At time of the Inquiry, Lord Black (Guy Black) was Chairman of Press Standards Board of Finance Limited and Director of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC). He had been responsible for tightening the PCC's Code of Practice in the wake of the death in 1997 of Princess Diana. The Lord Black proposals frequently referred to throughout the Inquiry were his proposals for a new system of independent press self-regulation and were put forward on behalf of the newspaper industry.
Media Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain until 2010. Gave evidence at the Inquiry on behalf of ENGAGE, a Muslim advocacy organisation aiming to encourage greater civic participation among British Muslims. Has written for The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Express, Observer and Sun, focusing on Islam and current affairs, and been co-presenter of the weekly Politics and Media Show on the Islam Channel.
Born 1961, died 2014. British trade-union leader who served as General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) from 2002 until his death. Member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and self-described "communist/socialist". Crow gave evidence that he was under constant surveillance by the press, suffering considerable intrusion into his public and private life. He gave the Inquiry examples of intrusion which he believed relied on illicit surveillance and/or phone hacking.
Journalist and Director of the English Centre of International PEN at the time of the Inquiry, who presented evidence on PEN's behalf. In the wake of the Leveson hearings, he was a major force behind setting up IMPRESS as an independent press regulator and became its first CEO.
Born 1965. Australian media personality, entrepreneur and politician who rose to prominence in Australia and UK as a paparazzo. Lyons owned celebrity photo agency Big Pictures, which often faced legal action relating to invasion of privacy and harassment from celebrities including Sienna Miller, Lily Allen, JK Rowling, Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley. The company went in to liquidation in 2012 and Lyons returned to Australia, where he became Mayor of Geelong from 2013 to 2016.
Senior lecturer in philosophy in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University. Submitted research studies to the Inquiry on the ethics of communication and knowledge.
McLellan was editor of The Scotsman and Scottish Conservative Party media chief at the time of the Inquiry. He gave extensive evidence on the ethical codes and practices operating at The Scotsman. The wrongdoing that resulted in the News of the World�s closure were a shock to journalists outside Fleet Street, he told the Inquiry: "The press serving smaller communities � had a very good reputation for behaving responsibly and ethically."
British broadcaster, journalist and author. Question master of University Challenge and former presenter of Newsnight. He told the Inquiry that he found it easier not to have politicians as personal friends and described a lunch at which Piers Morgan told him how to hack a voicemail.
Born 1951. British-Irish, right-wing political blogger, who publishes the Guido Fawkes website. His website was described by The Daily Telegraph as "one of Britain's leading political blogsites" in 2007.
One of two vice chairmen of the British Press Photographers Association and a news and features photographer with more than 20 years' experience in the industry. Turner told the Inquiry that the evidence given to the Inquiry on photographers so far had not acknowledged the diversity of press photography, using phrases such as "paparazzi" too readily when the overwhelming majority of photographers behaved legally and ethically.
Two blogs (from Tony Newbery and Andrew Montford respectively) established in 2007. Both are sceptical about global warming and argue that the case for a significant anthropogenic impact on climate has not yet been made. Gave evidence to the Inquiry that media coverage of the issues had been highly politicised.
Bradby was Political Editor for ITV News at time of giving evidence. He had set the phone-hacking scandal in motion by informing the Royal Family that their phones may have been hacked. He became suspicious when voicemails he left with the Royal Family in 2005 (as ITV's royal correspondent) appeared in the News of the World. He gave evidence to the Inquiry asserting that as Political Editor he was responsible for making sure that what he did was ethical and conformed with the ITN Compliance Manual, the Ofcom Code and the law. He further stated that he did not use private investigators or pay sources.
British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Exeter since 1997 and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from 2009 to 2010. Before entering politics he worked as a BBC Radio reporter and journalist. Bradshaw gave evidence as the recently departed Culture Secretary and argued that self-regulation required some statutory underpinning. He commended the submission of the Media Standards Trust.
Journalist since 1989 and Deputy Editor and chief political commentator of The Daily Telegraph at the time of the Inquiry. Six months after resigning his posts at The Telegraph in June 2014, Brogan was appointed group director of public affairs at Lloyds Banking Group. His evidence to the Inquiry centred on professional and ethical standards. He opposed regulation and believed internal scrutiny and “the most experienced journalists in Britain” were sufficient to guarantee “accuracy, fairness, balance and legality”.
Professor of Political Communication at Goldsmiths, University of London. In looking at the practices of journalism in relation to political issues and democratic practices, Davis told the Inquiry that he had conducted research at Westminster, Whitehall, the London Stock Exchange, across business and financial networks, among major political parties and across the trade union movement as part of his research for the Coordinating Committee for Media Reform.
Now known as MEND - Muslim Engagement and Development. A not-for-profit company encouraging British Muslims to be more actively involved in British media and politics. The organisation gave the Inquiry instances of anti-Muslim press stories and of complaints it had put before the Press Complaints Commission.
Born 1967. Welsh politician and First Minister of Wales at the time of the Inquiry, the third politician to lead the Welsh government. Told Inquiry he could think of no example in Wales where the media had had influence on public or political appointments.
Born 1956. Old Etonian Moore is a British journalist, biographer and former editor of the Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator. Shortly after the death of Margaret Thatcher in 2013, Moore released an authorised biography, Not For Turning, chronicling the life and times of the former political leader.
British journalist, broadcaster and former editor of The Sunday Times, 1983-94. Presenter of live political programmes including BBC’s This Week and Daily Politics. Former editor-in-chief and chairman of the Press Holdings group. Neil offered the Inquiry his views on the lobby system and the necessarily partisan nature of the UK Press as exemplified by the relationship between Rupert Murdoch and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Political Editor of the Financial Times since 2007. Parker won acclaim for his coverage of the financial crisis and the political drama leading up to the formation of the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government.
