Ethics of Britain's tabloid press at centre of phone hacking probe

Nov 14, 2011, 15:24 GMT

London - A judicial inquiry into the ethics and practices of the tabloid press opened in Britain on Monday as a new survey showed that readers' trust in newspapers has been severely harmed by a phone hacking scandal over the summer.

The inquiry, led by Lord Justice Leveson, will examine relations between the press, politicians and the police, and make recommendations on how to improve the current regulatory system.

It was set up by Prime Minister David Cameron following the scandal involving the News of the World newspaper, which was closed due to the hacking.

A separate criminal investigation is being conducted into allegations that private detectives and reporters at the News of the World intercepted the mobile phone messages of hundreds of people - from celebrities to crime victims - in their search for information. Investigators are also trying to determine if police were paid for information.

The inquiry is assisted by some 50 so-called core participants who, as alleged or proven victims of phone hacking, will give evidence but will also have the right to cross-examine witnesses.

Core participants include Harry Potter author JK Rowling, actors Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant, Gerry and Kate McCann - the parents of missing Madeleine.

The parents of Milly Dowler, a British teenager who was abducted and killed in 2002, and whose phone messages were intercepted by the News of the World after she disappeared, are also expected to play a key role in the inquiry, which is due to last for at least a year.

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll showed Monday that the phone hacking scandal has severely dented the public's trust in newspapers.

While 58 per cent of those asked said their faith in newspapers had been reduced, just 38 per cent of respondents said they still believe what they read.