LEVESON INQUIRY:CULTURE, PRACTICE AND ETHICS OF THE PRESS

"I want this inquiry to mean something", not end up as "footnote in some professor of journalism's analysis of 21 century history." LJ Leveson in reply to A Rusbridger's submission to Inquiry.

Lord Justice Leveson

(2008) - Editors (from left to right): Peter Hill, Daily Express; John Mulholland, the Observer; Robert Thomson, the Times; Richard Wallace, Daily Mirror; Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian; John Witherow, the Sunday Times; Lionel Barber, Financial Times; Tina Weaver, Sunday Mirror; Ian MacGregor, the Sunday Telegraph; Will Lewis, the Daily Telegraph; Colin Myler, News of the World; and Martin Townsend, Sunday Express. Photograph: Vanity Fair

From Guardian:

Here's a quick reminder of the four modules within this first year of the inquiry.

Module 1: The relationship between the press and the public and looks at phone-hacking and other potentially illegal behaviour

Module 2: The relationships between the press and police and the extent to which that has operated in the public interest

Module 3: The relationship between press and politicians
Module 4: Recommendations for a more effective policy and regulation that supports the integrity and freedom of the press while encouraging the highest ethical standards.

Witness list for this week (16th - 18th January) to be found HERE
Video Recordings of each day's proceedings HERE
Live Feed From Leveson Inquiry Site HERE
BBC Democracy Live Feed HERE

Leveson Inquiry Blog From Hackinginquiry - Hacked Off

Guardian Live Blog
Telegraph Live Blog
BBC News Leveson Inquiry Page
#Leveson Twitter Feed
Dan Sabbagh (Guardian Journalist) Twitter timeline
Ben Fenton (Journalist FT) live Leveson tweets and comments
Hackinginquiry on Twitter (Hacked Off)
Sky News Live Blog

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Links to news articles, blogs and comment relevant to the Leveson Inquiry:

Murdoch Does Not Interfere, Insists Editor of the Times - Independent

Have I Got a Dilemma For You - Dan Sabbagh - Guardian

Times Reporter Hacked Into a Police Blogger's Email Account - Guardian

Video - Leveson Inquiry: PCC Phone-hacking Investigation 'Worse Than a Whitewash' - Telegraph

Murdoch Editors Warn of 'Chilling Effect' of State Regulation - Guardian

Celebrity Journalism: the End is Nigh - Charlie Beckett (Nov 23rd 2010)

BBC News - Heat Editor Says Exposes Can Be In Public Interest

New Statesman - The Times Admission About Computer-hacking

Guardian Readers' Editor Criticises Paper's Numeracy in Reporting - Full Fact

The Times and Computer Hacking - Politics Home

OK and Hello: Most Content is Pre-approved With Celebs - Press Gazette

@luciecave luciecave

Phew. Leveson done. I wonder if he'd like to be torso of the week? #leveson

Video - BBC News -Cameron Questioned by Dennis Skinner in PMQs about His Possible Appearance Before Leveson Inquiry

The Sun - Telly Star Hislop in Fred Slip at Inquiry

Ian Hislop Claims PCC Would Not Give Him a Fair Hearing - Dan Sabbagh - Guardian

MPs 'May Use State-run Press Watchdog to Suppress Stories' - Telegraph

The Press Association : Brown Impersonated For Sunday Times

Daily Kos: How NewsCorp Blacked Out Prizewinning Blog Through Hacking

Heat, OK! and Hello! Magazine Editors Admit Celebrities Approve 'Most' Stories - HuffPo

David Cameron Would be 'Delighted' to Appear Before Leveson Inquiry - Mirror

Video: Leveson Inquiry: Hislop Mocks the Media's Antics - Telegraph

AP - Celeb Magazine Editors Speak Up at UK Ethics Enquiry

New Statesman - What Did the Times Know About Computer Hacking and When? - David Allen Green

@byameliahill Amelia Hill

Expected victory for all 40 phone-hacking claimants tmw as News Group agrees substantial damages. 10 cases left for Feb trial #hacking

Leveson Suggests Celebrity 'Privacy Register' - Free Speech Blog

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Wednesday 18th January

(link to Hearing 27 HERE )

Witnesses:

Magazine Editors
Rosie Nixon (Hello! Magazine)
Lisa Byrne (OK! Magazine)
Lucie Cave (Heat Magazine)

Regional Editors
Peter Charlton (Yorkshire Post)
Noel Doran (Irish News)
Spencer Feeney (South Wales Evening Post)
Mike Gilson (Belfast Telegraph)
Maria McGeoghan (Manchester Evening News)
John McLellan (Scotsman)
Nigel Pickover (Ipswich Evening Star)

Statements to be read:
Tim Blott (Witness Statement in Full)
Paul Connolly (Witness Statement in Full)
Peter McCall (Witness Statement in Full)
David Brooks

Rosie Nixon (Hello! Magazine)

Rosie Nixon - Hello! Magazine

Profile of Rosie Nixon by Press Gazette

Witness Statement in Full

Lisa Byrne (OK! Magazine)

Lisa Byrne - OK! Magazine

Profile - Debrett's People of Today

Fury as Mag Kills Off Battling Jade Goody - The Sun

Witness Statement in Full

Lucie Cave (Heat Magazine)

Lucie Cave - Heat Magazine

Lucie Cave Named Editor of Heat - Guardian Media

PPA: Heat Appoints Lucie Cave as Editor

Witness Statement in Full

The three Magazine Editors are being questioned as a group.

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

Hello magazine Editor... we cover 'the froth of life' #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

Nixon says the role of Hello! is to entertain and offer an "insight into the lives of the rich and famous". It is a family-run magazine which aims to cover the "froth of life" – weddings and babies makes up the core content.
Byrne says rival OK! "invites readers into people's homes" to see christenings, "amazing weddings".

@rosschawkins Ross Hawkins

So these three mags sell over a million copies a week between them. #leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

Photos are of paramount importance to all three magazines. Nixon explans that Hello! will "often run photos over 35 pages; 50 pages if the photos warrant it".

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

Hello magazine says recent feature on the wedding of Holly Branson, Richard Branson's daughter, saw the best sales for years. #Leveson

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

Heat, OK and Hello magazine Editors say the Royal Wedding saw them sell millions of copies. #Leveson

@nataliepeck Natalie Peck

Cave: Heat website has 1 million unique users a month. #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

"The internet has absolutely affected newsapapers and magazine without a doubt," says Byrne.

10.14am: Hello! has about 40 staff. Its ABC circulation figure is 413,000 copies a week.
Heat has a circulation of 326,000.
OK!, which is owned by Richard Desmond, has fewer staff – about 25 staff. It sells 475,000 copies a week and a readership of 2.1m.

@IndexLeveson IndexLeveson

Nixon: Hello! has had no complaints for the last five years #leveson

@IndexLeveson IndexLeveson

Cave: PCC code is entrenched in people who work at the magazine #leveson

@BBCPeterHunt Peter Hunt

Leveson: Heat editor Lucie Cave, "we're always discussing the PCC code." #Leveson #hacking

Guardian Live Blog:

OK! magazine is not part of the PCC because proprietor Richard Desmond quit the regulator in January last year. Byrne says she abides by the PCC's code of practice, however.

We all adhere to it – It's something I've had for so many years. I have a copy on my desk as well. If we have a journalist who doesn't seem to be aware of the code of practice, about privacy laws for example...

@nataliepeck Natalie Peck

Cave: We are there to entertain our readers. Can be public interest in exposing stories if a celebrity is hypocritical. #Leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

Celebs work with us sometimes to set record straight if written about in different parts of the media - Hello editor #leveson

@nataliepeck Natalie Peck

Nixon: Just because someone has opened up their home or invited Hello to wedding, they are not public property. #Leveson

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

Editor of Heat says it is in the public interest to expose the affairs of celebrities who have promoted their families in the media #Leveson

@OliviaCole1 Olivia Cole

"invited Hello to their wedding" translation, SOLD their wedding ... #leveson (am available for translation work, Lord L) this is hilarious

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Nixon: We're a glass half full publication. #Leveson

@IndexLeveson IndexLeveson

Byrne: most of our stories are straight from the horse's mouth i.e. celebs or agents. #leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

[CPH brings on fit of giggling with Heat magazine's cheek pic of week: Heston Blumenthal as an egg] #leveson

@JillLawless Jill Lawless

Lord #Leveson now looking at a picture of Heston Blumenthal as an egg in Heat magazine. "It's a very different type of journal to my normal"

Guardian Live Blog:

Heat says its picture desk has a set of questions it will always ask an agency if it appears the photo was taken in dubious circumstances, but most of its photos are taken at public events such as film premieres. Cave says:

Normally it's glaringly obvious if there's been an infringement of that celebrities privacy and we wouldn't go anywhere near it.
She adds the magazine would usually ask to see the full set of pictures to find out if there has been any harassment of the subject.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Nixon: We were asked by Clarence House not to use photos of William and Kate on public beach. They were followed with long lens. #Leveson

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

If you're presented with one or two shots you haven't got the full picture of how that photo was taken - Hello Magazine Editor #Leveson

@IndexLeveson IndexLeveson

Cave: picture ed will always question photo agencies to ensure celeb's privacy hasn't been infringed #leveson

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Cave: We don't want to print pictures of celebrities who don't want to be in our magazine. #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

Heat says its picture desk has a set of questions it will always ask an agency if it appears the photo was taken in dubious circumstances, but most of its photos are taken at public events such as film premieres. Cave says:

Normally it's glaringly obvious if there's been an infringement of that celebrities privacy and we wouldn't go anywhere near it.
She adds the magazine would usually ask to see the full set of pictures to find out if there has been any harassment of the subject.

@IndexLeveson IndexLeveson

Byrne: some celebs e.g. Mark Owen, Edith Bowman got in touch after seeing photographer near their kids, urged mag not to print pics #leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

CPH asks if celebs cd do anything to make it clearer where they stand [possibly like opting out of direct marketing?] #leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

All agree that there are some celebs so hungry you don't need to check pix with them/their agents. #leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

The pictures taken of William and Kate taken on a Welsh beach have come up again. The inquiry has already heard how newspapers were offered these but decided not to publish them after Clarence House asked them not to because they photographer had followed the royal couple.Hello!'s Nixon says they didn't use the pictures after checking with the royals' PR representatives even though they had been published on the internet.

We were offered photos of Prince William and Catherine last Friday. They had been taken on a public beach in Anglesey … so we approached them [Clarence House] to find out if any harassment had occured, but it wasn't immediately obvious from this set, but they had obviously been taken with a long lens.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

#Leveson asks if a register logging celebrities wanting various levels of privacy would be helpful.

@benfenton Ben Fenton

OK editor not so happy with privacy register.Seems to fear everyone wd join it and they wd have blank mags. #leveson

@rosschawkins Ross Hawkins

Cave of Heat says they "try" not to give copy approval #leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

Cave says it would be useful if the PCC had a regularly updated list of celebrities who didn't want their photos taken.

10.39am: Nixon says some celebrities are especially sensitive about photographers – JK Rowling for example – but there are "individual circumstances", for example when celebrities take their children to a film premiere and are happy to pose with them.

@benfenton Ben Fenton

Up to 70/80 per cent of copy in Hello and OK is pre-agreed with subjects. #leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

Hello agrees with #leveson that it can be substantial fee but "you shdnt believe everything you read". "Should I not?" judge jokes

@skymarkwhite Mark White

Heat's Cave says various reasons why celebs allow pics of their wedding etc. Sometimes to set record straight, sometimes for cash #Leveson

@rosschawkins Ross Hawkins

Nixon of Hello! #leveson : there can be a "bounty" on the head of a celebrity's child for photographers

Guardian Live Blog:

The BBC's Peter Hunt has just tweeted:

The front page of Heat, not displayed on Lord Justice Leveson's desk, has the headline "our men love our wobbly bits". #Leveson #hacking

@rosschawkins Ross Hawkins

Consensus among the mag eds that selling them photos doesn't mean "open season" on celebs #leveson

Telegraph Live Blog:

OK! would let celebrities approve the content of stories before they run, we learn.

Leveson sounds approving as he learns much content is agreed with celebrities. It is good for the magazine, as they get the stories, and good for the celebrities, he notes.
Heat would not give prior approval. But most celebrities who appear in Heat enjoy the coverage, Ms Cave says.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Cave: Have been instances were notified PR about a story and they plant counter story in paper published before us. #Leveson

@richpeppiatt Richard Peppiatt

OK! Ed Lisa Byrne in partic seems to be using #leveson as a sales pitch to celebs on why they should flog their lives on her pages.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Nixon: Central to everything we do are trusting relationships. If celebrity said story wasn't true we wouldn't run it. #Leveson

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Byrne: If we can't get hold of agent or celeb we might run a story but in a balanced way. #Leveson

@nataliepeck Natalie Peck

Nixon: Most of our stories are from the subject. We only use trusted sources and put stories to celebrities. #Leveson

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Cave: We have numerous sources and operate like newsdesk. Sometimes use reader tip-offs but double source stories. #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog HERE

Telegraph Live Blog HERE

@benfenton Ben Fenton

CPH asks #leveson Can I check you have "Our men love our wobbly bits" (Heat splash) [We have now officially gone "stand-up"]

@mattholehouse Matthew Holehouse

Heat editor defends story on thin celeb titled 'Hope you're going for a burger'. "It's something our readers would have said." #leveson

@mattholehouse Matthew Holehouse

Heat editor on pap shots of 'too thin' celebs. "If they are shocked by them or feel there is comment to be made we will print them" #leveson

Heat Magazine article - (with thanks to India Knight)

@rosschawkins Ross Hawkins

Cave ed of Heat mag at #leveson : admits didn't check with Simon Cowell about pics of him on a yacht, concedes it's a private place

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

The Editor of Heat magazine under substantial pressure at #Leveson, now being asked about a article about Katie Price's disabled son.

@skymarkwhite Mark White

Katie Price and Peter Andre complained about Heat magazine's portrayal of son Harvey's disability. Cave: that was a grave error #Leveson

Telegraph Live Blog:

Patry Hoskins reads a PCC adjudcation relating to Katie Price and Peter Andre. Heat had issued some stickers for readers. One had a picture of Price's disabled son, with an offensive speech bubble imposed, mocking his condition.
Cave says the episode occured before her editorship but the incident was a "grave mistake." "I don't think it's justifiable. Everyone is mortified by that incident."
Have they ever made fun of people's disabilities since? Cave since no.

Patry Hoskins asks about the 'Spotted' section of Heat, in which readers can win £200 for sending in 'unposed' photographs of celebrities. How do they verify they are not harassment or invasions of privacy?

Cave says the public would take the picture regardless and post it on Twitter or Facebook.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Patry-Hoskins asking about Hello piece on JK Rowling mentioned in author's evidence. Repackaged interview and not exclusive. #Leveson

@benfenton Ben Fenton

Rowling told #leveson she feared it would be used as justification for further intrusion. They had patched together earlier sources.

@benfenton Ben Fenton

Rosie Nixon says we treat the word exclusive with respect.This has never recurred. We have processes in place to prevent this happening.

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Nixon: This doesn't indicate culture of practice, we don't repeat the sane mistakes and treat word "exclusive" with respect. #Leveson

@nataliepeck Natalie Peck

Nixon is asked about Douglas v Hello where magazine sued over printed wedding photos. Couple had deal with OK. #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog:

The inquiry has resumed and Hello!'s Rosie Nixon is asked about an exclusive interview with Harry Potter author JK Rowling. This was published in 2001, seven years before Nixon was made editor.

Patry Hoskins reads out the transcript of evidence given Rowling to the inquiry in November. She said that Hello! had taken an article from a different source and repackaged it.

Q: I will move on to false attribution in paragraph 63. In Hello magazine an article in 2001, or hereabouts, claiming to be a rare and exclusive interview.
A. Yes.
Q. The one which never occurred?
A. Yes. I think people might think that's quite a banal ccurrence, but in fact it's not. If you are trying, as I am, to make it quite clear that my personal life – my family life is out of bounds, then the perception that I had granted an interview to a magazine that is primarily notorious for going into people's houses,photographing them with their families, hearing personal details of their private lives, and I censor no one by the way for doing those interviews. I don't thinkthat's an awful thing to do. It simply happens that that's not something I wish to do. So the magazine asserting that I had done it, I feared, would then be used as justification for further invasion: "Well you gave an interview to Hello magazine, you are prepared to sell your private life in this way", and as is clear from my statement, what they had done was taken that article from a different paper and repackaged it. From a different source, and repackaged it.

@skymarkwhite Mark White

Nixon admits Hello published a "Rare and Exclusive" interview with JK Rowling, which never actually happened - it was a public Q&A #Leveson

@KeirSimmonsITV Keir Simmons

Hello Magazine Editor, having said they don't get many complaints, now being asked about examples where the magazine has been sued. #Leveson

@hackinginquiry Hacked off

Nixon says magazines now stay away from rivals' exclusives. Byrne points out that Hello and OK are very different. #Leveson

Guardian Live Blog HERE
Telegraph Live Blog HERE

@benfenton Ben Fenton

CPH asking Lisa Byrne of OK about front page teasers, one of which referred to an advert about an upcoming exclusive. #leveson

OK - January 2010 ( Guardian image)

Guardian Live Blog:

OK!'s Lisa Byrne is questioned about some of its celebrity shoots. The inquiry hears that photographs of Jade Goody's increased sales of the magazine fourfold.She is asked about a PCC ruling in 2008 that criticised magazines that failed to deliver content promised by front-page teasers.
OK" ran a front-page headline referring to the star-studded Wayne and Coleen Rooney, but it was merely an advert for the he coverage in the following week.
Byrne says she was on maternity leave but there had been a double-page spread (DPS) curtain-raiser for the footballer's wedding. She said she can understand how some readers might have been upset.

The inquiry hears about an apology OK! published to Sienna Miller over an interview carried on 16 March 16 2010.
The interview was bought in following some promotional interview the actress had done. It did not tag it "exclusive" in print, but it did so online.
The description of the interview as an exclusive online was inaccurate, Byrne concedes.

@BBCPeterHunt Peter Hunt

Leveson Inquiry: moving on to local newspapers. Copy of OK! remains on Lord Justice Leveson's desk. #Leveson #hacking

This afternoon's newspaper Editors (regional) are interviewed in two groups of four.

Image from Guardian

First group: McClellan (Scotsman), Feeney (SWEP), Russell (Herald) and Gilson (Belfast Telegraph)

Image from Guardian

Second Group: Peter Charlton (Yorkshire Post), Noel Doran (Irish News), Maria McGeoghan (MEN) and Nigel Pickover (Ipswich Evening Star)

YR (#pressreform ed.) called away from Computer for this afternoon's session with the regional editors - Please follow their evidence by going to the Guardian Live Blog (reliable, detailed and with links to relevant topics as the witnesses speak)

Peter Charlton (Yorkshire Post)