Further Phone Hacking Claims Signifies New Low for Journalism

Following the disgusting revelations that News of the World journalists and investigators hacked the voicemail of murder victim Milly Dower and the parents onf murdered school girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, it is now evident that family victims of the London 7/7 attack may also have been targeted. These fresh claims have placed further pressure on News of the World CEO Rebekah Brooks, to resign from the disgraced newspaper. The revelations that private investigator Glen Mulcaire not only invaded the privacy of Milly Dowler but also had the cheek to delete her messages and crucial evidence in her case, makes him guilty just like the man who murdered her. To think that voicemail messages were deleted to allow the NOTW (News of the World) to listen to messsages from the Dowler family, is sick beyond belief.  Every journalist wants a good story with the best information, but this method goes beyond belief. This sickening act gave the parents of Milly Dowler false hope in believing that there beloved daughter was still alive.

The sickening thought that similar phone hacking was evident during the Soham inquiry, where innocent school girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were brutally murdered, is frightening to say the least. The fact that the parents of these children had there voicemail and privacy hacked in the aftermath of this terrible attack, displays a lack of humanity and shows henius behavior of the highest calibre. Surely these journalists had enough to write about covering the sick and twisted actions of Ian Huntley without sinking to this level of fishing? The news that police are now to re-investigate all child abduction cases, provides evidence to further cases of hacking possibly being identified. The most high profile of these cases being the disappearance of Madeline McCann. What does it say for the image of journalism, when journalists are becoming part of the investigation and deleting evidence? For an extra headline, is this how far journalists will go? It appears so, after claims of phone hacking of the family victims of the 7/7 London terrorist attacks surfaced in the UK this morning. Several familys of the victims of the devastating attacks are believed to have been affected.

It has been evident for some time that phone hacking had been used by journalists to get information on; celebrities, public figures and even members of the royal family. The plea of innocence by Rebekah Brooks along with her firm stance against resignation, is farsical to say the least. In 2003 Brooks confessed to paying police for information, while she was also editor in 2007 when Glen Mulcaire anf Clive Goodman were jailed for hacking the phones of royal aids. In 2009 the Guardian reported that up to 3,000 celebrities and public figures including Boris Johnson and Sienna Miller were intercepted. When NOTW journalist Paul Mcluhan was asked whether he believed Brooks was aware phone hacking was being conducted he replied; "Of course she did". However, in her present role as NOTW chief executive under media baron Rupert Murdoch, Brooks denies any wrong doing. Not surpisingly she also possesses the full backing of Murdoch as he closeses in on his takeover of the remainder of BskyB he wishes to possess.

It is difficult to determine the outcome of this potentially drawn out case, but the immediate effects could see NOTW facing a boycott from companies and the public alike. Ford are the first company to have withdrawen its advertising from the newspaper, with Aer Lingus, Npower, Halifax, T-Mobile and Orange, all expected to review their positions with the organisation. The pressure on Brooks to resign is expected to escoalate, along with phone hacking scandals continuing to dominate the headlines. This will surely result in the unwillingness of Brooks to resign to be tested heavily. With numerous cases of child abductions and attacks to be reviewed, further incriminating evidence may be produced against not only the NOTW but also journalists across Britain. The acts undertaken by Andy Coulson, the former director of Communications for David Cameron and editor of the NOTW, will place further pressure on the British Government to act on this matter and possibly conduct an in-house investigation. The interference of an indivuals phone is an invasion of privacy, the interference of a murder inquiry is inhuman.

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