidence it had, and the Met renewed its investigation into phone hacking, something it had declined to do since 2007.
News media phone hacking scandal | More investigative reporting
The article raised the question, "whether the paper would still exist if The Guardian had not erroneously blamed it for the Dowlers' false hope." The article contained no criticism of "News of the World" for the phone hacking itself.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Reporting by News Corporation subsidiaries
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
These are a chronological lists of news articles, editorials, and other statements by news media organizations reflecting varying levels of aggressiveness and defensiveness in reporting the phone hacking scandal. The scandal generated broad interest worldwide shortly after "The Guardian" reported on 4 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. Many contemporary commentators noted that the amount, aggressiveness, and focus of early media coverage of the scandal by news organizations varied widely, ostensibly reflecting the tension between journalistic integrity and the vested interests of the ultimate owners of those organizations.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Media coverage
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
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
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
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
The list of alleged victims of phone hacking includes some solicitors. The Law Society noted that it would be a serious offence if this hacking was done with the intention of affecting judicial outcomes.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Alleged victims of phone hacking
The furore over hacking of Milly Dowler's phone energised investigative bodies. Two days after "The Guardian" article was published, Prime Minister David Cameron announced the establishment of the Leveson Inquiry. In the following months, a dozen additional investigations were launched into illegal acquisition of confidential information in the UK, US, and Australia.
News media phone hacking scandal | Other inquiries launched
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
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
The solicitor involved continued to characterise this surveillance as "unusual" but "justified" and "would do it again tomorrow", even after News International acknowledged that it was "deeply inappropriate".
News media phone hacking scandal | Targeting opponents for surveillance
The paperwork is alleged to show that the above occurred during the tenure of Andy Coulson, who was chief press advisor to David Cameron, leader of the UK's Conservative Party, until his resignation on 21 January 2011.
News UK | Phone hacking allegations
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
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
CNN; (13 July 2011) County Fair, a media blog with links to media criticism, included on its "NewsCorpWatch" webpage that Cable News Network (CNN) reported "Fox News Watch" had admitted avoiding reporting on the phone hacking at its parent company. CNN found that "Fox News Watch" had not mentioned the scandal since August 2006 and that the L.A.Times reported that "Fox News stays mainly silent on the scandal during prime time when Rupert Murdoch shut down "News of the World". Other major news networks reportedly had fairly extensive coverage, as did Sky News in the UK, whose controlling interest was owned by News Corp.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Media Coverage Analyses
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
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
Victims of these illegal methods included celebrities, politicians, law enforcement officials, solicitors, and ordinary citizens. As this illegal activity became apparent, arrests were made and some convictions achieved. Upon learning their privacy had been violated, some victims retained solicitors and filed suit against news media companies and their agents, in some cases receiving substantial financial payments for violation of privacy. Successful suits and publicity from investigative news articles led to further disclosures, including the names of more victims, more documentary evidence of wrongdoing, admissions of wrongdoing, and related payments. Allegations were made of poor judgement evidence destruction, and coverup by news media executives and law enforcement officials.
News media phone hacking scandal | Introduction
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
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
[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
As a result, new investigations were initiated including some in the US and Australia, and several senior executives and police officials resigned. There were also significant commercial consequences of the scandal. There was evidence that illegal acquisition of confidential information continued at least into 2010. Solicitors representing victims were targeted for surveillance by a news media organisation being sued as recently as 2011. Illegal payments by news media agents to public officials continued into 2012.
News media phone hacking scandal | Introduction
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 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–)
This is an alphabetical list of solicitors involved in the phone hacking scandal.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Solicitors
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
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
In September 2009, Yates maintained his position to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee saying, "There remain now insufficient grounds or evidence to arrest or interview anyone else and...no additional evidence has come to light. Upon review of the first inquiry, he concluded that there were "hundreds, not thousands" of potential victims." Yates told the Committee, "It is very few, it is a handful" of persons that had been subject to message interception. Although Yates was aware of the "Transcript for Neville" email that clearly indicated more than a single rogue reporter was involved, he did not choose to interview Neville Thurlbeck about it.
News media phone hacking scandal | Metropolitan Police/Scotland Yard
Various News Corporation owned media outlets have come out in defense of News Corporation, these defenses have themselves met with criticism. The "Wall Street Journal", a News Corporation owned outlet, opined that "politicians and our competitors are using the phone-hacking years ago at a British corner of News Corp. to assail the "Journal", and perhaps injure press freedom in general." Researchers from the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism reported that Newscorp's Australian papers gave the scandal much less coverage than independent papers. The authors also reported that "all papers carried at least one editorial [...] on phone hacking [...] Not one editorial supported the idea that there should be an inquiry into Australia's media."
2011 News Corporation scandals | Criticism of coverage by News Corporation-owned outlets
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
The Committee again received evidence from the Met, newspaper journalists and executives,
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Home Affairs Committee
On the day after Murdoch closed "News of the World", his "New York Post" mentioned the scandal on page 29. In comparison, "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post" had front-page stories, as did Murdoch's "Wall Street Journal" and his "Times of London". The Atlantic Wire; (14 July 2011) ABC News (Australia); (29 July 2011) The Australian Centre for Independent Journalism at the University of Technology Sydney conducted a study of coverage of the phone hacking scandal from 8 to 15 July by the "Sydney Morning Herald", "The Age", "The Australian", the "Adelaide Advertiser", the "Sun Herald", "the Sunday Telegraph", the "Daily Telegraph" and the "Herald Sun" to "test of the independence of the 70 per cent of Australian newspaper journalists employed in the Murdoch stable." For the broadsheets, the "Sydney Morning Herald" (Fairfax) carried 50 stories, more than any other paper, "The Australian" ran 44 stories, and "The Age" ran 33.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Media Coverage Analyses
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
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)
Political parties apparent dependence upon endorsement by news organisations for election may have led leaders to turn a blind eye to how newspapers acquired their information. Andy Coulson was editor of "News of the World" when Clive Goodman was convicted of hacking Royal household mobile phones. Shortly after he resigned, maintaining he know nothing of wrongdoing but accepting responsibility for what happened on his watch, he was hired by the Conservative Party as their director of communications and later became Prime Minister David Cameron's highest paid advisor. Judgments regarding Rupert and James Murdoch's character by a Parliamentary Committee were made along party lines.
News media phone hacking scandal | Performance of political leadership
Murdoch defended his company's actions, saying "News Corp. has handled the crisis extremely well in every way possible, making just minor mistakes...He rejected criticism that James Murdoch had acted too slowly in dealing with the tabloid scandal." On 18 July, the Journal's "Review and Outlook" article about the phone hacking scandal defended Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton and News International but strongly criticized politicians, police, and rival newspapers. Rather than applaud rival newspapers for effective investigative reporting, the WSJ stated "We also trust that readers can see through the commercial and ideological motives of our competitor-critics." Two weeks later, on 2 August, the "Journal" published an article calling attention to an eleven-year-old case in which a reporter for a rival newspaper, "The Sunday Mirror", was involved in bribing a police officer, noting that "as police investigate the News of the World tabloid for allegedly bribing police officers for information, a libel case involving another London tabloid suggests that the practice may not have been unusual." The Australian; When Met police announced in December 2011 that there was no evidence phone hacking of Milly Dowler's phone by agents of "News of the World" had caused messages to be deleted or give her parents false hope of her being alive, the Australian, which is owned by News International carried the article published by "The Times", also a News International newspaper, strongly critical of "The Guardian" and their investigative reporter, Nick Davies who broke the story.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Reporting by News Corporation subsidiaries
The News International phone hacking scandal is a controversy involving the "News of the World", a now-defunct British tabloid newspaper published by News International — a subsidiary of News Corporation — and the allegations that individuals working for the newspaper engaged in phone hacking, computer hacking, or corruption.
List of people related to the News International phone hacking scandal | Introduction
This list includes a serving police officer, two solicitors with clients suing News International, and a Member of Parliament. Dates in parenthesis indicate the approximate date that surveillance was initiated.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Critics of news media organizations
Sir Christopher Meyer, then chairman of the PCC, "promised to investigate 'the entire newspaper and magazine industry of the UK to establish what is their practice' but opted not to question Andy Coulson on the grounds that he had resigned, and not to question any other journalist or editorial executive on the paper, apart from Myler, who necessarily had no direct knowledge of what had been going on before his arrival. The PCC's subsequent report failed to uncover any evidence of any phone hacking by any media organisation beyond that revealed at Goodman's trial." The PCC's inquiry in 2009 "was concerned with whether the PCC was misled by the "News of the World" during its 2007 investigation, and whether there was any evidence that phone message hacking has taken place since 2007." Its report concluded the PCC was not misled and that there was no evidence of ongoing phone hacking.
News media phone hacking scandal | Press Complaints Commission (PCC)
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
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
In July 2011, News Corp closed down the "News of the World" newspaper in the United Kingdom due to allegations of phone hackings. The allegations include trying to access former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's voice mail, and obtain information from his bank accounts, family's medical records, and private legal files. Allegations of hacking have also been brought up in relation to former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the Royal Family. Other allegations put out by "The Guardian" newspaper include the exploitation, with intent to gain access to or use private information, of a list of 4,332 names or partial names, 2,987 mobile phone numbers, 30 audio tapes of varying length and 91 PIN codes, of a kind required to access the voicemail of the minority of targets who change the factory settings on their mobile phones.
News Corporation (1980–2013) | Scandals
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
It was stated by News International at the time that Goodman had acted without its knowledge, and that no other News International journalists made use of such methods. The evidence uncovered by "The Guardian" apparently shows that many more figures were in fact the subject of phone-taps, including Nigella Lawson, Lenny Henry, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Prescott, Boris Johnson and Tessa Jowell. In 2008, the "News of the World" paid in excess of £400,000 in damages to Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, who was suing the newspaper for its involvement in the illegal interception of messages to his mobile phone.
News UK | Phone hacking allegations
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
In April 2011 actor Hugh Grant published an article in the "New Statesman" entitled "The Bugger, Bugged" about a conversation following a chance encounter with Paul McMullan, former journalist and paparazzo for "News of the World". In unguarded comments which were secretly taped by Grant, McMullan alleged that editors at the "Daily Mail" and "News of the World", particularly Andy Coulson, had ordered journalists to engage in illegal phone tapping and had done so with the full knowledge of senior British politicians. McMullan also said that every British Prime Minister from Margaret Thatcher onwards had cultivated a close relationship with Rupert Murdoch and his senior executives.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Hugh Grant
Some individuals used illegal methods to accomplish this. Victims of illegal phone hacking included celebrities, politicians, law enforcement officials, solicitors, and ordinary citizens. As this illegal activity became apparent, suspects were arrested and some were convicted of crimes. Some victims retained solicitors upon learning their privacy had been violated, and filed suit against news media companies and their agents. Some victims received financial payments for violation of privacy. Successful suits and publicity from investigative news articles led to further disclosures, including the names of more victims, more documentary evidence of wrongdoing, admissions of wrongdoing by some news media agents, and payments potentially related to the scandal.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Introduction
The news media phone hacking scandal is a controversy over illegal acquisition of confidential information by news media organizations that reportedly occurred in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia between 1995 and 2011. This article includes reference lists for various topics relating to that scandal.
News media phone hacking scandal reference lists | Introduction
During this period, revelations of unpopular invasions of privacy inflamed public opinion, leading to resignations of senior journalists, media executives and police officials and to reinvigorated investigations of wrongdoing.
News media phone hacking scandal | Renewed investigations (2011–2012)
It also did not ask the reviewers to consider whether there was other evidence of criminal activity, such as making payments to serving police officers. Within that limited mandate, Harbottle & Lewis could report that no evidence of phone hacking beyond that arranged by Goodman was found.
News media phone hacking scandal | News Corporation
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)
The Murdoch-owned "Australian" carried much commentary critical of responses to the scandal. For the tabloids, none of the Murdoch-owned News Limited tabloids carried the phone-hacking story on the first two pages, with most stories not on the first 10 pages of the paper. Sydney tabloid "The Daily Telegraph" carried nine stories, the least of any paper. The "Adelaide Advertiser" and the "Herald Sun" each ran 16 stories. During the week, all papers carried at least one editorial regarding phone hacking. The "Sydney Morning Herald" and the "Herald Sun" carried two.
Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Media Coverage Analyses
The agreement included non-disclosure clauses that prevented release of information that would confirm more than one "News of the World" journalist was involved in illegally acquiring confidential information. This effectively prevented other potential litigants from learning that phone hacking was more widespread. James Murdoch, then a senior executive at News International, later denied he had been aware of the "Transcript For Neville" email when he agreed to the generous settlement. He denied that he had reason to believe there was more than one reporter involved in phone hacking at News International's publications. He continued to maintain through late 2010 that the hacking at his newspaper was the work of a single reporter, Clive Goodman.
News media phone hacking scandal | Civil suits
Committee member Mark Reckless, the then Conservative MP for Rochester and Strood, stated that the original 2007 police investigation and the 2009 review had both been hindered by the advice from the CPS, that "phone hacking was only an offence if messages had been intercepted before they were listened to by the intended recipient;" which was in fact incorrect. Current DPP Keir Starmer in evidence stated that the CPS had told the Metropolitan Police that "the RIPA legislation was untested." Mark Lewis, the solicitor acting for a number of phone hacking victims including the family of Milly Dowler, stated in evidence that he was sacked from his job when fellow partners at his law firm stated they no longer wished to pursue other victims' claims.
News International phone hacking scandal | Home Affairs Select Committee
News Corporation said that all profits from the final edition would go to good causes. Downing Street said it had no role in the decision. James Murdoch conceded the paper was "sullied by behaviour that was wrong", saying "if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company." Other executives of the company said the phone hacking was more widespread than previously believed and that they are co-operating with investigations into the allegations. Editor Rebekah Brooks told staff at a meeting, that she recognised following an internal investigation that "other shoes would drop", a phrase indicating that further revelations of wrongdoing would follow.
News International phone hacking scandal | Closure of the "News of the World"
The four leading mobile phone companies denied that the police asked them to warn any victims.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Misled prosecutors, courts, Parliament, and the public
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 and was charged with making the investigation.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | The Royal Household / Goodman inquiry (2006)
Links to timelines related to the news media phone hacking scandal are included with the phone hacking scandal reference lists.
News media phone hacking scandal | Timelines
"The lead investigator in Operation Motorman, a 2006 inquiry...said that his team were told not to interview journalists involved. The investigator...accused authorities of being too 'frightened' to tackle journalists." In August 2006, the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard) seized from a private investigator (Glenn Mulcaire) “11,000 pages of handwritten notes listing nearly 4,000 celebrities, politicians, sports stars, police officials and crime victims whose phone may have been hacked by News of the World.” These documents remained largely unevaluated until the autumn of 2010, even though “senior Scotland Yard officials assured Parliament, judges, lawyers, potential hacking victims, the news media and the public that there was no evidence of widespread hacking by the tabloid.” Testimony indicated that “the police agency and News International … became so intertwined that they wound up sharing the goal of containing the investigation.
List of investigations, resignations, suspensions, and dismissals in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal | Introduction
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
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
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 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. The Leveson Inquiry would be conducted in two parts. Part 1 of the inquiry would focus on ethical questions, specifically "the culture, practices and ethics of the press, including contacts between the press and politicians and the press and the police." Part 2 would focus on legal questions, specifically "the extent of unlawful or improper conduct within News International, other media organisations or other organisations.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Leveson Inquiry
News Corporation was also to cancel its proposed takeover of the British satellite broadcaster BSkyB. The then prime minister, David Cameron, announced a public inquiry would look into the complaints made against the News of the World. This became known as the Leveson Inquiry, after the judge presiding over it, Lord Justice Leveson. A number of arrests and convictions followed, most notably that of the former "News of the World" managing editor Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks.
List of scandals in British journalism | Phone hacking, "News of the World" (2006–)
Initial investigations by News International had limited objectives and involved pre-screened evidence. Outside solicitors were used as the basis for issuing flawed reports with which to bolster the company's bogus "rogue reporter" claims with which News Corp. executives reassured Parliament. Ultimately the company acknowledged to the Leveson Inquiry that News International executives had destroyed evidence and covered up the truth.
News media phone hacking scandal | Performance of News International
Some attempts were made to justify illegal acquisition of confidential information on the basis that there was a public interest in revealing dishonesty on the part of the individuals whose phones or computers were hacked. However, distinctions were made between what was in the public interest and what was simply interesting to the public. Amelia Hill, whose journalist activity helped disclose the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone, was not prosecuted while journalists who hacked celebrities claiming it was in the public interest to reveal hypocrisy on their part, were prosecuted.
News media phone hacking scandal | Public interest defence
The Guardian's 2009 investigation led the Press Complaints Commission to reopen its inquiry into the matter (finding that it had not been "materially misled", leading "The Guardian"'s editor Alan Rusbridger to resign from the PCC) and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to reopen its inquiry.
2009–11 News of the World phone hacking scandal investigations | Press Complaints Commission investigations
These guys [tabloid journalists] just tapped anyone they could think of". He was also of the opinion that stronger independent regulation of the press was needed, claiming that broadcast media had always been more strictly regulated. On 11 July 2011, Dyke wrote in the "Financial Times" that "from the moment it was revealed that the "News of the World" had hacked into Milly Dowler's phone, Rupert Murdoch's bid to buy the 60.9 per cent of British Sky Broadcasting that News Corp does not already own was all but over". He admitted, "for those of us who have been warning about the tactics used by the Murdoch operation for many years – Mr Murdoch once described me as 'an enemy' – the events of the past week have been sweet."
Greg Dyke | Comments on "News of the World" phone hacking scandal
"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
All these documents went to Scotland Yard.
News media phone hacking scandal | Discovery of phone hacking
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
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
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
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
H&L also served as counsel to the royal family at the time. On 29 May 2007, H&L's Lawrence Abramson sent the final draft of a letter whose text had negotiated between the law firm and its client to News International, stating that the review of the e-mails had found no such evidence. In his testimony to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 19 July 2011, News International's James Murdoch claimed to have relied on this letter containing "outside legal advice from senior counsel” to publicly maintain that the phone hacking had been the work of a single "rogue reporter," namely Goodman.
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal | Operation Elveden (2011): bribery, corruption
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
From 15 July, onwards, News Corp began to change its position through a series of public apologies. On 15 July, Rupert Murdoch in interview with the News Corp owned "The Wall Street Journal" apologised for the "News of the World" letting slip the group's standards of journalism. Murdoch also alleged that the group's legal advisers, Harbottle & Lewis, had made "a major mistake" in its part in the internal investigation into phone-hacking in 2007. On 18 July, Harbottle & Lewis issued an open letter outlining its position, and appointed Luther Pendragon to handle PR issues relating to the affair. On 16 and 17 July, News International published two full-page apologies in many of Britain's national newspapers.
News International phone hacking scandal | Apologies
As it became apparent that the wrongdoing was more widespread than initially perceived, the scope of Wikipedia articles relating to the phone hacking scandal expanded from coverage of "News of the World" to News International to News Corporation and finally to all news media organisations involved in the illegal acquisition of confidential information. Earlier articles with additional details on the scandal as it unfolded include:
News media phone hacking scandal | See also