To say that 2012 has been a bad year for the British press would be an understatement. The last 12 months have been filled with controversy, from The News of the World hacking scandal to the BBC’s recent cover up accusations. With the publication of the Leveson Report, calls have been made for a new regulatory body to watch over the media. However, this has also prompted worries about how far censorship could be allowed to go.
In 2005, a police inquiry began after the News of the World published a story on a knee injury suffered by Prince William. It caused concern over the possible interception of voicemail messages. The following year saw the arrest of NOTW’s royal editor and a private investigator, both of whom were subsequently jailed for phone hacking. Editor at the time, Andy Coulson, resigned, before promptly being hired as director of communications for the Conservative party. In 2009, Rebekah Brooks became CEO of News International, after stints as editor of two of its publications – NOTW and The Sun. She has now appeared in court and faces legal actions for conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office. Allegations of phone hacking under Coulson were rife, however in May 2010 he took up a role as the head of the governments media operation after David Cameron’s election as Prime Minister.
As the accusations continued, in January 2011, Operation Weeting began with the aim of investigating the phone hacking allegations. Coulson resigned as communications chief for David Cameron, and arrests of high profile figures such as former NOTW editor Ian Edmondson were made as the paper admitted it was involved in phone hacking. The investigation gained a high profile supporter, as Hugh Grant secretly recorded a former NOTW executive talking openly about phone hacking. However it was the discovery that victims of the hacking scandal included families such as the McCanns and the Dowlers was the final straw. A newspaper that acted so immorally could not be ignored, and on the 7th July 2011, the NOTW announced that it would be closing down. On November 14th 2011, the Leveson Inquiry began. Over a year later, on the 29th November 2012, the Leveson Report was published.
So what are the key points of the report, and what does it mean for the future of journalism? The main finding, and the most controversial, has been the recommendation of a regulatory body for the press, with the creation of a ‘whistle blowing hotline’ for journalists who feel they are being asked to act unethically. For David Cameron, this constitutes a diplomatic problem: on the one hand, he could agree with the findings, in which case he risks offending the newspapers on which he relies for positive coverage. On the other hand, he risks offending the public, the majority of whom – according to a YouGov survey – believe that tougher restrictions on the press are needed.
For the moment, no decisive action has been taken on the part of the government regarding the findings of the report. Hugh Grant seems to have his doubts that this will ever happen, saying “What you have to question is the courage of our Prime Minister. He’s in a difficult position…the thing to really watch out for is him procrastinating, I think that will be his tactic. He’ll try to kick it down the road slowly…suddenly it’ll be the election and the whole thing will have faded away. It’s vital that if anything is going to happen, it should happen now on a cross-party basis.” Naturally, the victims of hacking agree that action must be taken, and are disappointed with the Prime Ministers lacklustre response to the report. Actor Steve Coogan has accused him of having “hung the victims of crime out to dry”, whilst Paul Dadge, a helper of the survivors of the 7/7 bombings, told the BBC that it is time for “the public and for victims to have their voices heard”.
One option David Cameron is said to be considering is the establishment of a press watchdog by Royal Charter. Dating back to 1066, this practice is usually used to legally recognise cities and universities. It involves the Queen formally recognising the institution, and a set of rules being created. The BBC, for example, operates under Royal Charter, which can also minimise political influence due to its amendment only every 10 years. However, the campaign group Hacked Off, set up by victims of phone hacking, wants the Leveson Report to be fully implemented.
The key issue at the moment is to find a solution which allows for continued freedom of press whilst still ensuring that nothing like the hacking scandal is allowed to happen again. A system under which the families of victims of crime are targeted is clearly not acceptable. However, finding a solution to satisfy everyone is proving to be a challenge in itself. HCX asks – how much freedom do you think the press should have? Is a regulatory body a good idea, or do you think the press will learn from these lessons and adjust their behaviour?
Image Credits: Guardian.co.uk, Wikipedia.com, Mirror.co.uk