Journos v Hacks

It's been one of the busiest weeks ever for media lawyers. Several hundred public figures have been seeking counsel from their silks, following the Guardian's story alleging systematic phone-tapping of celebs, MPs and anyone deemed fair game by the NOTW.

The story, first published on Wednesday is huge, and could lead to millions paid out in damages but if anything the story diminished as the hours and days passed. Some titles, not even in the News International stable, such as the Telegraph, did not even cover it when it broke. It cannot be solely journalistic rivalry which prompted this voluntary blackout.

It was a very strange news cycle indeed; BBC One O'clock news on Friday reported former editor at the Sun, Rebekah Wade, had been tapped by rival colleagues at Wapping HQ. What was an obvious 'front-pager' simply died and was never repeated.

One can only deduce there are many injunctions flying about and many a judge being woken in the wee hours by sweating editors. Although NI has denied the allegations there have been no writs issued or even threatened for what is a highly defamatory list of charges.

Murdoch was helped no end by PC Knacker, John Yeats who declared in no time there was no new evidence so no prosecution would ensue. Yeats confined the scope of his comments to the already prosecuted Clive Goodman and his PI accomplice Glen Mulcaire. The Guardian's accusations draw in 27 other NOTW hacks and potentially thousands of bugging incidents.

The Times is now able to present this facade as the case in point, when it isn't. They even got former Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman to draft a preposterous article stating the investigation had been thorough and any further inquiry by Parliamentary committees would risk, "muddying the waters."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6685166.ece

If a tenth of what is alleged proves to be true then Tory Comms Head Andy Coulson (above) is doomed and Cameron will be hit by some of the shrapnel after lending Coulson a defiant almost unconditional defence.

Whatever the outcome, we are at least clear this is ultimately a battle between traditional news journalism and infotainment stories perpetrated by tabloid hacks. It is a cultural war which the tabloids won some years ago led by their C-in-C Kelvin McKenzie. The demise of the Mirror and Express as campaigning papers is the perfect example. But just for now the liberal intellectuals have the whip hand.