Phone hacking: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson

There is definitely the need for a regulatory body that is actually effective in reigning in the worst of what the media publish.

That said, we've no idea if this report is justified in saying what it does so I feel you've jumped the gun somewhat.

Nothing in the conduct of the Leveson inquiry has led me to believe that the final report will be anything other than sober, and detailed, and authoritative. The papers' worst fears - that seem to run across the ideological spectrum - are of statutory regulation, which I think is exactly what's needed.

Saint of Killers wrote:
Leveson 'loading a gun' against papers, warns Independent's editor

Chris Blackhurst says letter from Lord Justice Leveson warning of potential criticism of press in inquiry's report is a 'diatribe'

"It is a damning indictment of my industry," he said. He added that "some of the criticisms are certainly justified", but that others "raise eyebrows" and do not bear any relation to practices at his paper or other titles at his "end of the market".

Blackhurst said his reaction was one of "shock and anger that it is so one-sided. It's a diatribe".

He said: "It throws the book at the industry. The best way I can describe it is he's loading a gun, and this document – well over 100 pages – is all the ammunition. And believe you me, there is plenty of ammunition, you read the ammunition and you just gulp."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/au ... blackhurst

Johann Hari and the amazing disciplinary procedure against him.

Ignore the celebs slant.

Celebrities' anger at David Cameron over phone hacking 'betrayal'

Letter urges prime minister to heed Leveson recommendations and expresses alarm over Tory ministers' remarks

...

Sources close to the prime minister have been quoted as saying he "is likely to reject statutory intervention in regulation of the press, even if it is recommended by Lord Justice Leveson".

When asked to comment last month, the prime minister's spokesman said only that the stories were "speculation". However, Hacked Off warns that any rejection of the inquiry's potential recommendations before they have been submitted to government would be "a betrayal of us and your previous commitments".

When he established the Leveson inquiry, Cameron pledged that the test for the future system of press regulation was not whether it suited politicians or the press but "people who have been caught up and absolutely thrown to the wolves by this process".

Hacked Off said it had also been concerned by comments made by Tory ministers. Appearing before the inquiry, the education secretary, Michael Gove, argued against the statutory regulation of the press and urged Leveson to "consider carefully" his proposals. Theresa May, home secretary, has given a warning on possible "unintended consequences" if self-regulation were scrapped.

Such a move would spark fury among some of the largest newspaper groups and prompt claims that the press was in danger of being muzzled. But a failure to be seen to act after a long-running and costly inquiry that he established would expose Cameron to claims that he was in thrall to powerful interests, notably Rupert Murdoch.

...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oc ... ne-hacking

I wonder if this has anything to do with the bad press he's been getting in Murdoch's rags since establishing the enquiry.

Self regulation has unambiguously failed. strawberry floating Cameron useless cowardly gobshite.

Oh! http://twitpic.com/b4i3ty

And here we go again. Although that explains why nobody has been given a jail sentence yet.

Rebekah Brooks looked forward to "working together" with David Cameron

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20189595

Seriously, we need to get this crooked banana split out of office as soon as possible.

How did the Mail on Sunday get a hold of these texts? Did Leveson release them or were they leaked?

Saint of Killers wrote:How did the Mail on Sunday get a hold of these texts? Did Leveson release them or were they leaked?

They were leaked, from what I understand. Downing Street have confirmed their veracity, though.

Is it true that Louise Mensch now has a column in the Sun. :lol:

teh bork wrote:Is it true that Louise Mensch now has a column in the Sun.

I can't find any mention of that.

zomg! at the texts if they are indeed leaked. I want everything to be released; all the texts and emails between those two but I hope it doesn't give Brooks an easy exit out of the trial (no chance of a fair hearing or something like that).

Somebody Else's Problem wrote:
teh bork wrote:Is it true that Louise Mensch now has a column in the Sun.

I can't find any mention of that.

It's true.

Oh god, is she a Fox News-style propagandist now?

The money train keeps on rolling, and Rupe takes care of his friends.

I worry about the level of the control that the government could have over future press regulation. If they are going to do it they should have an independent body, able to run its own affairs internally without political interference and funded by compulsory taxes on the news providers. Ideally such a group would consist entirely of lawyers and their decisions would be based entirely on the letter of the law rather than any perceived political or moral directive.

Does Cameron have to disclose every text he sends then? I don't understand how these texts have been released.

They've been leaked.

Cameron was asked by Leveson to disclose all texts (and emails?) between him and Brooks/NI and Cameron agreed. We then recently learned Cameron sought advice from his lawyers who told him he didn't have to release certain ones. I think these are ones he didn't want getting out/not released to Leveson.

It doesn't take too much of a stretch of the imagination to see the text, 'fast, unpredictable and hard to control but fun' as a euphemism for a steamy strawberry float he had with her. She was the horse!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20405915

Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks are among five people to be charged in connection with payments to police and public officials.

Mr Coulson is the former Downing Street communications director and Mrs Brooks is the ex-chief executive of News International.

Operation Elveden is the Metropolitan police's investigation into corrupt payments and other information leaks.

Ha.

Phone hacking: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson

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