Original subtitles

Previously on The Hack...

I'm friends with Clare Rewcastle Brown,

the journalist and sister-in-law of Gordon Brown.

'He's leaning in.'

Murdoch's ambition is limitless, but he's overstepped here.

Part of a new operation, Operation Weeting.

We're investigating allegations of phone hacking.

Contact of mine in the force has been put on it. He's feeding me.

DAVE: This fell into your lap, OK?

NICK: 'This could get you in serious trouble.'

Hello. 'Dave, it's Mike at The Sun.'

Give Panorama, Mike Sullivan,

Nick Davies anything about our cases,

and you'll be strung up for all to see.

NICK: I was in the database. News Of The World, April 14th, 2002.

Milly Dowler.

AMELIA: 'Jingle says there is a page on Dowler in Marquez' notebooks.'

The News Of The World will not be forgiven for this.

I was being drawn to stories again and again with the same theme.

A deep-seated urge to hit back at anybody at all

who takes power and abuses it.

WOMAN: Our guest now joining us from the newsroom of The Guardian

is Nick Davies, award-winning journalist

who has brought phone hacking into the light.

Hi. Now, Nick Davies...

could you have predicted the furore

that the Milly Dowler case seems to have caused?

Predicted? No.

But I do think it speaks well for the British public,

for the world public, that a furore has been provoked.

You have Rupert Murdoch firmly on the ropes.

I have to say, I'm horrified that they closed the News Of The World.

Good journalists have lost their jobs.

I believe this was a cynical move on Murdoch's part

to help aid his capture of BSkyB.

'And what do you think it is about the Milly Dowler case

'that has had such an impact?'

Well, what we discovered

was that during the period of her disappearance,

News Of The World were using a private investigator

to listen to her voice mails,

so that, in itself, is horrid, deeply personal stuff.

Friends and family still thought she may have run away

and were imploring her to come home.

The voicemail filled up,

which is why they deleted the messages.

Now, friends and family

who had previously heard the message, voicemail, full

were surprised by this,

and the presumption became that Milly was still alive.

'I guess we all wanna know whether Rupert Murdoch will feature

'in front of your Leveson Inquiry and what...' Ah. Ah.

Well, before Leveson, actually, Rupert Murdoch is due to speak

at the House of Commons Media Select Committee.

We want to get answers from him

as to what he knew about phone hacking,

widespread practice at his newspaper,

when he knew about it, and why he didn't act.

'Nick Davies, thank you for joining us.'

Thank you for having me.

Whether Rupert bails on us, I don't know. You could compel him.

The thing you need to ask is

can you truly compel Murdoch to do anything?

Are we singing Happy Birthday?

So, who's getting to ask the first question? Well, I do.

Though Nick is intent on writing it for me.

GLASS CLINKING I think we should sing.

No. Happy Birthday is a terrible song.

Nick thinks Happy Birthday's fascistic.

It is culturally fascistic -

everyone has to sing the same song on their bloody birthday.

Where's the individuality? Well, we could sing, erm...

What's the one where we count the candles on the birthday cake?

Have we the energy? Oi. Well, speech.

At least we deserve a speech. Yes, yes. On your feet.

Er, no. But, OK, I would like to thank you all for coming.

And I would like to remind you we have work to do.

The Select Committee... Boo!

The Select Committee is our chance, with Murdoch on the stand...

And I won't let you down.

No, no, no, Tom, I'm not saying... Maybe I should have let you retire.

You were gonna retire? Move to Belgium.

Ah. Chocolate.

And then with Leveson making sure we're fully prepared...

Nick... Nick, today, we celebrate.

A prep session would've been much more preferable to a birthday.

Not only are the songs fascistic,

but Nick thinks birthdays are narcissistic.

He likes to work. True.

How nice, then, that none of his friends came,

just the people he works with.

Now you're treading a very fine line between insulting... Sod this.

♪ Happy birthday to you... ♪ Oh, God.

♪ Happy birthday to you... ♪ Oh, God.

♪ Happy birthday, dear Nick

♪ Happy Birthday to you. ♪

CAMERA CLICKS

CAMERA CLICKS

Hi. Hi.

So, good news and bad news.

Good news, it's all cooking nicely for the Select Committee.

The bad news, you are gonna have to give evidence at Leveson.

It needs your heft. It needs...

Look, Alan's house may have been compromised. What?

He hired someone to sweep his house for bugs.

That person subcontracted it.

The person they subcontracted it to...

Worked for Rees? ..was an associate of Rees.

How do you know? I can't tell you.

But I know Rees has been bragging about how he knows the bug sweeper.

Are you sure?

Ask Alan about the socks he keeps under the piano.

What socks?

Oh, Christ. It's true?!

I like, erm...

I get a better feel for the piano if I play barefoot.

Alan, you do not have good hiring practices.

Seems possible to claim.

You hired someone to debug your house,

and instead, they may have compromised...

Are my children in danger?

Dave doesn't think so. Don't know about you and me.

We've got Murdoch on the stand.

They know they're being hunted.

Cornered animal, the most vicious animal of all.

Fuck.

SIGHS

I thought the worst of it was over.

HORN BEEPS

The day after Cameron announced the Leveson Inquiry

into phone hacking, the CMS Select Committee

issued an order summoning Rupert Murdoch and his son James

to attend parliament on the 19th of July

to basically explain themselves.

The significance of this moment was not lost on any of us.

If we asked the right questions, we could ensnare them,

both of them, father and son.

DOOR OPENS

WHITTINGDALE: OK, everyone, settle now, please.

We are now in session.

Mr Watson will ask the first question.

Mr Murdoch Sr, Mr Murdoch Jr,

good afternoon, thanks for coming in today.

My first question is for Mr Murdoch Sr.

You have repeatedly stated

that News Corp has zero tolerance to wrongdoing by employees.

Is that right?

Is that me?

Yes.

In October 2010, did you still believe it to be true

when you made your Thatcher speech and you said,

"Let me be clear. We will vigorously pursue the truth,

"and we will not tolerate wrongdoing"?

Yes.

So if you were not lying then, somebody lied to you.

Who was it? I don't know.

That is what the police are investigating

and we are helping them with.

But you acknowledge that you were misled?

Clearly.

If I can take you to... WHISPERS: He's doing...

...2006, when Clive Goodman was arrested

and subsequently convicted of intercepting voice mails,

were you made aware of that?

I think so. I was certainly made aware of when they were convicted.

And what did News International do

subsequent to the arrest of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire

to get to the facts?

We worked with the police on further investigation,

and eventually, we appointed, very quickly appointed,

a very leading firm of lawyers in the City

to investigate it further.

What did you personally do to investigate that?

After Mr Goodman went to prison, you...

you were obviously concerned about it.

I spoke to Mr, erm...

...Hinton, who told me about it.

OK.

In 2008, another two years,

why did you not dismiss

News Of The World chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck

following the Mosley case?

I'd never heard of him.

So none of your UK staff

drew your attention to this serious wrongdoing,

even though the case received widespread media attention?

I think my son can perhaps answer that in more detail.

He was a lot closer to it.

I will come to your son in a minute.

Can I ask you, when did you first meet Mr Alex Marunchak?

Mr...?

Alex Marunchak.

He worked for the company for 25 years.

I don't remember meeting him.

I might have shaken hands walking through the office,

but I don't have any memory.

Mr Murdoch Sr, you seem to indicate

that you had a rather hands-off approach to your company.

Could you just give us an illustration

of how often you would speak to the editors of your newspapers?

For example, how often you would speak to the editor of The Sun,

or to the editor of the News Of The World.

Erm, very seldom.

Sometimes, I'd ring the editor of the News Of The World

on a Saturday night and say, "Have you got any news tonight?"

But it was just to keep in touch.

Well, I'm intrigued as to how these conversations might go.

I imagine that to the editor of the News Of The World,

it might go along the lines of, "Anything to report?"

And the editor of the News Of The World says,

"No, no, it's been a standard week. We paid Gordon Taylor £600,000."

LAUGHTER

He never said that last sentence.

Well, I mean, surely in your weekly conversation

with the editor of the News Of The World,

with something as big as that, paying someone a million pounds,

paying someone £700,000,

I mean, surely you'd have expected the editor

to just drop it into the conversation at some point

during your weekly chat.

No, I'd say, "What's doing?"

Sorry? I'd say, "What's doing?"

And what sort of response would you expect?

Well, he might say, "We've got a great story exposing X or Y,"

or he would say, more likely, "Nothing special."

He might refer to the fact that however many extra pages

were dedicated to the football that week.

But he wouldn't tell you about a million-pound pay-off?

Er, I just want to say that...

I was brought up by a father who was not rich

but who was a great journalist.

And he, just before he died, bought a small paper,

specifically in his will,

saying he was giving me the chance to do good.

Now, I remember what he did and what he was most proud of

and for which he was hated in this country

by many people for many, many years,

which was to expose the scandal at Gallipoli,

which I remain very, very proud of.

I think that all students of history will be...

Scheming...! CLAMOUR

Erm, the-the sitting is suspended.

Fuck it.

WOMAN ON TV: 'The defence told the court

'the father-of-one from Windsor had wanted to show his revulsion

'over the scandal at News International.

'He'd admitted assault...'

If I get my hands on that fool... He's in custody.

He thinks, what, that his amateur dramatics

are more useful than what we were doing in that room?

Good questions were asked. Yeah, and they weren't answered.

And that obfuscation is important. Or it was.

Oh, God, that... awful senile act Murdoch was putting on,

that needed writing about.

But now, every paper will carry one thing and one thing only -

Wendi Murdoch fighting for her man.

You're worrying too much, Nick. You don't understand news cycles.

Well, there's still Leveson. Yeah, nothing else but Leveson.

There is no air but Leveson. If Leveson doesn't produce...

Then what? You gonna hide under a tea towel for the rest of your life?

Look, Nick, a serious inquiry led by quite a clever bloke

is happening because of your journalism.

It could mean regulation, ethics,

maybe even an appropriate relationship

between press, politicians and police.

When did you become the positive one?

Oh, fuck off.

Lord Leveson's report's given us a new press and a new Dave Cook.

Fuck off. Twice.

INAUDIBLE

What's the latest with the Select Committee?

Get James Murdoch back in. On what grounds?

Clarity on whether or not he was told about the Neville email.

Why are there police officers in our newsroom?

What?

PHONE RINGS

They want to talk to Amelia. Amelia? What about?

They're citing the Official Secrets Act.

PHONE RINGS

Yeah? NICK: 'Hi. Where are you?'

On my way somewhere. Can't tell you where.

Amelia, this is Alan.

'Alan, I'm just on my way to meet someone.'

What's going on? 'I think you should come in.'

They're upstairs. They won't leave until they've spoken to you.

No. No way. Not without a lawyer. Agreed.

They don't like my biscuits,

and they don't like my small talk about Chopin.

They're saying they need your notebooks.

If you can't find your notebooks,

they'll get a warrant and enter your flat.

They're also saying if the notebooks aren't in your flat,

they could visit your mother.

Tell them I'm not going to give up my source or my notes.

I'd rather go to prison.

Right.

Good.

I'll contact some friends, give you some recommendations,

or you can find a lawyer yourself, a human rights specialist.

This will get leaked, right? I'd expect so.

But you might need to stay somewhere else tonight,

a friend's or... Is this what happens?

We were exposing them, not the other way around.

It isn't what happens.

But it does seem to be what's happening.

I'm so sorry.

DIALLING TONE

DAVE: 'Hi.'

Hi. How are you?

I'm OK.

I'm calling about Leveson.

Erm, I'm going to apply to be a core participant.

The group, Hacked Off, I don't know if you've... Yeah, yeah.

Well, they saw the Channel 4 interview,

and they've been pretty insistent that I say something.

Not that they're making me, erm...

They seem very good people.

'They don't really have anyone to talk to about the Met

'from the inside, and I think that's why they want me.'

Oh, they have you, and they have me.

You're doing it, too? I registered yesterday.

I was gonna email.

'There are implications.'

Sure. For the kids.

We'll have to speak to their school, their friends. We could be targets.

Why is it worse me doing it than you?

Because of Daniel Morgan, because the case collapsed.

They said you were feeding lines to a witness.

You don't think they're gonna use that against you if you give evi...?

No, no, listen, listen, Jacqui.

I just want this out there, same as you do, OK?

KNOCKING ON DOOR

Hi, Nick. Sue Akers. I hope I'm not disturbing you.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner, this is quite...

Call me Sue, please. ..quite the surprise, Sue.

I was hoping you might have a moment to make me a cup of tea.

Of course I do. Yeah, of course. Come in. Sorry.

Through here. Thanks.

You're coming to my house, not a short distance, on a Saturday.

So... whatever this is can't be good.

I mean, I have to assume... it can't be good at all.

Maybe take a seat. Oh, God.

Nick, I'm afraid that part of the story you published

about Milly Dowler is inaccurate.

Inaccurate how?

It looks likely that the News Of The World

did not delete voice messages from Milly Dowler's phone.

It's probable it was the phone company.

That's not... I have... I have two separate sources.

The network she used automatically deleted messages after 72 hours.

That's how we presume they were wiped.

You're using words like presumed, probable, likely.

And we believe those deletions happened

prior to Glenn Mulcaire being instructed to get inside her phone.

Before Mulcaire?

Nick, I came here in person to acknowledge all you've done.

Without you, Weeting is impossible.

Without you... You can't know for certain

who deleted what.

I'm sorry. We'll be releasing a statement to correct the record.

The article said messages were deleted by journalists

in the first few days after Milly's disappearance.

That's the only inaccuracy. It's a large one.

I have a good source which tells me

Surrey Police turned off the automatic deletion system

on the fourth day,

and some voicemail appeared to have been deleted after.

Will they sue?

No. Sure?

They were inside the phone? Yes.

They may have subsequently deleted messages.

My source tells me they did. I believe my source.

Then there is too much for them to lose in court.

Right.

Well, then we issue a retraction and an apology. Bah!

We made a mistake. We may not have!

We made a mistake, Nick, but there we are.

Ten lashes for you, ten lashes for me.

Sue Akers agrees with most of our story.

They did hack the phone.

Surrey Police did know about it, surely. I have two priorities.

That they don't use this

to try and obfuscate the crime they have committed.

A dead girl's phone was hacked.

And my other priority is you. God!

What was that Carl Bernstein quote?

All great reporting is the same thing -

best obtainable version of the truth.

I'm gonna be absolutely monstered.

It serves them very well to try and destroy your reputation.

I don't want to apologise.

Then don't.

The paper has to. You don't.

Stand up, put on some iron underwear, and fight.

INHALES SHARPLY

The monstering was high-energy. Fuck you!

Doubt turned into certainty that we had got it wrong.

Fuck you!

Richard Caseby, managing editor of The Sun,

told the House of Lords Committee

that Alan Rusbridger had sexed up his investigation

into phone hacking. Fuck you!

Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times

said boldly The Guardian had made it up.

Shame on you.

But beneath all...

...beneath all that exaggeration and hostility

was the fact that I had stated as a fact

something which now appeared to be untrue.

I had damaged myself, and I'd exposed The Guardian.

So, how are you enjoying it?

Yeah, it's quite a thing. To be outside your house?

Whatever fuel they have they're readying to throw in the fire.

So why are you so calm? Oh, I'm an optimist/pessimist.

I presume I'm capable of great things

and yet assume the worst's about to happen.

You always thought you'd be found out.

My mother said I would be.

Maybe I should be an optimist/pessimist.

I wouldn't recommend. It does horrible things to your guts.

You're really going to New York?

The police haven't charged me. I'm free to go.

But you could just stay here. Yesterday's stale toast in no time.

The Evening Standard

tried to do a story about me sleeping with my source.

A few weeks later, they rang and said I was sleeping with an MP.

Wrong Amelia, and she's married to him.

Yep. I just... I can't.

I don't want to be the story.

No.

No, I'm not sure I do, either.

Luckily, they had a booking free for me on Newsnight tonight,

and Jeremy Paxman's a notoriously kind interviewer (!)

You're going on Newsnight? Yeah.

Against whoever News International think will do me most damage.

But, you know, steel underpants filled with stale toast. Be fine.

If I don't come back...

I mean, I want to say something.

When this is all done and they tell the story of it,

you know, when you look back or write about it...

...don't paint me as your protege.

I mean, I've been at this a long time.

I worked Jingle across multiple cases for years.

I mean, it was your story,

and Milly would've never happened without you.

But it wouldn't have happened without me, either.

You don't need to say anything.

Don't let them whitewash the other people out.

Don't need to say any of this.

I actually do.

You have my word.

OK.

Email me when you get there.

If Paxman hasn't killed you first (!)

Then email my corpse.

Good luck, Nick.

NEWSNIGHT THEME PLAYS

JEREMY: Tonight, who knew what and when in the phone hacking scandal?

Could James Murdoch really have been unaware?

Why did The Guardian claim the News Of The World

deleted voice messages when they had no evidence?

It was The Guardian newspaper's claims,

stated as fact, that they'd been erased by the News Of The World,

which triggered the shutdown of what was once

the biggest-selling paper in the English-speaking world.

Nick Davies, let's cut to the chase.

What you claim to be a fact wasn't a fact, was it?

NICK ON TV: 'The story we published in July

'was squarely based on the evidence available,

'correct in saying that her voicemail was deleted.'

And it remains the case that News International are not denying

that News Of The World journalists

may have been responsible for those deletions.

Well, let's look at the front page here. Yeah.

"News Of The World hacked Milly Dowler's phone

"during police hunt." Exactly.

Then, "The paper deleted missing schoolgirl's voice mails",

"giving family false hope." Yeah.

And you say in the copy

the messages were deleted by journalists

in the first few days after Milly's disappearance.

Everybody who was involved in that story accepted it was true.

It's a very interesting thing that... No, no, no.

...when that story was done... No. No, no.

You're not allowing me to answer? No, because you're not answering.

You're not asking the right questions.

Oh, I'm sorry. JEREMY SCOFFS

Everybody... involved in that story

accepted that that story was true.

And you believed it to be true. ..and continued to accept

until four months later... Right, perhaps.

...new evidence which was not available,

to everybody's surprise... You did not report it like that.

...showed that one element of that story is now in doubt.

It has not been proved to be untrue. So you accept it wasn't true.

Jules Stenson was a features editor. What do you say?

Well, the key point to this as well is that this wasn't any old story.

This was a story that was the most important story

in The Guardian's history.

It was vital that every single element of it should be right,

and Nick Davies repeated that allegation 34 times.

Let's get things in proportion here.

Your newspaper had hacked a murdered girl's telephone.

What we did was indefensible,

not just to Milly but to all the victims of hacking.

I'm not here to justify that in any way.

What I am here to do, though, is to attack the shoddy journalism

of The Guardian and the shoddy journalism of Nick.

This-This is a classic example of the way tabloid newspapers work.

You're in a heap of trouble because for years,

you personally have taken Murdoch's money

and ruined people's lives,

invaded people's privacy and engaged in criminal activity.

You've hired private investigators in the past

who've broken the law, haven't you, Jules?

I'm not here to justify... Haven't you?

You accuse me of shoddy journalism

when your name is all over the records

of Steve Whittamore, private investigator,

convicted of using illegal means. Your name's there.

Information about Jamie Theakston,

about Anne Robinson, about Anna Friel...

There are public interest factors... Know what, Jules? Just stop.

Take a leaf out of Rupert Murdoch's book and get humble.

Or else just go quiet.

People don't believe you any more. Right. We're done being bullied

by you any more. We've had enough of you.

Two years after this,

Jules Stenson pled guilty to conspiracy to hack phones, but...

Well, I wish I knew that at this moment.

SOFT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS

♪ Do I want you?

♪ Oh, my, do I

♪ Honey, indeed I do

♪ Do I need you?

♪ Oh, why do... ♪

BANGING ON DOOR

♪ Honey, indeed I do. ♪

Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook.

INAUDIBLE

PHONE BUZZES, SCRUBBING

BUZZING CONTINUES

Hello. 'Hi, Jacqui. It's Dave.'

David. What's this number?

Listen, Jacqui, I am...

I... I need you to pick up the kids.

'Where are you calling from?'

It's, erm...

It's actually a police station number, Jacqui.

I've been arrested. What?

On what charge?

It's misconduct, data protection.

I...

They raided the house. Well, did they find anything?

'Some old files.'

What files? What...? Why did you have files at home?

HINGES CREAK I don't...

'What the fuck are they doing?'

I don't know, Jacqui!

I don't know.

What do we do? How can we help him?

GLEN: 'I'm not sure we're gonna help until we know what they have.'

Well, we have to do something.

'Nick, we both know he was passing information to both of us,

'and they've arrested Amelia's source.

'Sit tight. We'll find an answer.'

OK. Bye.

I don't know what you think you have here.

How about a cup of tea, sir? No. I would like to leave.

I'm supposed to be giving evidence tomorrow.

I'm a participant in Leveson.

But, then, I suppose you already know that.

This conversation is being recorded, so... Yes.

I understand that you've refused legal representation. Yes.

And I do need to check that you do fully understand your rights.

I'm 40 years in the police force, son.

Yes, I understand my rights.

Good. All right.

Let's start from the beginning, then, shall we?

Tell me about your relationship with the journalist Mike Sullivan.

No comment.

So you deny passing information to journalists?

And, as you know, police officers working for Operation Elveden...

Operation Elveden is about bribery.

I have never accepted money from a journalist in my life.

This is an operation looking into the corrupt relations

between police and the press.

News International sent us emails.

News International sent you emails? They were sent from their server.

Have you any idea...?

Do you deny you were in regular contact

with the journalist Mike Sullivan?

Mike Sullivan and I worked together.

It was John Yates who introduced us.

He had access to my investigation

in return for writing helpful articles in the newspaper.

I have done nothing

that a million police officers before me haven't done.

It is standard police practice.

So you did nothing wrong? Nothing.

Forty years in the police service

and you didn't know you broke the law?

Shame on you.

SHARP RINGING IN DAVE'S HEAD

RINGING CONTINUES

They're trying to get us all. They're waiting for any mistake.

Then let's try not to make any mistakes. Come inside.

DOOR CLOSES

Lindsay found a spare duvet from somewhere.

I don't need to stay. You should. I'd like you to.

Doing a sleepover with the editor of The Guardian?

Not editor. Friend.

This... This may not be entirely comfortable.

I should be helping.

Yes, you should.

A journalist running away to America,

two police officers under arrest.

You're so paranoid, you're having this house periodically debugged,

and it's...

It's all your fault. SIGHING: Yeah.

You remember when we first met?

I felt like a child who'd forgot his pencil.

You were so thrusting, and, well, I wasn't.

But you were ambitious. Hugely.

Compensating for who knows what?

And I thought, "Well, if everyone at The Guardian's like him",

"I'm done for." NICK LAUGHS

Thankfully, they weren't.

And thankfully, as it turns out, I had something to offer you...

...as you had something to offer me.

Nick...

...don't mistake the fact you were first through the door

with the fact that everyone else

went through the same door willingly.

The sacrifices weren't for you. They were for your cause.

You're part of a team, Nick.

The funny thing is, you always have been.

I think he's gonna get away with it...

...Murdoch.

I think he's gonna get away with it. Perhaps.

Perhaps that's what abusers do.

Get away with things.

Or perhaps not.

Not really. Maybe...

Maybe...

...deep down inside them, there's just...

...damage.

Yes, but sometimes...

Yes, but sometimes, the damage they caused sometimes...

But you're not trying to excuse her. Him.

No, Nick.

I'm not trying to excuse your mother or him.

I'm saying...

...all we can do is fight the best we can, and...

...hope we prove to be a valiant opponent.

And personally speaking, I...

I am so proud to have been a part

of this great, valiant act.

Whatever happens...

...know that.

OK. You're OK.

BALL BOUNCES

DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS

Don't worry. You're before me. I'm just...

...insanely, horrifically early.

It's Jacqui, isn't it? Yes.

I read your statement. Strong stuff.

Harrowing, punchy. Nick, by the way.

I know, and thank you.

Coming from you, that's... Thank you.

May I...? I mean, I hope it's OK to ask.

How's David? Oh.

It's been a week since we spoke,

but he's back in his house at least.

He won't take my calls. He will when he's ready.

It won't be you. It'll be him.

It's generally him.

He helped, by the way.

I'm not sure whether you're aware, but he helped all of us.

He was key.

We wouldn't be here without his help.

Sorry. I'll leave you to let you prep, run your lines.

Oh, God.

I'm usually good with details, but for some reason today,

my mind keeps going blank.

INHALES DEEPLY

SIGHS

I didn't sleep much.

I didn't sleep much last night.

Not a wink.

But, then, I don't sleep. I'm not someone who sleeps.

You always been like that? Since I was a boy, yeah.

Dave did tell you I wasn't a simple guy to understand, right?

I've had days recently where I can't remember my own name.

I've been in rooms full of people and forgotten why I'm even there.

I suffer, and I have done for years, from panic attacks.

Every time I sat down to write this statement, I'd...

But this morning, I woke up, and I felt clear,

clearer than I have done in years.

That's good. Yes.

Just remember,

in the storm of all of this,

in all the mea culpa of...

...News Of The World,

they decided that in the middle of this inquiry

to launch The Sun On Sunday.

You're right. They're bold.

Hmm.

Hmm.

That thing you were doing with the ball, I don't mind,

if it helps to calm you.

Oh, come on. Drive you insane. I've been tested by bigger things.

Please. Do what you need to do.

Oh. Yeah.

DISTANT SIREN WAILS

'I'll be honest. I'm scared of this inquiry.'

I'm scared because I think you'll take the wrong recommendations...

...and because you'll destroy something which is precious

without rebuilding something better.

I don't want destroyed the notion of the unofficial source.

Sue Akers has arrested...

...37, 38 people

in the four inquiries she's been running.

There have been a couple of arrests of police officers

in cases where I know quite a lot about the circumstances.

'What's happened there is those officers have been told

'they will be charged with the common-law offence

'of misconduct in a public office.

'Despite, to the best of my knowledge,

'there being no allegation of any kind of bribe or inducement.'

What those officers are being told is, "You will be charged",

"and you can expect to get a prison term of up to 18 months"

"because you've spoken to a reporter without permission."

Now... these two cases are live, we don't know how they'll turn out.

May well be that the Crown Prosecution Service will say,

"Hang on a moment. This doesn't apply."

But... I think it's worrying,

and this is in the wake of the phone hacking...

I worry that it might be

a completely unjustifiable and unnecessary backlash

to the allegation of collusion

between News International and the Met.

And the ultimate effect here may be to prevent unauthorised contact

between journalists and police.

When, as a matter of fact, without this unauthorised contact,

the Metropolitan Police would've been allowed

to carry on misleading press, public and parliament

about this whole scandal.

I'm also scared that this inquiry

might misstep in a different direction.

Might soften itself... as it's attacked from outside sources.

I have been under attack, in one form or another,

ever since I first attempted to reveal the practice of hacking.

And I-I-I...

I represent here today...

...a team of people, all of whom have been under similar attacks.

'I've had to face extraordinary things to be part of this fight.

'They've done so because what you're doing here today

'is precious.

'News.

'I think... I think the best definition of it...

'News is what someone somewhere doesn't want you to know.'

The most difficult, skilful, interesting, important... stuff

that reporters do is about finding human sources

and motivating them to help reveal that news.

And I can... I can tell you

of someone at the front line of that.

News is also often what someone is reluctant to tell.

So it's hard to motivate a human source

to reveal their truth.

I'd say, look, if I talk to you and they realise I've done this,

then I'll lose my job or my career.

Or I'll be beaten up, I'll be arrested,

or embarrassed or ashamed.

I will hurt people who love me. It's a very sensitive moment.

You have to make those people safe.

You have to make those people realise

their truth is worth the risk.

What these hackers did was about cutting out that human connection.

These so-called journalists didn't find the truth.

They didn't persuade people to come with them. They just stole.

They took.

And humanity was lost in that moment.

Not only in the privacy that was invaded,

but also in the stories told from it.

Our papers became dish rags of distorted content.

And a set of rogue journalists working for a rogue corporation...

...undermine the very tenets of journalism...

...the very tenets of truth telling.

If this inquiry succeeds, we may be able to rebuild our newspapers.

We may be able to make them what they should be.

Fail...

and News International will have trapped us all in their shadow.

And I'm scared that we will never get out.

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