Leveson Inquiry: Sun editor Dominic Mohan, Cheryl Carter and Ryan Giggs
DOMINIC Mohan, the Sun editor, made a showing at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards. The Inquiry was triggered by the phone hacking scandal that led to the closure of the Sun’s sister organ, The News of the World.
Dominic Mohan was made successor to Rebekah Brooks as Sun editor in 2009. Brooks and her PA Cheryl Carter have been arrested as part of Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan police’s investigation into phone hacking. Carter was up until late 2011 the Sun’s beauty editor.
Rebekah Brooks has denied knowledge of or involvement in any criminal activity at the News of the World. But did ahe help her crew? One former News of the World reportedly stated:
“I will never forget her look of utter bewilderment at the suggestion that she should have resigned. If she had done the right and obvious thing, more than 200 people might still have jobs. And seven million people might still have their favourite Sunday paper.”
The Sun reports Mohan’s appearance at Leveson with the headline:
“SUN Campaigns are hailed by Leveson”
Really? Lord Justice Leveson is quoted:
“I think it’s extremely important to emphasise the positive as well as be aware of the negative. Nobody should think because we have an inquiry focusing on concerns which represent the negative it’s not a very important part of the job to balance that with the positives, examples of which you have just provided.”
Indeed it is. But Leveson did not single out the Sun for any special praise. We know this because we can watch the entire process on the internet.
Mohan turns the matter of naming Ryan Giggs as the Imogen Thomas shagger and gagger long after the Manchester United sex cheat’s name had been made known on the internet. Mohan says his “heart sank” when the Sun announced on its front page “It’s Ryan Giggs” long after anyone with any interestt in the super-injunction farce already knew it was Giggsy.
Says Mohan:
“One thing I would ask is that there’s a level playing field [between the internet and the press] … because it could be a mortal blow to the newspaper industry.”
Which might explain why when the Sun has used Anorak’s stories in the past it has is failed to included a credit. Because fairness is all.
Mohan says Sun staff know “the culture and ethics that I stand by“.
He is then asked about his comments at the Princess Margaret Awards – aka the Shaftas – as reported by the Guardian in 2002 – and still online.
Piers Morgan and Dominic Mohan tried desperately to out-diva one another at last night’s Princess Margaret Awards for Fleet Street’s finest flyers, worst showbiz interviews and all round cock-ups. The Sun’s showbiz editor Mohan gallantly nominated Mirror editor Morgan for the worst photo-opportunity award for his supersonic schmoozing of Sting on the Concorde relaunch flight, which made the front page of the Mirror. Fair enough, thought Monkey, remembering Morgan’s gratified grin as he received champagne from the former Police frontman. But, as Morgan pointed out: “At least Sting is a full 10 years younger than your contacts.” Mohan one, Morgan one…
But Mohan couldn’t resist a dig at his elderly rivals at the Mirror congratulating the paper’s showbusiness editor, Kevin O’Sullivan, for making it out for “only the third time this year” to a club, “a club, Kevin, you know those places where you pick up stories”…
How appropriate that the most glamourous event in the showbusiness calender [sic] should be sponsored by a phone company. Mohan went on to thank “Vodafone’s lack of security” for the Mirror’s showbusiness exclusives. Whatever does he mean?
Said Mohan to Leveson:
“I can’t remember my exact words but I believe I said something along those lines … It was said purely as a joke…It was a cheap shot at the Mirror, attempting to undermine their journalism because they had a particularly good year.”
Adding:
“Yes, I think it was well known [how to hack into mobile phone voicemails].”
So. Why, then, did the NoW hire a private detective named Glenn Mulcair to hack the phones of Milly Dowler and others? Mulcaire is, after all, is the only person to have been jailed for phycically hacking phones..? Glenn Mulcaire was contracted to the News of the World to undertake “research assignments” from at least September 2001. He was jailed in 2007.
What happened before and during that time – and who knew?
Posted: 10th, January 2012 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
