Author and policy analyst working with the Reuters Institute at the time of the Inquiry. Her 2012 report, Regulating the Press: A Comparative Study of International Press Councils, was commended by Lord Justice Leveson as "a monumental piece of work" and is extensively cited in his Inquiry Report.
Had been editor of the Sunday Times for some 15 years at the time of giving evidence. Described a regime of self-policing. Gave specific details of sensitive stories such as reports of peers abusing expenses and the "cash for honours" scandal of 2006. Witherow confirmed the paper had "blagged" information from a bank as part of an investigation in 2000 into the purchase of a flat by then-chancellor Gordon Brown. He argued that such activities would be legal since clearly in the public interest. The Sunday Times sometimes used subterfuge for stories in the public interest, he said.
Group Finance Director of Northern & Shell, owners of the Express newspapers. Told the Inquiry the group operated a stringent approval process whereby any payment above £5,000 had to be approved by a main board director. Cash payments by journalists would have to go through the expenses system. He was not aware of any payments being made to private investigators, he said.
