The Leveson Inquiry

The Leveson inquiry is a judge-lead campaign that was launched by David Cameron in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal at the Murdoch owned News of The World newspaper. The paper was closed down through the harsh criticism and distaste of the ethical misconduct the paper was under. 

In light of this exposed scandal Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry was to  "look into the culture, practices and ethics of the press heard from 184 witnesses and accepted 42 written submissions in more than six months of hearings."

David Cameron was also criticized in the press for his apparent close relationship with chief editor of The News of The World and News International Executive Rebekah Brooks. It has also been revealed as of December 2012 that Brooks has received $11,000,000 in compensation, this is bound to aggravate the British public, there seems to be no punishment for a women who had no standards or morals and acted so unethically it suggests that now is a time for change, but to legislate on free speech could be very dangerous. These investigative journalists already broke the law, why should we legislate another one?

Events leading up to the inquiry...

In January 2011, after allegations of phone hacking from a number of prominent public figures came forward with information. The police launched an investigation named 'Operation Weeting' after actress Sienna Miller, Bob Crow and MP George Galloway claim their phones were hacked by the tabloid. In June of 2011 News Corp enclose a formal apology to Sienna Miller and she receives £100,000 for damages and legal costs, in the same month footballer Andy Pundit also receives £20,000 compensation from the same organisation.

On July the 5th 2011 the Metropolitan Police reveal they have been in touch with the parents of the Soham Murder victims of 2002 following further suspicions that their phones were also hacked. News International confess they have given more information to the police referring these allegations. This information contained payments made to the police by Newscorp which were said to be authorised by the then UK press chief Andy Coulson. The list of victims included those of the 7/7 bombings of 2005 and the family spokeswomen of missing child Madeline McCann. 

But perhaps of all shocking was the hacking of Milly Dowler's phone after she was murdered. Prime Minister David Cameron calls it "a truly dreadful act".

On July 7th of 2011 News Corporation announces it will close fown The News of The World, July 10th 2011 being its last issue.

On July 8th of 2011 David Cameron releases two inquiries one to lead the phone hacking scandal and one to revaluate and introduce new regulations for the British press.

Victims of the Leveson Inquiry…

Anne Diamond

Anne Diamond a british radio/television presenter and journalist had been constantly harassed by journalists from Murdoch’s publications. She was telephoned by journalists asking questions regarding her personal life, pregnancy and even her mortgage.

The Sun ran a front page article exclaiming “Anne Diamond Killed My Father” the publication paid Diamond’s former nanny a substantial sum of £30,000 in exchange for a story that involved her late father and Anne Diamond in a car crash some time ago.The article made Anne Diamond out to cold blooded and evasive. She commented during the Leveson Inquiry’s witness testimonials.

Diamond told the inquiry she put tough questions to Murdoch when she interviewed him in the 1980s. "I did put the point to Mr Murdoch that his newspapers were intent, or seemed to be intent on ruining some people's lives and how did he feel about that, and how could he sleep at night knowing that that was going on," she said. Diamond believes that Murdoch targeted her personally after this particular encounter.

Sienna Miller

Sienna Miller the actress/celebrity was compensated for £100,000 in damages from News International. Miller who lashed out at family and friends and accused them of selling information on her personal life to the press was victim to the phone hacking scandal as investigative journalists from News of The World hacked several of her mobile phones.

She gave evidence at the witness testimonials of journalists following her down dark alley ways and during daylight hours they would deliberately goad her with facts from her personal life prompting for an abusive reaction for photo-journalists. The intrusion of the press into her personal life left Miss Miller startled and very anxious and paranoid. The Mirror once printed a picture of her claiming she was drunk when she was in fact caring for sick children. She said since she has had to "fight tooth and nail" to maintain her privacy and now enjoys her freedom from such berating, antagonising members of the press. She gave evidence saying she was followed almost daily by 10-15 members of the press and was on one occasion spat at.

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant's personal life was made a skeptical of by publications of News International he himself fronted an investigative documentary into the ethics and morals of Murdoch's press. Which included blackmail, bribery, phone hacking and the attitude of the journalists behind such breaches of the law.

The documentary focuses on his argument for a new regulatory system and his work in support of the campaign named 'Hacked Off'. This particular campaign was created to bring about an independent regulatory system in place of  the self-regulating system the free press of the United Kingdom continue to operate under. Their website http://hackinginquiry.org/ list important facts about the free press there is a £200m annual profit that Murdoch gains from his publications. There representatives argue that newspapers should not be satisfying their shareholders by publishing slanderous articles allowing newspaper proprieters to print and sell whichever stories they wish by whichever illegal means necessary to cover these stories.

JK Rowling

Discovered a letter in her daughter's school bag addressed from a journalist, which is evidence of invasion of privacy and the well-being of her children. Photos of her daughter in her bathing suit were also taken by a photo-journalist during a holiday-trip these were published in a tabloid magazine. Also pictures were published in 2004 of her pushing her son David in a buggy in Edinburgh in 2004. She was granted an appeal at the Court of Appeal in reference to banning the photos from publication Judge Sir Anthony Clarke said of this incident "If a child of parents who are not in the public eye could reasonably expect not to have photographs of him published in the media, so too should the child of a famous parent".

Milly Dowler

Perhaps the most appalling crime of all the phone-hacking scandal was the hacking of Milly Dowler's mobile phone by News of The World journalists days after her murder in 2002.  Journalists listened to atleast four voice mails to extract highly personal information from messages left from her family and close friends pleading for her return. They also paid for and hired a private investigator to gather information on close friends and family of the Dowlers.

 

 

 

Conclusion of inquiry...

 

 

Lord Justice Leveson addressed his reccommendations on the 29th of November closing the inquiry with his belief that there should be an indendent self regulatory body put in place backed up with new legislation.

 

He went on to comment: "In any event the power of laws enforcement are significantly limited because of the priviledges the law provides to the press including the protection of its sources, that is specifically in order that it can provide its role in the public interest. What is needed therefore is a genuinely independent and effective sytem of self regulation of standards, with obligations to the public interest. At the very start of the inquiry and throughout I have encouraged the industry to work out a method of independent self regulation that would work for them and that would work for the public" -  Lord Justice Leveson

 

The key points in his letter of reccomendation to the PM were as follows:

An independent regulatory body for the press should be established.

It should take an active role in promoting high standards, including having the power to investigate serious breaches and sanction newspapers.

The new body should be backed by legislation designed to assess whether it is doing its job properly.

The legislation would enshrine, for the first time, a legal duty on the government to protect the freedom of the press.

An arbitration system should be created through which people who say they have been victims of the press can seek redress without having to go through the courts.

The body should be independent of current journalists, the government and commercial concerns, and not include any serving editors, government members or MPs.

The body should consider encouraging the press to be as transparent as possible in relation to sources for its stories, if the information is in the public domain.

A whistle-blowing hotline should be established for journalists who feel under pressure to do unethical things in order to write a story.

British Prime Minister David Cameron opposes the idea backed by his cabinet and even the mayor of London Boris Johnson. However Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Leader of the opposition Ed Miliband backs the idea of a new independent regulatory press.

It seems without more successful campaigning and support from important public figures and politicians no such legislation will be introduced or practised in this particular industry.