Media UK: Press news

The sun shines on Waitrose - from The Times

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:51:13 +0100

Middle-class customers rushing to have picnics and barbecues in last week’s glorious weather boosted sales at Waitrose.

Phone Hacking: News Of The World Hits Back - from Sky News

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:50:15 +0100

The tabloid newspaper at the centre of a row over phone hacking says the allegations against it are "irresponsible and unsubstantiated".

News International denies hacking claims - from Financial Times

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:41:10 +0100

The owner of the News of the World has issued a strong denial that its reporters had been involved in illegal activity to 'hack' into the mobile telephones of well-known figures

Council newspaper 'to cost weekly £250,000' - from Hold the Front Page

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:40:15 +0100

Local authority freesheet to carry advertising

Secret damages paid to second News of the World victim - from Media Guardian

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:22:30 +0100

The Guardian can disclose the identity of a second person to whom the News of the World's owners have paid secret damages, following the hacking of her phone. She is Jo Armstrong, a legal adviser at the Professional Footballers Association.The emergence of a second victim whose silence was effectively purchased in a sealed legal settlement, comes as News International, the tabloid's owner, issued a statement after three days near-silence, about the hacking allegations disclosed by the Guardian.Denying any systematic corporate policy of illegal behaviour, News International confirmed it had paid damages to Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, who sued them for hacking into messages on his mobile phone.The Murdoch organisation's statement said after the Clive Goodman case "the only other evidence connecting News of the World reporters to information gained as a result of accessing a person's voicemail emerged in April last year, during the course of the Taylor litigation."The Guardian understands Armstrong also sued the News of the World and is one of two other figures who received costs and damages on condition that she signed a confidentiality agreement.Further evidence, which has been in the possession of Scotland Yard for some years, identifies a so far unnamed News of the World reporter who typed transcripts of more than 30 taped messages from the two hacking targets.The Guardian understands the police documents name a second, senior, reporter to whom these transcripts were sent and a middle-ranking executive who offered the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire a sizeable cash bonus if he delivered the necessary facts for a News of the World exposure story.Scotland Yard also obtained a further tape recording, sources say, on which a journalist identified only by his first name is heard receiving detailed instructions from Mulcaire to enable him to hack into Taylor's messages himself.Last night the Guardian said: "We are pleased that News International has, for the first time, confirmed its out-of-court settlement with Gordon Taylor … over the illegal interception of his phone messages." The paper called for News International to authorise the release of all documents from investigations by the police as well as papers in the Taylor/Armstrong cases.News of the WorldNews InternationalNational newspapersNewspapersNewspapers & magazinesPrivacy & the mediaThe GuardianPrivacyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Phone Hacking: News Of The World Hits Back - from Sky News

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 19:40:07 +0100

News International has blasted The Guardian's allegations of phone hacking by News Of The World journalists as "irresponsible and unsubstantiated".

Dirty Digger blags his way into the headlines - from Financial Times

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:50:38 +0100

Rupert Murdoch has been hit by accusations of phone-hacking by his British tabloids, hurting the reputation he has been building in the US through proper journalism at The Wall Street Journal, writes John Gapper

Ex-Sun editor Rebekah Wade 'had phone tapped by journalists at News of the World' - from Daily Mail

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:47:33 +0100

Ex-Sun editor Rebekah Wade 'had phone tapped by journalists at News of the World'

Council newspaper 'to cost weekly £250,000' - from Hold the Front Page

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:55:52 +0100

Local authority freesheet to carry advertising

Council newspaper 'to cost weekly £250,000' - from Hold the Front Page

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:55:50 +0100

Local authority freesheet to carry advertising

Press watchdog yet to contact News International executives - from Media Guardian

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:57:04 +0100

Bosses at News International, which owns the News of the World, not yet contacted by the Press Complaints CommissionThe Press Complaints Commission has yet to contact executives at News International, which owns the News of the World, despite announcing it would investigate allegations of phone-hacking on behalf of reporters at the paper "without delay".Senior sources at the commission concede that they cannot compel senior managers to answer questions about fresh allegations of impropriety at the paper. "We cannot subpoena people or documents," said one PCC insider. "It is easy for people to forget that."The PCC is an industry body financed by the newspaper industry to deal with complaints about specific stories. It is not a statutory body and has no legal or investigatory powers.It was set up in 1991 to replace the Press Council, but has a narrower brief. Chaired by Baroness Buscombe, the PCC enforces a code of conduct that lays out how journalists should conduct their work. The code includes strict guidelines on invasion of privacy and obtaining information through deception.Most UK newspapers and magazines have signed up to the code and some companies have rewritten employee contracts so that they include a requirement to adhere to it.The commission has reopened an earlier 2007 investigation into the practices used by journalists to obtain information, conducted after former News of the World reporter Clive Goodman was jailed for hacking into the phone messages of royal staff. It will seek to establish whether it was "misled" by News International during the original inquiry and to discover whether phone-hacking and other practices, including obtaining information from phone companies, the DVLA and other agencies, continued after Goodman was jailed.PCC sources pointed out that it was not contacted by members of the public following the Goodman case but decided to launch its 2007 investigation in an effort to protect the reputation of the press. "We never received complaints in this area but we sought to extend our remit", said one insider.The PCC was criticised for failing to question Andy Coulson, who was editing the News of the World when Goodman was arrested. Coulson resigned when Goodman was jailed in January 2007 and the PCC spoke to his successor, Colin Myler. The PCC said it could not call Coulson because he was no longer a News International employee.It is thought that the PCC will draw heavily on hearings conducted by the Commons culture select committee, which will question News International executives next week. The committee is expected to ask Coulson to give evidence.The PCC could wait to see whether new evidence emerges from the Commons inquiry before writing to the company.It also plans to write to the Information Commission and the Guardian to ask for specific examples of malpractice.The Guardian revealed on Wednesday that NI paid out £1m to make legal settlements with three individuals whose mobile phones were hacked into on behalf of reporters at the News of the World.• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".Press Complaints CommissionNews of the WorldNews InternationalNational newspapersNewspapersNewspapers & magazinesPrivacy & the mediaPrivacyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Editor calls for new phone hacking investigation - from Hold the Front Page

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:55:02 +0100

Allegations damage image of journalism say bosses

Oops, Britney Hits Photographers With Copyright Grab - from paidContent:UK

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:20:10 +0100

When Britney Spears plays Stockholm’s Globe Arena on July 13, the press photographers’ pen could be a little empty… According to thelocal.se and Sydsvenskan.

Media Talk Extra: Phone-hacking special - from Media Guardian

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:02:57 +0100

Public outrage prompted by an answerphone scandal – sound familiar? It must be time for another Media Talk Extra podcast, dedicated to dastardly deeds at the News of the World.It's a story straight out of a James Elroy crime novel, with a powerful media baron, dodgy hacks, private investigators lurking in the shadows, wads of cash, politicians, spin doctors, the police and a fair sprinkling of A-list celebrities to boot.Matt Wells is joined in the studio by Jane Martinson and Julian Glover to analyse the ins and outs of the Murdochgate scandal. What now for Andy Coulson (and David Cameron)? Who else at News International knew about the extent of hacking operation? And where does it leave the PCC and the system of self regulation? Roy Greenslade and the man who broke the story, Nick Davies, are on hand with their expert opinion.Leave you comments on the blog below - and don't forget there are two other media podcasts out this week: Media Talk USA and Media Talk Live.

Editor calls for new phone hacking investigation - from Hold the Front Page

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:40:41 +0100

Allegations damage image of journalism say bosses