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British journalist and former editor of The Independent newspaper. After studying law, Blackhurst also worked for The Sunday Times, Daily Express and Evening Standard. Gave detailed responses to the proposals of Lord Black on behalf of The Independent group.

Legal Manager at News International who gave evidence that he thought NI's claim that the practice of phone-hacking was limited to one rogue reporter was "erroneous from the outset". He had given NI advice on phone-hacking as early as 2004. Told the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee about hacking allegations (in July 2009 and September 2011), stating that he had failed to find further evidence of hacking at the News of the World, following the jailing of the paper's royal editor Clive Goodman in 2007. The NoW closed in 2011 and Crone resigned from NI soon after. He was arrested in August 2012 on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, and bailed. In 2014, the Crown Prosecution Service announced he would not face charges because of "insufficient evidence". In 2016, the Parliamentary privileges and standards committee found him in contempt of the House of Commons over the evidence he had submitted to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, resulting in a "formal admonishment".

Director of Equality Now, who has spearheaded several campaigns, including for the creation of a United Nations Working Group to focus on ending discrimination against women in law and in practice. Gave evidence to the Inquiry about the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and that Committee's concern about the "lack of positive media portrayals of ethnic minority, elderly women and women with disabilities".

Professor of Law and Innovation at Queen's University Belfast since 2017. Previously, Associate Dean of Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Reader in Law, at Newcastle University. Submitted academic work including on statutory controls of media content.

Crime correspondent at the Sunday Mirror at time of Inquiry. Described good relations between journalists and police officers. He told the Inquiry that there was some lunching and occasional pub meetings with shared buying of rounds. Six months after giving this evidence, he was arrested in a 6am raid on suspicion of conspiracy to cause misconduct in public office. A year after that, he was told that no further action would be taken.

English barrister, a founding member of Matrix Chambers, and a prominent English translator of the philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Tomlinson, a specialist in media and information law including defamation, confidence, privacy and data protection, gave testimony to the Inquiry calling for the establishment of a Media Standards Authority (MSA). This would be a voluntary body whose members would be given significant legal incentives and would replace the existing Press Complaints Commission.

Toulmin worked as Director of the Press Complaints Commission from 2004 to 2009, having worked at the PCC since 1996. Gave evidence on the workings of the PCC and the limits of its powers. He told the Inquiry that the PCC had been happy to raise awareness of legal restrictions on journalists, but that it could not formally regulate possible offences such as hacking, computer hacking, "blagging" and bribery and/or corruption.

Chief Operating Officer in Europe of Microsoft search engine Bing at the time of the Inquiry. Gave evidence on the feasibility of pulling down links in cases of invasion of privacy and on protection, licensing and litigation of intellectual property rights. Also answered questions from Lord Leveson on whether systems were able to filter defamatory material.

Barrister and lecturer, married to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and patron of The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. In 2013, Blair was awarded damages for her claims against News of the World in relation to the unlawful interception of her voicemails. Had raised a number of complaints over the years with publications such as the Daily Mail about inaccurate and invasive reporting, evidence of which was presented to the Inquiry.

Managing Director of European Law Monitor, submitted a paper to the Inquiry on the implications of the failure of the UK Government to transpose an EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications into UK law.

Lawyer and General Counsel for Financial Times Limited at the time of the Inquiry. Described the nature of advice that he had given journalists including on the legality of recording phone conversations and the status of leaked documents. He had never been asked to give advice on phone-hacking, he said. Bratton gave his opinion that the authority of the Press Complaints Commission had been seriously harmed by the revelations of illegal press activity.

Group general counsel and company secretary of the BBC and, at the time of the Inquiry, the BBC's most senior lawyer.

Professor of Media and Communications law and regulation at Manchester University at time of Inquiry. Founding editor of the Journal of Media Law and member of the editorial board of Communications Law. Offered evidence on ethical discussion within journalism. Advocated giving attention to editorial selection and choice, topics which, he thought, were not adequately covered in the current Editors' Code in relation to inaccuracies.

Charitable trust founded in 1981, concerned with state-related deaths in England and Wales, including deaths in custody. INQUEST offers investigations and advice to bereaved people, lawyers, support agencies, the media and parliamentarians. Its cases have included investigations of the cases of Blair Peach, Jean Charles de Menezes, Ian Tomlinson and Mark Duggan.

Independent voluntary organisation working in the field of immigration. Set up to help individuals and families affected by British immigration and nationality law and policy. The organisation gave evidence on the negative press suffered by asylum seekers and immigrants.

In 2011, an "Issues Paper" had been widely circulated in New Zealand to promote a public debate on news media and free speech in a digital age. This was submitted to the Leveson Inquiry.

Phillipson was Professor of Law at the University of Durham and a qualified solicitor at the time of giving evidence. His research interests were in public law, particularly areas of European and UK human rights law, he said. He offered evidence of the notion of "public interest" and noted that without adequate protection for privacy, there was the risk of a situation in which rights and freedoms of individuals were sacrificed to the commercial interests of the mass media and the idle curiosity of the majority.

Corporate and insurance law firm headquartered in London with offices in Bristol, Singapore and Hong Kong. Represented several of the witnesses and participants in the Inquiry, including the Press Board of Finance.

Editorial Legal Director of The Times at the time of the Inquiry, having joined the paper as Senior Legal Adviser in July 2009. Prior to this, Sarma worked as a senior associate in the law firm Finers Stephens Innocent, advising and conducting media litigation on behalf of media clients including newspapers and publishers.

Solicitor. Former in-house lawyer within the Directorate of Legal Services at the Metropolitan Police, with expertise in public law, civil litigation, human rights and police law.