www.damiancollins.com/2011/11/ne ... g-inquiry/

www.damiancollins.com/2011/11/ne ... g-inquiry/

Anyone following Levenson, if you have the opportunity, you might want to follow @benfenton on Twitter. He'san [iFT[/i journalist, but tweets independently. Currently at the enquiry.

leveson </pedant>

[url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2011/dec/19/jeremyclarkson-dailymail?INTCMP=SRCHAnd, since it's entirely relevant ...[/url

Is this the Murdoch press deciding it will not be alone in the spotlight?

[url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/will-piers-tabloid-past-return-to-haunt-him-6279501.htmlPiers Morgan in front of Leveson today[/url

Should be interesting

Listening on Radio 5, Morgan came across as the sleazy greaseball he obviously is......Used the James Murdoch defence of not actually having any control of things, despite supposedly being the boss....



Particularly loved the bit where, when asked about who told him how hacking was actually performed, he says he remembers the moment being shown, but couldn't recall the actual individual who told him....

And on a related issue – [url=http://nthurlbeck.blogspot.com/2012/01/notes-on-leveson-and-need-for-tabloid.htmlthank goodness Murdoch was able to keep News International free of those interfering unions. The examples of management styles mentioned here might have been threatened otherwise.[/url

'tis a good article is that, and he raises a very good issue regarding the embracing of web pages by tabloid media and the opportunity to reformat their image as being something worthy - one look at The Sun or The Mirror's web sites will instantly affirm any preconceptions that you had about what their target market is - its even more market focused than the printed versions of the newspapers are, at least in the printed versions you get [isome[/i news.

This is child's play - you must have gone soft if this really offends you?

So in essence you're saying that you approve of bullying?

Okay – at what age is it acceptable to start being a bully? Are there some targets you wouldn't personally bully – or is everyone fair game?

Is bullying only acceptable in the workplace or do you think it should be allowed everywhere?

Do you also think that general rudeness is a good thing too?

Indeed. The same with the [iMail[/i's website too. Makes the print version look good.

And in other news:

[url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-06/news-corp-pushes-last-ditch-hacking-settlements-as-february-trial-nears.htmlNewscorp trying to agree settlement before court ruling and Rebekah Brooks's former PA arrested[/url

Now this truly is political correctness gone mad

I thought they just used "filthy left-wing scum" as a catch all...

And in more bad news for Murdochs, you may recall the 'revelation' that NGN were still paying costs in relation to indemnifying the PI Glenn Mulcaire. Horrified and appalled as Murdoch was to 'learn'this, they stopped the payments. Mulcaire however had it in writing, and took umbrage at this. Now he has won his case against News group newspapers that NGN must indemnify him in respect of the costs and damages arising from litigation to which they were jointly sued, on the terms contained in an indemnity letter.

An indemnity against civil or criminal liability resulting from the deliberate commission of a crime would certainly not be enforceable by a criminal, but that did not apply to subsequent agreements in relation to civil proceedings arising out of the criminal conduct. So NGN's indemnity to Mulcaire was not void as contrary to public policy. The court declared that there was a valid contract of indemnity which had not been determined and was still subsisting, so if he is ordered to pay, they pay it.

Kerching.

Massive fun at Leveson at the moment, with ex-[iExpress[/i editor having said the paper left the PCC because it failed to stop the [iExpress[/i itself libelling the McCanns.

And that's before the delectable Dickie Desmond appears.

In its quest to be thorough, is this enquiry turning itself into a showbiz sideshow? Certainly Kelvin McKenzie seemed to be treating the whole thing as a jolly day out and a chance to get his face back in the media again.

It's the best entertainment around at present – although I think it's managing to be enormously revealing too, alongside such related issues as the [iMail[/i trying to have any possible whistleblowers stopped from appearing.

Although I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why that might be worrying them ...

On the entertainment aspect, Ian Hislop is due to appear next week.

The prosecution rests, m'lady.

"allegedly"?

And Associated Press has lost its bid to stop anonymous journalists appearing as witnesses at Leveson.

I think that's what's known as serious daily fail.

They can hack my phone for 40 grand, all they'll get is my missus cackling to her sister for 3 hours a night

The problem with this enquiry is 99.99% of the population don't give a toss about it. In a country going through recession, large unemployment etc they have more important things to worry about. You only needed the stuff about the News of the World to know that new guidelines needed to be drawn up, the rest of it is a waste of taxpayers money. Half of these so called celebrity's are glad of the money and publicity they are getting.

Mmm a good time to hide bad news hey? The best disinfectant is sunlight my friend.

The press needs a root and branch reform, they have been allowed to get away with stunts like this for far too long.