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Milly Dowler police investigation may have been targeted
James Robinson guardian.co.uk, Monday 31 October 2011
DATELINE: 1/11/11
Several police officers who investigated the disappearance and murder of schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002 may have had their phones hacked, a lawyer for Surrey police has told the Leveson inquiry. John Beggs QC, for Surrey police, told a Leveson hearing into the culture, practices and ethics of the press at the high court on Monday (yesterday) there is evidence that officers were targeted. The force is itself under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission after it failed to tell Scotland Yard one of its officers allegedly passed information about the Dowler investigation to the press.
The revelation in July that Dowler, who was 13 when she was murdered by Levi Bellfield, had her phone messages intercepted on the instructions of News of the World journalists prompted a public outcry and led to the closure of the paper.
It was not previously known that Surrey police may also have had their own mobile phones targeted. The claim was made during a hearing to determine how the inquiry will proceed when witnesses begin giving evidence in two weeks' time.
Beggs said: "My instructions are that it is likely that a number of Surrey police officers themselves were victims of hacking at the time of the launch of the Milly Dowler investigation, in March nine years ago. I don't want to develop that any further."
Surrey police on Monday applied for so-called "core participant" status at the Leveson inquiry. That would give them the right to give evidence to the inquiry, which is expected to be completed within a year.
The force has been criticised after it conceded it knew Dowler's phone had been hacked at the time of its original inquiry but failed to act on this information.
Two media organisations that did not originally ask for the same status – Trinity Mirror and Telegraph Media Group – also applied to be core participants on Monday along with the National Union of Journalists.
The NUJ is concerned that members called as witnesses could be asked to reveal information obtained from confidential sources during the course of the inquiry.
The inquiry also heard from the Metropolitan police and the News of the World's owner News International. They expressed fears that Scotland Yard's investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World could be prejudiced by the inquiry as it hears evidence about what took place at the paper.
Leveson dismissed those fears. "I am concerned to protect the integrity of the investigation and I'm also concerned to protect the rights of those who may by subject to further proceedings," he said.
He added the inquiry would reach conclusions on whether hacking at the paper was "condoned, encouraged, authorised, required" at a senior level or whether "there was a lack of supervision which permitted this culture" to flourish among more junior members of staff. He said this could be done without publicly identifying the individuals involved.
Last modified: Tuesday, November 1, 2011
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More reporters are currently imprisoned in Turkey than in any other country in the world. Only a matter of weeks ago lawyers failed to persuade a Turkish court to release a 76-year-old journalist from a Turkish internet news station.
World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3, 2013 is being marked in Britain by a rally to highlight the dangers facing journalists in Turkey and in this podcast, Nicholas Jones speaks to Barry White, Organiser at the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, and Sam Bamford, the TUC's policy officer for Eastern Europe and Africa about the importance of a campaign to highlight international press freedom.
The World Press Freedom Day rally is being staged by the National Union of Journalists at the NUJ head office, Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1 on Thursday May 2, 6pm-8pm.
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UK launch of EU media campaign
DATELINE: 13/3/13
The UK launch of a 'European Citizens' Initiative' calling for EU rules against concentration of media power will take place on Thursday March 21 from 11:00am – 12:30pm in Committee Room 4A at the House of Lords, London. Guest speakers will include actor and activist Hugh Grant (pictured), media consultant Claire Enders, Professor Steven Barnett, Barry McCall (President of the NUJ) and Marc Gruber (Director of the European Federation of Journalists).
A European Citizens' Initiative is an official petition, like a Downing Street petition. If it succeeds in gathering a million signatures across the EU, the Commission is obliged to respond.
This petition calls for the EU to act to protect media pluralism and press freedom.
CPBF Annual General Meeting
DATELINE: 1/3/13
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Saturday 13 July 2013 from 10.00am
NUJ HQ, 308/312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1.
Leveson, media ownership, CPBF future work.
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The media’s job is to inform and entertain us but we rely on them too to tell us what our rulers and representatives are up to. In the run-up to the Iraq war the government used spin and disinformation in the media to create panic and mislead people. The truth is coming out now, but we need stronger, more independent media to be able to scrutinise governments and make informed choices.
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Previous stories
Journalism Ethics
Wall Street Journal circulation scam claims senior Murdoch executive
Journalist wins legal battle after refusing to reveal sources
Phone hacking: News International faces more than 60 claims
Journalistic bad practice: more "icebergs" on the way
Phone hacking update
Phone hacking: News of the World reporter's letter reveals cover-up
The Sun and Hillsborough
News of the World accused of hacking Milly Dowler's phone
News of the World prints phone-hacking apology
Police ask BBC for cuts protest footage
Phone hacking: now judge tells police to stop protecting names
News of the World executive suspended over alleged phone hacking
Censored? Media silence over latest Coulson claims
Nick Clegg's rise could lock Murdoch and the media elite out of UK politics
The return of buggingate
Leaking in the public interest
Judge puts reporting ban on Alfie Patten 'dad at 13' story
Privacy and the Press
Painful lessons (but 60,000 smackers won't even make NoW wince)
The future of spin: Conservatives would perpetuate New Labour control freakery
Enoch Powell: how the 'Rivers of Blood Speech' was spun in advance
What lies behind the front page apology
Media intrusion: sharing the blame
Ken's Islam study
War spin fall-out 'will be traumatic'
Sound Advice
The History of Spin
Can we trust the broadcasting media?
US journalist freed after record-breaking jail term
Media regulation - battle lines drawn?
