Lord Justice Leveson will focus on former and current editors from the
Sun, Telegraph, Mail, Indy, FT and Express
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Kelvin MacKenzie will be one of the star
witnesses at the Leveson inquiry when it resumes on Monday.
Photograph: Rex Features |
The editor of the Sun, Dominic Mohan, and his best-known predecessor,
Kelvin MacKenzie, will be the star witnesses at the Leveson inquiry when
it resumes on Monday.
Turning his focus on newspaper editors for the first time, Lord Justice
Leveson will also hear testimony from the editors of the Daily
Telegraph, the Financial Times, the Independent, the Mail on Sunday and
the Daily Express next week.
Two other former editors of the Sun – David Yelland and Stuart Higgins –
have submitted witness statements to the inquiry.
Monday will be dedicated to the Sun with the editor of the paper's
Bizarre showbusiness column, Gordon Smart, royal editor Duncan Larcombe
and lawyer Justin Walford giving evidence.
Executives and journalists from three other newspaper publishers – the
Financial Times, Telegraph Media Group and Independent – will give
evidence on Tuesday.
Lionel Barber, the FT's editor is the sole representative for the pink
paper, while nine representatives of the Telegraph Media Group,
including Daily Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher are listed to give
evidence along with the company's chief executive, Murdoch MacLennan,
and its financial director Finbarr Ronayne.
Peter Oborne, Telegraph political commentator and author of a Channel 4
investigation into phone hacking, has submitted evidence as has editor
of the Sunday Telegraph, Ian MacGregor.
Will Lewis, currently an executive at News Corporation's management and
standards committee, set up to conduct an internal investigation into
the phone-hacking affair, will also give evidence on behalf of the
Telegraph where he was once editor-in-chief.
He is expected to be asked about the MPs' expenses scandal story, which
the Daily Telegraph broke, and the restructuring of its newsroom for the
digital era.
Like the Sun, Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail and the
Mail on Sunday, has been given an entire day to itself although there is
no slot for the editor in chief, Paul Dacre, who is understood to be
pencilled in to give evidence in February.
Peter Wright, the editor of the Mail on Sunday, will by the main witness
for the newspaper group alongside in-house lawyer Liz Hartley.
Associated's managing director Kevin Beatty and its financial director
James Welsh will have written evidence read to the court.
Thursday is Northern & Shell day with proprietor Richard Desmond and his
editorial director Paul Ashford lined up alongside Daily Express editor
Hugh Whittow and the paper's former editor Peter Hill.
Hill will be quizzed on allegations from Daily Express reporters that he
was to blame for the slew of false stories about Madeleine McCann.
Express Newspapers paid out £550,000 in 2008 to the McCanns for
libellous coverage in its four titles, including the Daily Express.
Last month the inquiry was told that Hill was "obsessed" with the McCann
story and put it on its front page repeatedly just to sell newspapers.
Leveson put it to reporters that the stories were "piffle" and "tittle
tattle". |