INQUISITION NEWS: British Judge Investigates Journalistic Practices

British Judge Investigates Journalistic Practices

By ALAN COWELL

LONDON — After the phone hacking scandal that has seared its way through Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers in this country, a senior British judge opened an inquiry on Monday into the way journalists operate and the elusive balance between press freedom and individual rights to privacy.

The inquiry, led by Lord Justice Leveson, is one of three launched since an avalanche of disclosures and arrests related to illicit interception of voice mails and other alleged transgressions by journalists from the News of the World, a major part of Mr. Murdoch’s News International British newspaper arm, which was closed in July in an effort to contain the scandal.

Two other inquiries are being conducted by the police and by a parliamentary panel, which last week interviewed James Murdoch, Mr. Murdoch’s son, for the second time since July.

The inquiries have inspired public debate about the relationship between privacy and the press and about the extent to which Britain’s self-regulating media should be subject to oversight.

The central issue, Justice Leveson said, could be “one simple question: who guards the guardians?”

In a brief address, he praised freedom of expression and freedom of the press as “fundamental to our democracy and fundamental to our way of life.” But, he said, press freedom needed to be balanced against individual rights.

Justice Leveson warned that his inquiry would be looking out for any hint that newspapers were targeting any of the 50 witnesses to appear before the panel.

“Concern has specifically been expressed that those who speak out might be targeted adversely by the press as a result,” he said.

“I have absolutely no wish to stifle freedom of speech and expression, but I anticipate that monitoring will take place of press coverage over the months to come.”

“And if it appears that those concerns are made out, without objective justification, it might be appropriate to draw the conclusion that these vital rights are being abused, which itself would provide evidence of culture, practice and ethics which could be relevant to my ultimate recommendations.”

Among the likely witnesses are several well-known people who have complained about unwarranted intrusion into their lives, including the actor Hugh Grant and J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books.

The inquiry was launched by Prime Minister David Cameron after it became clear that hacking at The News of the World extended not only to public figures like celebrities and politicians, but also to ordinary citizens such as Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old schoolgirl who voice mail was hacked after she was abducted in 2002. She was later found murdered.

Mr. Cameron, a Conservative, initially resisted setting up an immediate inquiry, but changed his mind in July in response to widespread public disgust and growing political pressure from the opposition Labour Party.

One of the issues the judge will consider is the coziness of the ties between politicians and the news media — particularly the relationship between lawmakers and editors and executives at News International.

His panel, which includes former journalists, a civil rights campaigner and a retired law enforcement official, has been given broad power to force newspaper owners, reporters, politicians and the police to give evidence under oath at public hearings into the culture, practices and ethics of the press.

The inquiry is scheduled to fall into two parts, the first a general review of the culture, practices and ethics of the media in general. The second, into alleged unlawful activities, will begin only when the police have completed investigations and concluded prosecutions so as to avoid prejudicing criminal inquiries.

Police are also investigating on two tracks — one into illegal phone hacking and one into illegal payoffs by newspapers to police officers.

So far, 16 people have been arrested in the phone hacking inquiry, including Andy Coulson, former editor of The News of the World and the former chief spokesman for Mr. Cameron; and Rebekah Brooks, who also worked as the editor of The News of the World and is a former chief executive of News International.

Earlier this month, a journalist at the tabloid The Sun, also owned by News International, was arrested on suspicion of making illegal payments to police officers, a sign that a scandal has spread beyond The News of the World. He was the sixth person to be arrested in the probe into illegal payoffs.