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.