Hacking inquiry – Hacked off

Meetings between journalists and politicians can be “a potential conspiracy against the public”, the Daily Telegraph political commentator has warned. Peter Oborne told the Leveson Inquiry today meetings between ministers and newspaper moguls can be even more dangerous. In a written statement, he said: “Meetings between journalists and politicians should be viewed as a potential conspiracy against [...]

Labour minister Jack Straw has claimed Rupert Murdoch “seems to enjoy playing with political leaders”. The MP, who held several senior positions under the Labour government, said the proprietor is interested in power and using political connections to help open doors on media policy. During his evidence to the Leveson Inquiry today, Straw admitted he [...]

Rebekah Brooks and her husband have been charged alongside five other people today with perverting the course of justice. The former News International CEO and her husband Charlie Brooks, who was charged with the same offence, released a statement earlier today before an official announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service. It stated: “We deplore this [...]

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt may have sought guidance from News Corporation over phone hacking, the Leveson Inquiry has heard. Rebekah Brooks, former CEO of News International, provided the inquiry with an email sent to her by News Corp’s head of communications, Frederic Michel. The message claimed Hunt wanted advice on his position on the hacking [...]

by Brian Cathcart After all the excitements of the Murdoch week it would be easy to imagine that the Leveson inquiry’s job of tackling press abuse in this country is done, or at least that the worst is over and the objective is in sight. Not so. We might never have imagined that News International [...]

by Brian Cathcart and Evan Harris Like all raw data, the Motorman Blue Book, published in a partially redacted form by Paul Staines on his Guido Fawkes blog, requires some introduction and explanation. If you consult it you might find the following guidance helpful. The Blue Book is one of four in the Motorman set [...]