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i Editor's Letter: Still getting to know you

Tue, 29 May 2012 02:23:30 +0100

Help me decide future of press, Leveson asks Blair

Tue, 29 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Tony Blair has been invited to draw up proposals on how to regulate the press in future. In an unusual end to more than four hours of testimony, Lord Justice Leveson asked the former Prime Minister to join a select group of witnesses who will help guide his thinking in writing his final report.

Pretty straight from the ex-PM? It depends how you interpret the evidence

Tue, 29 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

In a courtroom just off The Strand, Anthony Charles Lynton Blair yesterday set out his version of history when it came to dealing with Rupert Murdoch and his various lieutenants; the invasion of Iraq; the public criticism of his wife Cherie; the behaviour of his employees as they went after critics in the media; the poisoning of the British body politic and much more. Read on...

Andrew Grice: It was love at first bite for Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:05:46 +0100

It was love at first bite. That is, when the executives from Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times newspaper invited a fresh-faced Labour frontbencher called Tony Blair to dinner.

No pact with Rupert Murdoch, says Tony Blair

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:40:51 +0100

Tony Blair denied today doing any deals with Rupert Murdoch in return for the support of his newspapers.

Security probe ordered after protester interrupts Tony Blair

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:30:57 +0100

An investigation has been ordered into how a protester managed to burst into the Leveson Inquiry as Tony Blair was giving evidence and yell: “This man should be arrested for war crimes.”

Tony Blair: Journalists had 'personal vendetta" against Cherie

Mon, 28 May 2012 18:30:10 +0100

Tony Blair told the Leveson Inquiry that some journalists had waged a “personal vendetta” against his wife Cherie.

i Editor's Letter: Most things don't change

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:40 +0100

News International 'tried to blackmail select committee'

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Detectives carrying out the multimillion-pound investigation into illegal newsgathering techniques at Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group have been asked to investigate whether it attempted to blackmail politicians.

All eyes on Blair as he takes stand at Leveson

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Tony Blair today faces hours of questioning about his relationship with Rupert Murdoch and his newspapers at the Leveson Inquiry.

Hunt under more pressure to quit

Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

With three days to his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, fresh pressure was piling on Jeremy Hunt over his links with News Corp. The Culture Secretary, pictured, was urged to quit by one of his Tory predecessors, while Nick Clegg delivered a warning about politicians ending up "in the pockets of media moguls".

Sued for £250m, thanks to Murdoch's meddling

Sun, 27 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Investigative journalism can be a two-edged sword, as I discovered to my loss when inquiring into John Zachary DeLorean, the American car builder whose "dream" gull-wing DMC-12, built in Northern Ireland, lost the UK government more than £80m and shattered the hopes of thousands of Northern Irish car workers.

i Editor's Letter: "Should have gone to Specsavers"

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:14 +0100

Blair will have to answer Mandelson's criticisms

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Tony Blair will give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry on Monday, three days before the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt provides testimony that is likely to decide his Cabinet future.

Journalist held in payments inquiry

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:02:20 +0100

A journalist was arrested today as part of Scotland Yard's inquiry into payments to public officials.

Jeremy Hunt and Tony Blair to appear at Leveson Inquiry next week

Fri, 25 May 2012 11:00:57 +0100

Beleaguered Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt will appear before the Leveson Inquiry into press standards on Thursday next week, it was announced today.

i Editor's Letter: "No means no"

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:49 +0100

Mail blames slump for papers dip

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The Daily Mail and General Trust blamed the tough UK economy for falling profits at its newspaper division yesterday, but said the number of mobile users viewing its MailOnline site is booming.

Huhne's partner left with £400,000 bill after losing legal case against Daily Mail

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Carina Trimingham, partner of the former cabinet minister Chris Huhne, was left with a massive legal bill yesterday after a judge threw out her invasion of privacy and harassment claim against the Daily Mail.

Hunt 'urged PM over BSkyB decision'

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:00:38 +0100

Jeremy Hunt made private representations to the Prime Minister supporting the BSkyB bid before he was given responsibility for deciding the issue, it was revealed tonight.

Carina Trimingham loses damages claim against Associated Newspapers

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:30:13 +0100

MP Chris Huhne's partner Carina Trimingham has vowed to fight on in her High Court privacy and harassment action.

Damning verdict from judge as Chris Huhne's partner Carina Trimingham loses damages bid against Associated Newspapers

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:26:16 +0100

MP Chris Huhne's partner Carina Trimingham was today criticised by a judge after losing her privacy and harassment claim against Associated Newspapers.

BBC Olympic torch strike called off

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:54:20 +0100

A planned strike targeting the BBC's coverage of the Olympic torch relay in Wales tomorrow has been called off.

i Editor's Letter: What has happened to us?

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:32 +0100

Phone hacking: Paxman turns up heat on Piers Morgan

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Piers Morgan faced renewed questions about his knowledge of phone hacking last night after the BBC presenter Jeremy Paxman claimed the former Daily Mirror editor taught him how to hack a mobile phone.

'Ungrateful little wretch': Piers Morgan responds to Jeremy Paxman's claim that he had taught him how to phone hack

Wed, 23 May 2012 18:19:27 +0100

Piers Morgan has responded to the claim that he told Jeremy Paxman how to access people's voicemail messages, branding him an "ungrateful little wretch".

Rupert Murdoch executives face sanctions over hacking 'lies'

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:30:01 +0100

Three former executives of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group face sanctions from Parliament for misleading MPs carrying out an inquiry into phone hacking.

i Editor's Letter: Time to throw another bash

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:53 +0100

Big spenders make their bids to support freedom of the press

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Hugh Grant and Jemima Khan, two of the fiercest critics of press malpractice, were among the famous names backing the media as a force for good last night at a gala event hosted by The Journalism Foundation.

Your chance to air press grievances, Leveson tells MPs

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

MPs who have suffered at the hands of the tabloid press must come forward immediately if they want their accounts to be heard, Lord Justice Leveson said yesterday.

Ministers 'were mindful of how Rupert Murdoch's papers would report their actions', Tom Watson tells Leveson Inquiry

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:13:40 +0100

Ministers in the last Labour government were constantly mindful of how their actions would be portrayed by Rupert Murdoch's newspapers, the party's deputy chairman Tom Watson said today.

i Editor's Letter: Hacks and politicians

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:23 +0100

Journalists who stalked hacking MP still employed by Rupert Murdoch

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Two senior journalists now working for The Sunday Times arranged for an MP investigating the hacking scandal to be put under surveillance, The Independent can reveal today.

Email trail: How Tom Watson was stalked

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Email 1

Mandelson: Daily Mirror had me followed by a private eye while Piers Morgan was editor

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Lord Mandelson yesterday told the Leveson Inquiry that he believed the Daily Mirror had commissioned a private investigator to obtain his bank details and place his elderly mother under surveillance.

Leveson Inquiry: Lord Mandelson denies deal with Rupert Murdoch

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:30:59 +0100

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown may have grown "closer than was wise" to Rupert Murdoch, former Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson acknowledged today.

Boris Johnson aide Guto Harri joins News International

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:01 +0100

Boris Johnson's key former aide joins News International as head of communications today in a move he admits will be seen as "part of an irresistible geometrical pattern" between the Conservative party and the company.

i Editor's Letter: Anger towards the Coalition

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:42:47 +0100

Phone-hacking Met investigator to stand down

Sun, 20 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The senior Scotland Yard officer leading the investigation into allegations that the Murdoch media empire carried out widespread phone and computer hacking is to stand down from her job after the Olympics.

i Editor's Letter: Absorbing 'new new things'

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:10 +0100

Hunt's adviser and Murdoch lobbyist to face Leveson

Sat, 19 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Jeremy Hunt's former special adviser, whose email exchanges with News Corp appeared to show the Culture Secretary offering a running commentary on the sensitive BSkyB bid, will appear at the Leveson Inquiry next week.

Ryan Giggs settles phone hacking claim

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:36:42 +0100

Footballer Ryan Giggs has settled his phone-hacking damages claim against News Group Newspapers.

Rupert Murdoch is 'evil', former editor Sir Harold Evans tells Leveson Inquiry

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:01 +0100

Sir Harold Evans, editor of The Sunday Times from 1967 to 1981, described his former employer Rupert Murdoch as "evil incarnate" in his evidence yesterday to the Leveson Inquiry.

i Editor's Letter: A genuinely extraordinary achievement

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:59 +0100

Leveson Inquiry: David Cameron 'told how to treat Rupert Murdoch

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:49 +0100

News International executives briefed David Cameron on "what to say and how to say it" before he met Rupert Murdoch but he "refused to play ball", the Leveson Inquiry was told today.

Jack Straw and Rebekah Brooks met for gossip on the train, Leveson Inquiry is told

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:01 +0100

Britain's strangest commuting couple, the Lord Chancellor and the editor of The Sun, kept their political gossip to a minimum, just in case anyone on the Monday morning Oxford-to-London train was listening in, the Leveson Inquiry heard yesterday.

i Editor's Letter: We are here to serve

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:35 +0100

A twist on the old 'don't read your reviews, weigh them...'

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

With the Leveson Inquiry having hosted half of Britain's celebrities to denounce their treatment at the hands of the press, the murmurs of celeb discontent are drifting westward. Namely, Avengers star Scarlett Johansson who took to The Huffington Post to complain about tabloids' obsession with her (and others') weight loss.

Leading figures pay tribute to journalist Marie Colvin at memorial service

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:10:12 +0100

Leading figures from the worlds of media, politics, and the arts gathered to pay emotional tribute to "bravest of the brave" war correspondent Marie Colvin.

Rebekah Brooks is enraged by perversion of justice charges

Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:01 +0100

A year ago, Rebekah Brooks was arguably the most powerful woman in the country. As chief executive of News International, she oversaw The Sun, the News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times, was feted by her proprietor Rupert Murdoch and even received messages from David Cameron, signed "lol", for "lots of love".

i Editor's Letter: Rethinking our role in the world

Wed, 16 May 2012 00:00:11 +0100

Rebekah and Charlie Brooks' statements in full

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:59:45 +0100

Here are the statements in full by Charlie Brooks and Rebekah Brooks, delivered outside their solicitor's London office this afternoon.

Leveson defends his media inquiry

Tue, 15 May 2012 16:09:20 +0100

Lord Justice Leveson defended his inquiry into media standards today and said he “was not in any way” seeking to challenge the right of Parliament to examine any of the issues his inquiry is covering.

HMRC man arrested in corrupt payments probe

Tue, 15 May 2012 11:44:53 +0100

An employee of HM Revenue and Customs was arrested today by detectives investigating corrupt payments to public officials.

Alastair Campbell denies No 10 'deal' with Rupert Murdoch

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:01 +0100

The content of key phone calls between Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair in the run-up to the Iraq War could not be recalled by Alastair Campbell at the Leveson Inquiry yesterday.

i Editor's Letter: A positive attitude to the Olympics

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:11 +0100

David Cameron did not want Leveson Inquiry, says Alastair Campbell

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:45:33 +0100

The former Number 10 communications director Alastair Campbell said today that David Cameron did not want to set up the Leveson Inquiry.

i Editor's Letter: The emotional power of sport

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:08:02 +0100

Osborne: The Machiavellian Macavity

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

In the sprawling story of how Rupert Murdoch's reach into David Cameron's inner circle is infecting the Government, there is one man whose role has been pivotal: George Osborne.

Partying with PMs: the charmed life of the ultimate networker

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:39 +0100

Prime Ministers, current and past, attended her birthday party. She has had lunch and dinner with anyone that has mattered at the top table of British politics over the last decade. And when Rupert Murdoch tried to explain why he had closed the News of the World and what his priority now was, he simply pointed to Rebekah Brooks and said, “This one.”

i Editor's Letter: Rarely do we admit we don't know what we're doing

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:13 +0100

Hunt ‘asked Murdoch to steer No 10’s policy on hacking’

Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Jeremy Hunt stood accused last night of conspiring with News International to prevent a public inquiry into the phone-hacking scandal.

Jeremy Hunt faces Rupert Murdoch collusion claims

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:45:46 +0100

Jeremy Hunt's job was in fresh jeopardy tonight amid claims he colluded with Rupert Murdoch's empire in a bid to prevent a public inquiry into phone hacking.

Lots of love: Rebekah Brooks lifts lid on David Cameron friendship at Leveson

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:00:38 +0100

Rebekah Brooks lifted the lid on her close relationship with David Cameron today - revealing that he would sign off text messages "lots of love".

Rebekah Brooks denies making threats to MPs

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:18:38 +0100

Rebekah Brooks today denied using her clout to get her own way with Government ministers.

Rebekah Brooks' meetings with party leaders: the list

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00:45 +0100

This is the list of meetings with prime ministers handed to the Leveson Inquiry by Rebekah Brooks.

Horst Faas, the photographer whose images defined the Vietnam War, dies aged 79

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:54:55 +0100

Horst Faas, a prize-winning combat photographer who changed the way photojournalists covered conflict, has died aged 79.

i Editor's Letter: I am relatively ambivalent about the Windsors

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:19 +0100

Breastfeeding cover sparks debate

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The controversial cover of the new issue of Time magazine, which shows a woman breastfeeding her three-year-old son, has sparked a debate about different parenting philosophies.

Leveson Inquiry: Andy Coulson admits he held News Corp shares

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:40:34 +0100

David Cameron's former spin doctor denied any “grand conspiracy” between the Government and Murdoch empire today as he gave evidence to the Leveson inquiry.

Rupert Murdoch 'may have been suffering from selective amnesia'

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:53:00 +0100

Rupert Murdoch may have been suffering "selective amnesia" when he claimed to have forgotten a key lunch with Margaret Thatcher, the Leveson inquiry heard today.

i Editor's Letter: We wish Clinton employees well

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:18 +0100

David Cameron too close to Rupert Murdoch, say constituents

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

David Cameron's own constituents believe he is too close to Rupert Murdoch and his media empire.

Surrey Police blamed for not following up suspicions over Milly Dowler's voicemail

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Surrey Police are under renewed pressure to explain their nine-year silence over what exactly they knew about the News of the World's criminal activities during the initial stages of the Milly Dowler murder investigation.

News Corp shares rise on stock buyback

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation last night doubled the size of a stock buyback programme that has been mollifying its shareholders while scandals have raged around the company.

Justice system criticised as Spectator faces £5,000 fine over article that jeopardised Stephen Lawrence trial

Wed, 09 May 2012 18:22:57 +0100

The father of Stephen Lawrence renewed his criticisms of the criminal justice system today after it emerged that that the Spectator magazine faces a maximum £5,000 fine over an article written by Rod Liddle that jeopardised the trial of two of the black teenager’s racist killers.

Leveson Inquiry: Regulation of Stephen Fry's tweets mooted

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:57:39 +0100

The editor of one of the world's most successful news websites today raised the prospect of Stephen Fry's Twitter page being regulated.

New Bill will reform libel laws

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:23:15 +0100

A Bill to protect freedom of speech and reform the libel laws is to be introduced into Parliament, it was announced in the Queen's Speech.

i Editor's Letter: What to call the 'new' honours?

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:42 +0100

i Editor's Letter: They conspire against us

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:41 +0100

i Editor's Letter: The musical generation gap

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:50 +0100

IoS exclusive: Revealed - Cameron's secret summit with News Corp

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

David Cameron agreed to a meeting with one of Rupert Murdoch's senior executives that was arranged by the lobbyist now at the centre of the Jeremy Hunt scandal, The Independent on Sunday has learnt.

IoS exclusive: Coulson owned News Corp shares while at No 10

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Andy Coulson held shares in News Corporation while he was David Cameron's head of communications at Downing Street, at a time when the Government was deciding whether to approve the company's takeover of BSkyB, it is revealed today.

i Editor's Letter: FA Cup Final day

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:18 +0100

Downing Street panics as Brooks and Coulson prepare to face Leveson

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Downing Street has reacted to increasing panic that the Conservative leadership is being damaged by revelations at the Leveson Inquiry about its dealings with the Murdoch empire. Yesterday it demanded that senior ministers be allowed to see potentially incendiary evidence from Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson.

David Cameron and Jeremy Hunt named as core participants at Leveson Inquiry

Fri, 04 May 2012 16:15:16 +0100

Prime Minister David Cameron and Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt were today given the right to see Leveson Inquiry documents and witness statements in advance.

Conrad Black released from prison

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:00:39 +0100

Former media mogul Conrad Black was released from a federal prison in Miami today after serving about three years for defrauding investors.

i Editor's Letter: This is not a taste matter

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:36 +0100

Cheers in newsroom as Mirror chief Bailey quits after she was asked to take bonus cut

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Sly Bailey, one of the most powerful women in the British media, quit as chief executive of Trinity Mirror yesterday after a revolt by shareholders who demanded that she cut her lucrative bonus package. The news prompted a cheer in the newsroom of the company's Daily Mirror, where staff played a YouTube clip of a scene from The Wizard of Oz: “Ding-dong, the witch is dead...”

Trinity Mirror chief Sly Bailey to quit

Thu, 03 May 2012 18:24:43 +0100

Sly Bailey, chief executive of Trinity Mirror, today announced she is stepping down and is expected to leave by the end of the year.

Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson to face Leveson next week

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:22:41 +0100

Rebekah Brooks will appear before the Leveson Inquiry next week.

The Sun defiant over 'Bwing on the Euwos!' Roy Hodgson front page headline

Thu, 03 May 2012 08:05:24 +0100

A tabloid newspaper that came under fire for publishing a front page headline playing on new England manager Roy Hodgson's manner of speech has accused its critics of "a sense of humour failure".

i Editor's Letter: Bullying - it isn't harmless

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:19 +0100

Fair game? Roy Hodgson already suffering tough time from tabloids

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

The British press is not known for giving England football managers an easy ride, and Roy Hodgson might have had more reason than most to anticipate a tough time in the tabloids after he was picked over the bookies' favourite Harry Redknapp.

David Cameron's dilemma: to stand by Rupert Murdoch – or to desert him

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

David Cameron is facing a political showdown over News Corp which could see Conservative MPs forced to vote on whether to censure three of Rupert Murdoch's senior lieutenants accused of misleading Parliament. The Prime Minister, who will have to account for his links with the Murdoch empire in an appearance before the Leveson Inquiry later this month, will be anxious to avoid confrontations which renew scrutiny of the Tory high command's relationship with News International.

News Corp backs Rupert Murdoch – but 'witchfinders' trawl emails of staff at Wapping

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

News Corp's board of directors came out in full support of Rupert Murdoch last night, more than 24 hours after a parliamentary committee described the company's chief executive as unfit to run a major international business.

Lord Justice Leveson queries possibility of second inquiry

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:22:30 +0100

The judge leading the Leveson Inquiry into media standards has suggested that the planned second part of his probe - into specific allegations of wrongdoing at the News of the World - may not go ahead.

i Editor's Letter: Give the man a chance

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:40 +0100

Murdoch: The damning verdict

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:01 +0100

Rupert Murdoch's grip on the global media empire he founded was under direct threat last night as the first moves began in America to oust him as chairman of News Corp.