Tag: News of the World

Leveson hears from old contact

Jane Griffths Twitter
Martin Salter MP
Martin Salter MP (Photo credit: stopaidscampaign)

I was interested to the read latest from the Leveson Inquiry, which touched on how an old contact Martin Salter was treated by the News of the World when he was my MP in Reading.

My old paper the Reading Chronicle reported on his written evidence as part of Labour MP Tom Watson’s appearance at the hearing this week.

Mr Salter has said before that he believes he became an ‘enemy’ of the News of the World for publicly refusing to back its controversial ‘Sarah’s Law’ anti-paedophile campaign in 2000.

I worked with Martin on a number of stories at around this time, and remember him explaining his reasons for not backing the campaign to name all convicted paedophiles. He’d say that it could endanger the children it is intended to protect by driving sex offenders underground.

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‘New Sun rising’ feels like more of the same

I was one of more than 2.6m people who bought the first copy of the Sun on Sunday, launched today under a manifesto to campaign for its readers and champion good journalism.

Today’s leader sets out the ‘new’ paper’s approach in typically strident terms:

“Over two generations The Sun has forged a bond of trust with you, our readers. As we launch the seven-day Sun, we want to strengthen that connection with a new independent Sun Readers’ Champion to accept feedback and correct significant errors.

“Our journalists must abide by the Press Complaints Commission’s Editors’ Code, the industry standard for ethical behaviour, and the News Corporation Standards of Business Conduct. We will hold our journalists to the standards we expect of them.

“After all, a newspaper which holds the powerful to account must do the same with itself.

“You will be able to trust our journalists to abide by the values of decency as they gather news.”

An understandable tone, given what happened to its predecessor, but the jury appears to be out on this one if the critics are anything to go by (guilty until proven innocent, one could argue).

Time will tell whether the ‘new’ paper, headed up by The Sun’s editor Dominic Mohan will find a distinctive, campaigning voice which sets the news agenda for the following week. I hope it does.

But my initial reaction to the ‘female friendly’ paper, which contains endorsements from Simon Cowell and George Osborne, amongst others, and a column from Katie Price (do we really need that?) is that it has some way to go before getting to this point.

Today’s edition is low on quality, not hard hitting and does not feel any different from The Sun. And perhaps that’s part of the problem.

The News of the World, for all its difficulties, was a ‘must read’ and incredibly influential. Yes, it carried tat. But it also covered stories that mattered to ordinary people. Its campaign for better living conditions for the armed forces was just one example of how the impact it could have on issues connected with the housing sector.

The new paper may aim to be more upstanding, which is to be supported. But it does not excite, which is a shame. I wish its journalists the best of luck in the months ahead.

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Phone hacking is only part of the story

News of the World final edition after phone hacking in 2011
The cover of the last edition of today’s NotW

Anyone who’s worked in a newsroom understands the uncomfortable situations journalists sometimes face when pursuing a story.

A very good example of this – which I experienced – is the ‘death knock’, where reporters are sent to interview a family struck by tragedy.

Often, the best stories result from such endeavors. And they have shifted many millions of copies of newspapers over the years. But they can also be painful for all concerned.

I visited the family of Michael Hodder, who was the train driver involved in the Paddington train crash in October 1999, whilst working on a local paper in his home town of Reading.

Six months into the job, I got nowhere that day; Sky and the The Sun were already there. Reporters met a furious and very upset man who chased them down the street.

We had been tipped off about Hodder’s Reading connection by someone who worked in the office who knew his family. It often happens that way. But I also remember the police bemusemet at how quickly a group of tabloid reporters had turned up following the same lead. Who had given it to them?

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Feelings on phone hacking and journalism

I’ve followed the unfolding phone hacking saga with interest over the last couple of years, since The Guardian first broke the story. And with amazement as the crisis escalated to claim The News of the World, which publishers culled today.

It’s an incredible story, which everyone comments on but no-one connected with it – including those of us who buy tabloids without complaint – comes away completely untarnished.

It’s a struggle to think of anything original to say about what’s happened this week. But here’s a couple of thoughts, based on my own experience and feelings.

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Spokesman becomes the story some would rather ignore

I wrote recently on the media’s reluctance to report on its own misdeeds. This position became impossible following its deeply irresponsible coverage of the Joanna Yeates murder investigation.

And so it is with yesterday’s resignation of Number 10’s former director of communications Andy Coulson, who quit amidst continuing allegations over his role in the phone hacking controversy at the News of the World.

In doing so, he sparked one of the stories of the year. It refuses to go away and his former employers at News International would much rather downplay it.

For evidence of this, look at the coverage that followed yesterday’s announcement. The Guardian, who pursues this story with an almost obsessive zeal, went to town on it again yesterday. They published a mountain of analysis and questions about the police, governance at News International and David Cameron’s judgement.

The coverage on the website of News International sister paper The Sun, however, is much less critical.

You can see Mr Coulson’s statement, issued yesterday, in full here.