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.
Born 1980. Billionaire Russian-British owner of Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which owns the London Evening Standard, The Independent and the TV channel, London Live. Gave evidence to the Inquiry on his perception of the importance of a free press.
British Conservative Party politician and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tatton. Osborne served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016 and has been editor of the London Evening Standard since May 2017. Answered Inquiry's questions on BSkyB bid and defended his party's appointment of Andy Coulson as head of communications.
At time of giving evidence, Hatfield was Editor of "i", the newspaper's first editor. Described the origin of "i" as a shorter version of the daily Independent intended for people who wanted a quicker, digested read. As a policy, the paper had little interest in celebrity stories or stories of a private nature, Hatfield said. The news values and legal checks were the same as for The Independent. All "i" journalists were contractually obliged to work to the letter and spirit of the Press Complaints Commission's Editorial Code of Practice (PCC Code), he said.
First issued in 1986. From 2010 owned by Alexander Lebedev and from 2016 ceased print editions and became online only. Nicknamed the Indy, it began life as a broadsheet, but changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition of The Independent was published Saturday 26 March 2016, leaving only its digital editions. Manish Malhotra, employed by parent company IPL, gave evidence in his capacity as Finance Director, telling the Inquiry of anti-bribery measures at the papers. Chris Blackhurst, editor at the time of giving evidence, told the Inquiry that he and The Independent were broadly in support of the Lord Black proposals but had some areas of concern. See also Andrew Grice, Andrew Mullins and Paul Peachey, who all gave evidence, and Independent on Sunday.
