THE tabloid newspaper industry has had another week in 2011 it would rather forget as normal members of the public and high-profile celebrities spoke out against their illegal practices of gaining information. The phone hacking scandal over the summer led to the closure of the News of the World newspaper and many other popular titles have had to defend themselves that they knew anything about phone hacking.
Last week, the Leveson inquiry began at the Royal Courts of Human Justice in London, set-up by the government in the wake of the damaging scandal. It is a scandal that has seen the arrests of former NoW staff, including Andy Coulson, high-profile resignations like Rebekah Brooks and Rupert Murdoch being forced to defend his News International empire from a barrage of allegations and criticism.
However, it isn't just phone hacking at the centre of attention. We have learnt in the four days of evidence so far that victims have spoken out at paparazzi and photographers being camped outside their residences for days, desperate for a story to provoke a distasteful reaction. On Monday, the parents of murdered teenager Milly Dowler spoke of their distress over the fact that her phone had been hacked into. They told the inquiry that they believed Milly was still alive from her voicemail messages. It was this frankly unforgivable piece of journalism that ultimately spelt the end for the News of the World and prompted the Leveson enquiry to take place. Also on Monday, we heard from actor Hugh Grant, who alleged that the Mail on Sunday had hacked into his voicemail messages to break a story about his private life back in 2007. The Mail on Sunday has responded by saying that no such practices took place at their newspaper, although launching an attack at Grant's evidence during the inquiry was not the smartest move they ever thought of.
Later on in the week, the author of the Harry Potter books, JK Rowling described how the press had targeted her five-year old daughter by slipping notes into her schoolbag. Rowling also said that if you are famous, then this is the kind of stories you pay the price for, which was a stinging and damaging remark, but probably a fair one in the light of what was revealed in the summer. Actress Sienna Miller, who accepted damages from the News of the World earlier in the year went further to say that the paparazzi even spat at her in an attempt to provoke a reaction. She also claimed that the tabloids twisted stories of her and how she had to take out an injunction at the High Court to prevent the press from hounding her private life.
Former FIA motorsport boss Max Mosley has campaigned heavily against the press for abuse into his privacy when a story broke about his sexual activities in 2008. Mr Mosley won damages from the News of the World, but had to face a vote of confidence from FIA members at the time to keep him in the job. He stepped down in 2009 after a row about a proposed breakaway from the major manufacturers in Formula One, although the tabloid stories probably didn't help their confidence in Mosley. On Thursday, he told the enquiry that he couldn't put a figure on the legal fees he has had to fork out in a desperate vain to keep his privacy away from the media's watchful eye. The inquiry has also heard this week from the bereaved parents of Madeleine McCann; Kate and Gerry McCann, comedian Steve Coogan and Paul Gascogine's estranged former wife, Sheryl.
The inquiry resumes tomorrow and the case against the press is set to continue. On the schedule tomorrow are former breakfast presenter Anne Diamond, singer Charlotte Church and Chris Jefferies, the landlord of murdered Bristol teenager Joanna Yeates. The press will have their say also in the inquiry in an attempt to defend their actions; even Piers Morgan has been called from TV duties in America to give evidence at the inquiry in weeks to come.
No doubt that the events of the summer still feel sour to many involved within journalism, both training to be one and those who innocently ended up losing their jobs. It was a week where those who suffered at the hands of the tabloids showed their displeasure and told of their anguish at being targeted. I'm sure there will be plenty more revelations in the weeks to come at the Leveson inquiry.
