Tom Bower and Veronica Wadley

In the diary in the media section of 16 July 2007 we wrongly stated that Tom Bower's expenses while attending the Conrad Black trial were paid for by the Evening Standard, whose editor is Mr Bower's wife, Veronica Wadley. It was also suggested that the relationship between Mr Bower and his wife raised similar issues to that of Conrad Black and his wife. We now accept that these allegations were inaccurate. Mr Bower, who was covering the trial for another newspaper and to add to the forthcoming paperback edition of his Black biography, personally paid all his expenses and only got a reduced rate for the incidental articles in the Evening Standard. We were also wrong to imply that the party for the book launch of the biography was in any way financed by Associated Newspapers as it was entirely paid for by Mr Bower and Ms Wadley. It was never our intention to suggest that Mr Bower or Ms Wadley had behaved corruptly in any way and we accept that such a suggestion would be wrong. We apologise to them and have agreed to pay them damages.