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Leveson Inquiry panel status challenged at hearing
Index attended this morning’s hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in which Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers expressed concern that the six-strong panel in the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking lacks tabloid or regional newspaper experience.
Associated legal team argued that the panel, members of which Lord Justice Leveson stressed were appointed due to their expertise in a specific field, may be partial and “filter” their prejudices into judgments made throughout the inquiry. Leveson responded that the panel’s role is merely an advisory one, and that any conclusion of the inquiry “will be mine and mine alone”.
With the backing of Trinity Mirror, the Newspaper Publishers’ Association and Guardian News & Media, the publisher also argued that the panel should have more members, noting that the inquiry would “benefit from experts across the industry” that would “fill the gap” left by the lack of representation of mid-market or tabloid papers. A solicitor representing Associated said the omission of such bodies would be “unfortunate in such a major inquiry”.
Leveson’s six advisers are Sir David Bell, former chairman of the Financial Times; Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty; Lord David Currie, former chairman of Ofcom; Elinor Goodman, former political editor of Channel 4 News; George Jones, former political editor of the Daily Telegraph; and Sir Paul Scott-Lee, former chief constable of West Midlands police.
Leveson argued that the essence of the panel, as well as upcoming seminars attended by core participants and non-core participants alike, was to encourage debate and provide a balance of views. He stressed,
“I am very conscious that I am stepping into a profession that is not the one that I spent 40 years of life in. It is critical that I obtain advice from those who have made their life in this area, not least because I would be keen to understand any flaws that I might have because of lack of experience.”
He concluded he would reserve a ruling on the application to invite further assessors and would provide a decision in due course.
Index will be tweeting from throughout the inquiry at @IndexLeveson