The Leveson Inquiry was established to investigate the culture and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal. Employees of News of the World were accused of phone hacking, bribery, and influencing stories, initially believed to be limited to celebrities. However, it was revealed phones of murder victim Milly Dowler and relatives of deceased British soldiers and 7/7 London bombing victims were also hacked, causing public outrage. The News of the World was closed in July 2011 after 168 years of publication due to falling advertising revenue from the scandal.

1. Leveson Inquiry – News International Phone-Hacking Scandal
The Leveson Inquiry is an on-going public inquiry into the culture, practices and
ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal.
The News International phone-hacking scandal — dubbed "Hackgate", "Rupertgate", or
"Murdochgate" by the press — is an ongoing controversy involving the News of the World
and other British newspapers published by News International.
Employees of the newspaper were accused of engaging in phone hacking, police
bribery, and exercising improper influence in the pursuit of publishing stories.
Investigations conducted from 2005–2007 concluded 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 7/7 London bombings were
also accessed, resulting in a public outcry against News Corporation and owner Rupert
Murdoch.
Advertiser boycotts contributed to the closure of the News of the World on 10 July,
ending 168 years of publication.
ROYAL: On 13 November 2005, an article appeared in the News of the World written by
royal editor Clive Goodman thatclaimed that Prince William was in the process of
borrowing a portable editing suite from ITV royal correspondent Tom Bradby.
Following the publication, the Prince and Bradby met to try to figure out how the details of their
arrangement had been leaked, as only two other people were aware of it. Prince William noted
that another equally improbable leak had recently taken place regarding an appointment he had
made with a knee surgeon.After some discussion, the Prince and Bradby concluded it was likely
that their voicemails were being accessed.
Apology and compensation
News International announced on 8 April 2011, that it would admit liability in some of the
breach of privacy cases being brought in relation to phone hacking by the News of the
World. The company offered an unreserved apology and compensation to eight
claimants, but will continue to contest allegations made by other litigants.
The eight claimants were identified in media reports as:
Sienna Miller, actress
Kelly Hoppen, interior designer and Miller's stepmother
Tessa Jowell, Member of Parliament and former cabinet minister
David Mills, lawyer and Jowell's former husband
Andy Gray, sports pundit and former footballer
Joan Hammell, aide to the former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott
Sky Andrew, sports talent agent

2. Nicola Phillips, assistant to the publicist Max Clifford
The first individual to accept the News of the World's apology and compensation was
actress Sienna Miller, who received £100,000 plus legal costs.
Milly Dowler's voicemail
It was first reported by The Guardian on 4 July 2011, that police had found evidence
suggesting that the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire collected personal information
about the family of the missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, following her disappearance in
March 2002, and the subsequent discovery of her murdered body six months later.
According to the paper, journalists working for the News of the World had hired private
investigators to hack into Dowler's voicemail inbox while she was still missing. It was
alleged that they had deleted some messages, giving false hope to police and to
Dowler's family who thought that she might have deleted the messages herself and
therefore might still be alive, and potentially destroying valuable evidence about her
abduction and murderer Levi Bellfield. Dowler's phone had deleted the messages
automatically 72 hours after being listened to.
In July 2011, it was announced that the Dowler family was preparing a claim for
damages against the News of the World. Ed Miliband called on Rebekah Brooks, the
News of the World's editor in 2002, and then the chief executive of News International, to
"consider her conscience and consider her position".Brooks denied knowledge of
phone hacking during her editorship.
It was in the wake of the Dowler allegations that a significant number of people, including
former deputy prime minister John Prescott and other politicians, began to seriously
question whether the takeover of BSkyB by News Corporation ought to be
blocked.The Media Standards Trust formed the pressure group Hacked Off, to
campaign for a public inquiry. Soon after launch, the campaign gained the support of
suspected hacking victim, the actor Hugh Grant, who became a public spokesperson,
appearing on Question Time and Newsnight.
British soldiers' relatives
On 6 July 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported that the phones of some relatives of
British soldiers killed in action in Iraq since 2003 and Afghanistan since 2001 may
have been accessed by the News of the World. It said that personal details and phone
numbers belonging to relations of dead service personnel were found in the files of private
investigator Glenn Mulcaire. In response to the allegations, The Royal British Legion
announced that it would suspend all ties with the News of the World, dropping the
newspaper as its campaigning partner.
7/7 London attack victims
It was reported that relatives of some victims may have had their telephones accessed
by the News of the World in the aftermath of the attacks. A man who lost two children in
the bombings told the BBC that police officers investigating the alleged hacking had
warned them that their contact details were found on a target list, while a former
firefighter who helped rescue injured passengers also said he had been contacted by
police who were looking into the hacking allegations. A number of survivors from the

3. bombings also revealed that police had warned them their phones may have been
accessed and their messages intercepted, and in some cases were advised to change
security codes and PINs.
Closure of the News of the World
The closure of the News of the World after 168 years in print was the first significant
effect of the scandal.James Murdoch announced on 7 July 2011, that, after 168 years
in print, the News of the World would publish its last-ever edition on 10 July, with the
loss of 200 jobs.