The Relationship Between the Press and Politicians
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Links to articles, comment and information relevant to the Inquiry:
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Thursday May 10th 2012
( Link to Day 1 hearing
HERE )
Andy Coulson
Viscount Rothermere
John Mullin ( Independent on Sunday ) - Following publishing of what allegedly is a leak from Coulson's Witness Statement
For minute-by-minute coverage of Lord Justice Leveson's comments and Mr. Jay's Opening Statement ( In Full HERE ) for Module 3, please follow Guardian Live Blog.
John Mullin
Story in Question
HERE
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| Mr. Barr questions John Mullin |
From
Guardian Live Blog:
John Mullin, editor of the Independent on Sunday, has taken the stand.
David
Barr, counsel to the inquiry, is questioning Mullin, who confirms he
was personally involved in the decision to publish this story.
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| John Mullin |
From
Guardian Live Blog:
Lord Justice Leveson says he is anxious to ensure that
evidence is prepared in an orderly fashion, not to censor or keep it
secret.
"The risk is by doing what you've done is you've created a
dialogue … with people having to respond, before we've even heard it,"
Leveson says.
Mullin maintains that this was an issue of "massive
public importance" and that the inquiry should not stand in the way of
"good, honest journalism".
Ian Katz, deputy editor of the Guardian, tweets:
Barr says there was "no public interest" in revealing
something that was going to be revealed in a witness statement four days
later.
Mullin says the key issue regarding Andy Coulson is who knew what and when.
"My
job as editor is to put in the public domain the key question that has
to be answered. I think putting that in the public mind before Andy
Coulson gives evidence is perfectly defensible journalism," he adds.
Barr contends that it was not in public interest to publish four days before due to come out in public inquiry.
"I didn't know how you were going to deal with the shareholding issue," says Mullin.
Lord Justice Leveson ends this particular session by saying he's going to think very carefully about what John Mullin has said.
Andy Coulson Witness Statement in Full
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| Andy Coulson leaves No 10 for the last time |
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| George Osborne, Natalie Rowe, Andy Coulson |
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| Andy Coulson sworn in by clerk |
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| Questioning begins.... |
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| Mr Jay asking about Andy Coulson's career, and political stance of Rebekah Brooks |
@Selkie:
Coulson: I think through the course of her work she was close to politicians, yes
Coulson met Cameron at Tory conference in 2005. At that stage he was not C's preferred choice as Tory leader
Hmmmmm. Coulson says he had no conversations with Rupert Murdoch about his decision for Coulson: "Had we not had a DVD promotion that day this story would have been twice the size" (On Osborne and prostitute story)NoW to back Labour
@adavies4:
Coulson says Murdoch was warm & supportive to him as NOTW editor
Coulson says politicians never asked him if they could expect NOTW endorsement
@IndexLeveson:
Coulson: agenda for me was to work out in course of convo whether politician/party would best serve NoW readers
@Selkie:
Coulson says leader "Tories' fate is in your hands" laid out the facts so readers could make up their minds
Coulson: if you're looking
for an example of the NoW being helpful to the Con party, this is, with
respect, a pretty poor example
@martin_hickman:
'I think the idea we some how went easy on him [Osborne] is ridiculous'. Coulson is inhabiting another universe.
@GreensladeR:
Coulson
#Leveson: Jay pushes point that, despite the Osborne story, the News of the World went easy on him.
Coulson
#Leveson: LJL wants to know what Coulson thought he was bringing to the party in taking the Tory job. AC offers little explanation
From
Guardian Live Blog:
Jay asks Coulson about a News of the World story about
Osborne in October 2005. The story also ran in the Sunday Mirror, but
the News of the World version was more favourable to Osborne.
Coulson
says the News of the World story did not go easy on Osborne, but
concedes that the Sunday Mirror's accompanying leader was slightly more
strongly-worded than the News of the World's "as you'd expect".
Coulson
says his newspaper's front-page splash, "Top Tory coke and the hooker",
can "in any way be described as career-enhancing for George Osborne.
The idea we went easy on him is ridiculous."
Jay points out the
leader in the paper, which said Osborne was a "young man when he found
himself caught up in this murky world".
@rosschawkins:
#Coulson at
#Leveson: possible Francis Maude & Ed Llewellyn asked about Goodman but can't remember
Coulson says: "I said to him what I said publicly. I knew nothing in terms of what they did."
He
adds that he told Rebekah Brooks about the Tory communications director
offer and she was pleased for him. He does not believe she had any
influence over his appointment.
"I'm
sure in the conversation I would have tried to impress on them I could
do a good job," says Coulson. "Without looking like an appalling big
head."
"My broad experience went across from 1998 when I stopped
working as a showbusiness reporter I was involved across the paper both
the Sun and the News of the World and had launched whole series of
websites on the internet."
Viscount Rothermere Witness Statement in Full
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| Viscount Rothermere begins his testimony |
@rosschawkins: Lord Rothermere: v important for me not to be partisan politically... don't want to influence editors through inference
@IndexLeveson: Rothermere: if someone comes
to me and says your paper has printed an untruth, I'll tell Paul (Dacre)
and ask him to look into it
From Guardian Live Blog:
Jay asks if Rothermere is apolitical.
Rothermere
has been a cross-bench peer in the House of Lords. He says it is
important for him not to show political preference and, therefore, lean
on his editors through inference.
I
think it's very important in my role not to exhibit partisan political
[viewers] ... puts undue pressure on my editors to support a view they
think i might have. I don't want to influence them by inference.
He
adds: "At times inevitably the paper will do things that makes one feel
uncomfortable. At that point it stretches the notion of what I have
just said."
Rothermere says he tries to keep his feelings to himself, even if he believes people are being treated unfairly in his newspapers.
@IndexLeveson: Rothermere on reputation: clearly we wouldn't be having this Inquiry if reputation of the press wasn't under serious concern
Rothermere: I feel confident our newspaper has acted ethically
From
Guardian Live Blog:
Lord Justice Leveson asks whether politicians know they
can meet Rothermere if they believe they are being treated unfairly by
the Daily Mail.
Rothermere says by and large he will refer
politicians' complaints to Paul Dacre, editor-in-chief of the Daily
Mail. On occasion, Rothermere will ask Dacre to look into a specific
complaint and make contact with the politician in question.
He says:
Largely
I refer them back to Paul Dacre. If there's an instance I feel justify
merit I may bring that up with Paul and suggest he talk to the
politician. I won't get involved on a level of opinion but if someone
comes to me and says 'your newspaper has printed an untruth' I will say
to Paul 'This person has written a letter – would you look into it?'
They will either talk to the politician directly or write back to me and
say there is no truth in it. Sometimes people have a different opinion
of truth ... I don't want to get in a position of constantly having to
deal with this issue.
@IndexLeveson:
Rothermere: our business is about journalism more than about newspapers
Rothermere adds he'd be concerned if Dacre "went off on a wing" and supported political party readership didn't believe in
@Josh Halliday:
Paul Dacre felt Peter Wright should step down as Mail on Sunday editor, says Viscount Rothermere
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| Mr Jay beginning his questions about Viscount Rothermere's links to politicians |
@IndexLeveson:
Rothermere: politicians would like to talk about general issues and what they'd like to achieve. V interesting to listen to them
Rothermere: when it comes to personal engagement...they try to impress you with their vision for the country
@gordonrayner:
Lord R met Gordon Brown six times in 2002-2005, Blair just a couple of times. Brown 6 more times 05-08, Blair just once
@DrEvan Harris:
Curious that Rothermere said
he knew Clegg as MEP & he helped on a EU policy issue in the late
1990s. Clegg was MEP 1999-2004
@rosschawkins:
L Rothermere: thought it was amusing and teased Paul about his relationship with Gordon Brown
From
Guardian Live Blog:
Rothermere says he has sent two text messages to
politicians: one to Nick Clegg and one to David Cameron, following the
public debates before the 2010 general election saying "congratulations
on a job well done".
Jay asks what Rothermere made of Dacre's friendship with Gordon Brown.
"I
thought it was amusing and I used to tease him about it," says
Rothermere. He adds that he liked Brown and was not opposed to the
unlikely friendship.
"Paul has an economic view of the world which
is quite different to Gordon but they shared an affinity with one
another which is surprising."
@IndexLeveson:
Rothermere: Regulation of press only really became a big issue recently. Until then govt largely happy with how PCC was run
@rosschawkins:
L Rothermere discussed weekend at Chequers with PM, Jeremy Hunt & others; discussed local TV with Hunt but not BSkyB
L Rothermere: Chequers was friendly weekend, didn't want to bring up business, would have been rude
L Rothermere: four dinners with Michael & Sarah Gove, three with Osborne
@IndexLeveson:
Rothermere says he can't recall having discussed BSkyB bid with any politician
Rothermere: it's not my job to go around lobbying politicians on things like this
@Selkie:
Right, I'm here. Viscount Rothermere just said he didn't think he'd ever spoken to Vince Cable in his life.
@adavies4:
Rothermere, like Rupert Murdoch, stressing need for better educational standards
Rothermere giving fascinating insight into press barons' rivalry when own privacy invaded
@IndexLeveson:
Rothermere says Dacre felt strongly that Desmond shouldn't own Express newspapers
Rothermere adds that Desmond responded strongly, lied about his father. Rothermere says he took it in his stride
Rothermere: Dacre thought it was not in public interest for Desmond to own Express
Rothermere: I'm very mindful of the power our newspaper has, respect our readers and their right to know the truth
Rothermere: as a parent, you'd have to be inhuman not to feel deeply about what McCanns went through
Rothermere: the McCanns
encouraged publicity, for very good reasons. Our journos unfamiliar with
way PT police & media operated
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| Viscount Rothermere is questioned about the McCann articles in the Mail |
@adavies4:
Rothermere: there were stories we published about the McCanns which we regret and which we rectified
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| LJ Leveson asks Viscount Rothermere about press 'dynasties' |
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