Hacked: The Tabloid Scandal That Rocked Britain

This e-book, featuring articles from the archives of The New York Times, recounts Britain’s phone hacking scandal, which began in 2006-2007 when a reporter and a private investigator affiliated with News of the World, a tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, were convicted of intercepting voicemail messages of the royal household. The newspaper was soon accused of hacking cellphone messages of public officials and celebrities like Hugh Grant and Jude Law. The scandal escalated into a firestorm by July 2011 when it came to light that the tabloid had hacked the cellphone of a missing girl, Milly Dowler, who was later found murdered.
The scandal raised more public outrage when it laid bare the cozy relationships between Murdoch’s press, Scotland Yard and Britain’s political elite, including Prime Minister David Cameron, who had hired Andy Coulson, a former editor at the tabloid at the time of the hacking. Cameron also appeared to be socially connected with Rebekah Brooks, another former Murdoch editor during the phone tapping. Coulson and Brooks quit their jobs and denied knowledge of any wrongdoing, as did Murdoch. In the wake of the scandal and several government inquiries, more than 90 people were arrested, including Coulson and Brooks (Coulson was convicted; Brooks was acquitted). While Murdoch’s company took a nosedive following the scandal, it has survived largely unscathed, though investigations are still continuing on both sides of the Atlantic.

Table of Contents

• British Police Arrest 3 Over Taps on Phones in Royal Residence
• Editor Says a Murdoch Paid to Settle on Phone Tap
• British Panel Condemns Media Group in Phone Hacking Case
• Tabloid Hack Attack on Royals, and Beyond
• In Britain, Labour Politicians Call for New Look at Scandal
• Top Cameron Aide Quits Over Phone-Hacking Scandal
• Scotland Yard Expands Its Hacking Inquiry
• Third British Journalist Is Arrested in Phone-Hacking Case
• British Tabloid Apologizes to Actress for Hacking
• Scandal Grows in Hacking of Girl’s Cell
• Murdoch Facing Parliament’s Ire in Hacking Case
• Scandal Shifts Britain’s Media and Political Landscape
• Move to Close Newspaper Is Greeted With Suspicion
• Former Aide to Cameron Is Arrested in Tabloid Scandal
• 2 Top Deputies Resign as Crisis Isolates Murdoch
• Murdochs Deny That They Knew of Illegal Acts
• Cameron Tries to Shore Up Support in Hacking Scandal
• In Court, Suggestions of Hacking Beyond The News of the World
• Pressure on Murdochs Mounts in Hacking Scandal
• James Murdoch Denies Misleading Parliamentary Panel
• Pattern of Illegality Is Cited at News of the World
• James Murdoch Gives Up Role at British Unit
• British Government’s Ties to Murdochs Scrutinized
• Murdoch, Center Stage, Plays Powerless Broker
• At British Inquiry, Murdoch Apologizes Over Scandal
• New Details Emerge in Report on Murdoch Papers
• At British Inquiry, Cameron Denies ‘Deals’ With Murdoch
• Former Cameron Aide Denies Hacking Charges
• British Tabloid Editors Charged in Hacking Scandal Had Affair, Prosecutors Say
• Fates of Brooks and Coulson in Tabloid Hacking Case Are Diverging
• Ex-Tabloid Executive Acquitted in British Phone Hacking Case
• News Corp. Slowly Putting Phone-Hacking Scandal Behind It
• Andy Coulson Gets 18 Months in Tabloid Phone Hacking