News of the World hacking scandal throws spotlight on Murdoch media empire

[Hannah Bell]

Muclaire and Clive Goodman, NoW’s royal correspondent, were jailed in 2007 for six and four months, respectively, after they were found guilty of illegally accessing the mobile phone messages of members of the royal family. The royals had called in police to investigate, after a number of stories appeared in the NoW on Princes Harry and William.

Despite evidence that the potential victims of the phone hacking ran to the hundreds, if not thousands, and involved government ministers, police and defence chiefs, the case was confined solely to the royals and Goodman was the only NoW journalist to be charged.

The NoW claimed throughout that Goodman was a rogue reporter, and Mulcaire an out-of-control investigator. Andy Coulson, then editor of the NoW, resigned his post when the two were jailed. He vigorously denied any knowledge of the phone hacking, but said he took responsibility, as it had happened on his watch. Not long after, Coulson went to work for Conservative leader David Cameron, then in opposition. He is now employed as Cameron’s director of communications.

It is not clear why Mulcaire has named Edmondson now, after years of denying the involvement of anyone other than Goodman, or how Edmondson will respond to his claim. There is speculation that the NoW was forced to move against Edmondson because its rogue reporter defence had become untenable. He may be sacrificed, it has been suggested, to draw a line under the scandal and protect Coulson and others.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/jan2011/murd-j20.shtml