Steve Coogan: Why I won't let News Corp off the hook

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Comedian whose phone was hacked says he was motivated to sue NoW by seeing Andy Coulson 'at the heart of power'

James Robinson | Monday September 05 2011 21.09 BST

Steve Coogan recalls clearly the moment he decided to sue the News of the World. "What motivated me was seeing Andy Coulson gaining a modicum of respectability standing next to David Cameron."

The actor and comedian adds: "I remember thinking 'Andy Coulson should not be at the heart of power.' That was my gut instinct. That man shouldn't be there."

Over lunch in New York, where he is filming an adaptation of a Henry James novel, Coogan says: "Two years ago I rang my publicist and said 'Look, there's some information that my phone may have been hacked.' I was told: 'That story's gone away, it's not going to come back and Coulson's at the heart of Downing Street now, he's surrounded by a ring of steel.' "

Despite the warning, Coogan started legal action, becoming one of a handful of celebrities to do so. His legal battle has played a pivotal part in the fight to uncover how widespread the practice was at the NoW, giving him a leading part in the revolt against tabloid excess. As Coogan developed his own case, he obtained some crucial evidence about related hacking activities undertaken by Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator employed by the tabloid.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/05/steve-coogan-phone-hacking-interview

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Steve Coogan, whose phone was hacked by the News of the World,
said News Corp's senior executives should be held to account.
Photograph: Sam Hollenshead/Polaris

[snagglepuss]

1. He and a handful of others should be forever in history books for helping

to expose Murdoch who though not uttterly destroyed has been seriously weakened. That something as simple as seeing a photo changed history is truly remarkable.

[tsuki]

3. Rupert Roo is not looking so jaunty these days. I wonder if he will

lay everything on Baby Roo and see him sent to jail?

[necso]

2. A very important story.

In days of yore (well, actually not so very long ago), I might have expected this to have wider political repercussions.

[Tunkamerica]

4. Coogan is awesome. I love saxondale

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Good!!!! I'd love to see these Murdoch assholes end up in the slammer. nt

[cstanleytech]

9. If it came to them in jail vs their media empire being broken up and taken out of their hands for

good I would actually prefer that they stay out of jail.

[tcaudilllg]

14. Then you'll get neither.

[Kingofalldems]

6. K and R all Murdoch scandal threads

[October]

17. Agree!

[TxVietVet]

7. k&r

[myrna minx]

8. K&R.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

10. Nice to see someone with (I think) the resources and (certainly) the public profile take action ...

... hopefully others in similar positions will, and those without resources will get some assistance to do so.

If Coogan's attorneys can draw blood in terms of money (real money) and publicity, other attorneys will swarm to represent those whose publicity was breached. Short of losing their corporate charter (has that ever happened in Britain? In theory, it can in the U.S. but I am unaware of it occuring (though B.P. should have been on the block)), the best way to correct a corrupt business model is big money lawsuits.

[MicaelS]

11. I really like this part....

"What happens in my private life is none of your fucking business," he says. "I'm an entertainer. I don't go round saying I'm a paragon of virtue, so that is clearly not in the public interest."

Nor does he accept the argument that curtailing the media's freedom to write about the peccadilloes of the rich and famous is tantamount to censorship.

"It serves certain people's commercial interests to characterise what's happening as an attack on the freedom of the press and it's not," he says.

"It's about responsible journalism. The tabloids operate in an amoral parallel universe where the bottom line is selling newspapers.

Wish more people had that attitude about the media..ALL media.

[harmonicon]

12. +1 nt

[Bluenorthwest]

13. May Coogan be like a dog with a bone on this issue...

God this man makes me laugh. 'I'm Alan Partridge' is my favorite Coogan, but he is also great in '24 Hour Party People', 'Tristam Shandy', and many other things.

[October]

18. Just saw him in "Trip" and enjoyed it. /nt

[rhett o rick]

15. R&K

[Electric Monk]

16. k&r

[samsingh]

19. news corp should be sold off for scraps