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NoW accused of tapping 'amnesia'
Story from BBC News
DATELINE: 24/2/10
" Scotland Yard are sitting on a whole bank of information and data about very senior people in public life who were hacked "
Tom Watson MP Commons Press briefing 23 February 2010.The publishers of the News of the World suffered "collective amnesia" over the extent of illegal phone-tapping by its reporters, a group of MPs have said. The Culture, Media and Sport committee interviewed News International bosses after the Guardian claimed the practice was widespread at the Sunday tabloid. There had been more than a handful of victims and it was inconceivable no-one at the tabloid had known, the MPs said. News International rejected the claims and said the committee had exaggerated.
In 2007, the News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire were jailed after admitting hacking into the phone messages of royal staff. The paper said it was an isolated case but last year the Guardian reported that several public figures may also have had their messages hacked into by News of the World reporters.
The cross-party parliamentary committee criticised the Press Complaints Commission for not investigating the case properly and called for the watchdog to be given greater powers to help improve its credibility and authority. During the committee's own investigation, MPs questioned executives from both newspapers - including Andy Coulson, who resigned as editor of the News of the World over the incident and is now Tory leader David Cameron's director of communications.
But in their report published today (Wednesday) the committee accused News International executives of "deliberate obfuscation". The report said: "It is likely that the number of victims of illegal phone hacking will never be known, not least because of the silence of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire and the 'collective amnesia' at the newspaper group. "The report notes however, that it is certainly more than a 'handful', cited by both the newspaper and the police."
The MPs concluded it was "inconceivable" that no one else at the News of the World knew what was going on, although they said they saw no evidence that Mr Coulson knew phone-hacking was taking place. They said it was right that he had resigned from his post.
The MPs also said they were concerned about the "readiness of all of those involved: News International, the police and the PCC to leave Mr Goodman as the sole scapegoat without carrying out a full investigation at the time". They added News International had not volunteered any details about any payoffs to either Goodman or Mulcaire but the committee was "left with a strong impression that silence has been bought".
In a briefing to reporters, committee member and Labour MP Tom Watson said: "Scotland Yard are sitting on a whole bank of information and data about very senior people in public life who were hacked..."
He said he hoped the information commissioner would investigate whether a change in the law was needed.
But, in a statement, News International said the committee failed to provide any new evidence. The company also accused "certain members" of the committee of following a party-political agenda and making "innuendo, unwarranted inference and exaggeration".
The Guardian welcomed the committee's findings and said: "The press has a proud record of shining a light into the darkest corners of our public institutions. "As an industry we need to show we are willing to accept the same level of scrutiny and accountability."
Last modified: Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Your comments:
It seemed inevitable that the maverick and totally unlawful behavior of the News International journalists involved in the illegal hacking of mobile phones would draw the most headlines following the publication on 24 February of the Culture Select Committee’s report on press standards, privacy and libel. Battle lines were clearly drawn the day before at the press briefing held in committee room 6 at the Palace of Westminster.
Shortly after the report had been presented by committee chair MP John Whittingdale, a journalist who I assume was from News International, was laying the foundations for the next day’s headlines in the Murdoch press, accusing MPs of unfairness and pursuing cheap party political points. However, the committee stood behind the report’s findings and condemned ‘the collective amnesia’ and ‘deliberate obfuscation’ by News of the World executives who gave evidence to them.
Journalist Nick Davies asked why the Press Complaints Commission handling of the phone hacking had been so poor.
Whittingdale replied that the PCC just did not carry out a proper investigation into this serious matter and that in future it should be far more pro-active! (It would be worth investigating just how long illegal hacking has been going on – 10 – 15 years - and has it really stopped?)
Thing must be bad, because never before has a parliamentary body recommended that the PCC should have powers to fine its members where it believes that the departure from the Code of Practice is serious enough to warrant such a penalty. In more serious cases, suspending publication of the offending publication for one issue could be imposed. However, in public statements made within hours of the report being published, the PCC does not seem to share this approach.
The report with over 570 agreed paragraphs and 167 pages (that’s just volume 1) is the longest, most complex and wide –ranging inquiry undertaken by the committee. It was some eight months in the making. Although proposals on English libel reform are currently being considered by a working group set up by Jack Straw in December 2009, it’s just not clear how many of the committee’s recommendations will see the light of day, with an election just a couple of months away and little enthusiasm for change either by the PCC and much of the newspaper industry – especially those in the Murdoch camp. So will it continue to be business as usual?
Posted by: Barry White CPBF organiser: 25 Feb, 2010 13:07:29
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Previous stories
Press Complaints Commission
Stephen Gately the CPBF and the PPC
Gately column complaint rejected
PCC is 'farcical', says ex-director of public prosecutions
PCC Governance Review
Wanted - your views on the PCC
IFJ to investigate role of UK press complaints body in telephone tapping controversy
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PCC to investigate itself
New attempt to reform PCC
Fewer Complaints and Greater Complacency
Submission to DCMS on press regulation
Press Complaints Commission widens its remit
Frankenstein Unbound?
CPBF writes to PCC on editors' code of conduct
A Pathetic Judgement
Slow and shoddy should be PCC slogan
PCC rejects CPBF Express complaint
CPBF launches complaint against Express
CPBF calls on PCC to open the books