Phone Hacking Inquiry

[malaise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/28/phone-hacking-inquiry-leveson
<snip>
Lord Justice Leveson, appointed by David Cameron to look into the fall-out from the phone-hacking scandal, has warned that the expansion of the terms of reference of his inquiry has been so broadened that he may not be able to complete the first part of the inquiry within the planned timescale of a year.

He was speaking as his inquiry team met for the first time in London to discuss how it would proceed.

He said "in the first instance the inquiry will focus primarily on what I am calling the relationship between the press and the public and the related issue of press regulation".

He said he would have powers to compel named witnesses to attend and would be discussing with the DPP the extent to which he will be able to look at the scale of specific media wrongdoing before the criminal inquiries have been completed.

[marions ghost]

1. Justice Leveson SOUNDS good in that article...

of course we never know what the reality is behind the rhetoric. However it is hard for me to imagine an American justice even SAYING these things:

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"In a prepared statement, he said: "It may be tempting for a number of people to close ranks and suggest that the problem is or was local to a group of journalists then operating at the News of the World but I would encourage all to take a wider picture of the public good and help grapple with the width and depth of the problem."

He said it was critical that the inquiry concentrated on "the central and most important issue", adding the "focus of the inquiry is the culture practices and ethics of the press in the context of the latter's relationship with the public, the police and politicians."

He said in September he would be holding in the first instance "a series of seminars on the ethics of journalism and the practices and pressures of investigative journalism". He added: "At some stage there needs to be a discussion of what amounts to the public good, to what extent the public interest should be taken into account and by whom".

He added he would later hold seminars on press relationships with the police, politicians and the political process.