2. News of The World – Who are the main culprits?
Rupert Murdoch – is an Australian American business magnate. In the 1950’s and 60’s
he acquired various newspapers in Australia and New Zealand before expanding into the
UK in 1969, taking over News of The World and followed closely by The Sun.
In July 2011, Murdoch faced allegations that his companies, including the News of The
World, owned by News Corporation, had been regularly hacking the phones of
celebrities, royalty and public citizens.
Rebekah Brooks - is an English journalist and former newspaper editor. She was
chief executive officer of News of The World from 2009 to 2011, having previously
served as the youngest editor of a British national newspaper at News of the World
from 2000 to 2003, and the first female editor of The Sun from 2003 to 2009.
Brooks was a prominent figure in the News of The World phone hacking scandal,
having been the editor of the News of the World when illegal phone hacking was
carried out by the newspaper. Following a criminal trial in 2014 she was cleared of all
charges by a jury at the Old Bailey.
3. Hacking Scandal : Key figures
All together there were 30 people involved in the Hacking Scandal. This included people such as police officers, private investigators,
journalists and reporters. The whole phone hacking scandal came to light in 2002 as part of The Guardians long-standing
investigations. By 2006 it was clear that illegal activities were taking place by News of the World as the royal reporter and a private
investigator Glen Mulcaire, were tried and convicted of illegal phone-hacking in relation to Princes William and Harry.
The Guardian reports started to uncover evidence that, in fact, the activities had spread far wider at the paper.
The News International phone-hacking scandal is a controversy involving the now defunct News of the World and other British
newspapers published by News International, a subsidiary of the then News Corporation. Employees of the newspaper were accused
of engaging in phone hacking, police bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of stories. Whilst investigations
conducted from 2005 to 2007 appeared to show that the paper's phone hacking activities were limited to celebrities, politicians and
members of the British Royal Family, in July 2011 it was revealed that the phones of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, relatives of
deceased British soldiers, and victims of the 7 July 2005 London bombings had also been hacked.
January 2007
News of the World (NoW) royal editor Clive Goodman and hacker Glenn Mulcaire convicted of phone hacking. Editor Andy Coulson resigns. News International says
Goodman is a rogue reporter.
8 July 2009
The Guardian publishes an article claiming hacking was more widespread on NoW.
1 September 2010
The New York Times implicates former editor Andy Coulson, citing the now-deceased former NoW reporter Sean Hoare.
21 January 2011
Andy Coulson resigns as David Cameron's spin doctor, blaming coverage of phone hacking. Five days later, Operation Weeting, the Met police investigation into phone
hacking, launches.
April 2011
Three reporters on the News of the World are arrested: Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck and James Weatherup. Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, is
on holiday in the Caribbean and is advised by colleagues that she too could face arrest.
4 July 2011
The Guardian publishes an article online claiming Milly Dowler's phone was hacked.
7 July 2011
The Met police says there are a possible 4,000 targets of hacking. James Murdoch announces the News of the World is to close.
10 July 2011
The News of the World publishes its final edition after 168 years.
15 July
Brooks resigns. Les Hinton, her predecessor, now in New York running Dow Jones, follows hours later.
16 July
Rupert Murdoch apologises in full-page adverts, saying: "We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred".
17 July
Brooks arrested in relation to phone hacking.
19 July
Rupert Murdoch tells a House of Commons committee that appearing before it is "the most humble day of my life".
27 October 2013
The phone-hacking trial of Brooks, Coulson and six others begins.
4. People who were affected
There were 211 people who were affected by this scandal all together. This included celebrities such as David and
Victoria Beckham, Calum Best, Ashley Cole and Sir Alex Ferguson. There were also more serious hackings, such
as the phone hackings of families of the 9/11 victims, families of UK soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the
families of Madeline McCann and Milly Dowler.
