Media Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain until 2010. Gave evidence at the Inquiry on behalf of ENGAGE, a Muslim advocacy organisation aiming to encourage greater civic participation among British Muslims. Has written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Express, Observer and Sun, focusing on Islam and current affairs, and been co-presenter of the weekly Politics and Media Show on the Islam Channel.
British investigative journalist, writer and documentary-maker. Davies has written as a freelance, and for The Guardian and The Observer, and has been named Reporter of the Year, Journalist of the Year and Feature Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards. Davies, with colleague Amelia Hill, broke the phone-hacking story that led to the closure of the News of the World and to the establishing of the Leveson Inquiry. He told Lord Leveson: "I don't think this is an industry that is interested in or capable of self-regulation. The history of the [Press Complaints Commission] undermines the whole concept of self-regulation."
Editor of The Sunday Times from 1967 to 1981 and of The Times from 1981 to 1982, the period of the takeover of the papers by Rupert Murdoch's News International. Sir Harold resigned the editorship of The Times in 1982, claiming editorial interference from Murdoch, whom he described when editor as "evil incarnate". At the time of giving evidence, Sir Harold was continuing his career as a journalist and writer, primarily in North America. He said at the Inquiry that the political will for News International's takeover of the papers facilitated it happening, referencing a private meeting between then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Rupert Murdoch.
Born 1971. British lawyer and writer. Green is a former legal correspondent for the New Statesman, a columnist on law and policy for the Financial Times and also blogs as Jack of Kent. Has written on legal matters for The Guardian, The Lawyer, New Scientist and other publications. Gave his views to the Inquiry on regulation and self-regulation, and asked the Inquiry not to interpret the phrase “freedom of the press” as referring just to the rights and privileges of the press.
Professor of Journalism at City University London at the time of the Inquiry and a media commentator since 1992, mostly for The Guardian. Offered insights into the flaws of the Press Complaints Commission and the need to avoid making the same mistakes. PCC inadequacies were exposed particularly by the Milly Dowler phone hacking, he said. He stressed that he was not attributing blame but that the PCC chairmen and directors could not be other than aware of the vulnerability of the members of the Commission when they were attempting to hold their paymasters to account: the body had the task of regulating the people upon whom it depended for its existence.
Journalist and Director of the English Centre of International PEN at the time of the Inquiry, who presented evidence on PEN's behalf. In the wake of the Leveson hearings, he was a major force behind setting up IMPRESS as an independent press regulator and became its first CEO.
At the time of the Inquiry, crime reporter and desk editor at The Guardian and Observer. Prior to working with The Guardian, Laville had worked for the Evening Standard and Daily Telegraph, covering major home and foreign news stories. Gave evidence concerning changing relations between Metropolitan Police and the media, from tight controls under Sir Paul Condon to a more informal relationship under Sir John Stevens. However, following the phone-hacking scandal, tensions between the media and the Met had become great, she said. Described practices maintaining contact and the importance of journalism being able to hold police to account.
Journalist, author and Investigations Executive Editor of The Guardian at the time of the Inquiry. Gave evidence on sources and responsibility to protect them and on the Guardian’s ethical and anti-bribery and corruption policies.
Award-winning writer, director and producer who has written for Daily Star, Guardian, Netflix, Channel 4, Amazon, the BBC and others. Gave evidence about working for the Daily Star, and of the pressure to write contrived stories to please the editor. He told the Inquiry that there was a maxim at the paper that some stories were "too good to check". Peppiatt wrote an open letter to Richard Desmond when resigning from the Daily Star, accusing the paper of demonising Muslims, supporting the English Defence League (EDL), fabricating stories, ignoring foreign news and paying low wages to staff. A campaign of vilification against him followed, he told the Inquiry.
Journalist and radio and television executive, Forgan was editor of The Guardian's women's pages from 1978 to 1982 and a Guardian columnist from 1997 to 1998 before becoming a non-executive director of Guardian Media Group in 1998. She held senior director roles at both Channel 4 and the BBC, and in 2006 was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Radio Broadcasting. At the time of the Inquiry, Forgan was Chair of the Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian, and gave evidence on its structure and aims.
Author, newspaper columnist and editor. Jenkins was editor of the Evening Standard from 1976 to 1978 and of The Times from 1990 to 1992. At the time of giving evidence, he was writing columns for both The Guardian and Evening Standard. He lauded the end of sycophancy in today's journalism and said he saw no need for new institutions to regulate the profession. He said that he saw the closing of a paper and imprisoning of journalists a good demonstration of the effectiveness of self-regulation.
John Mulholland was editor of the The Observer at the time of the Inquiry, having worked for the Guardian Media Group since 1994. He gave evidence that all staff were obliged to abide by the PCC code of conduct as well as the more rigorous GNM editorial code. Contributors were similarly expected to abide by the codes. There were strict procedures in place for any journalist wishing to go undercover or use any form of subterfuge. The Observer had, he said, used the services of a private investigator under an earlier editor.
Journalist. Media correspondent at The Guardian at the time of the Inquiry. Previously deputy business editor at the Sunday Express, a reporter for Sunday Business and, before that, the Birmingham Post. Was asked about procedures and protocols for newsgathering at The Guardian.
