Professor Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster, has written an article for The Conversation exploring how Prince Harry’s victory against the Mirror Group Newspapers has helped reopen the search for answers around the phone hacking scandal.
In December, Prince Harry was awarded £140,000 in damages after a judge found that phone hacking was being used “extensively and habitually” by newspapers owned by the Mirror Group publisher.
In the article, Professor Barnett explained the background to the case, which included repeated denials and other forms of unlawful information gathering that had earlier been revealed by the Information Commissioner. He warned that further court cases were forthcoming against the Mail titles and the Sun.
Professor Barnett said: “This is an extraordinary vindication for Prince Harry, who has been determined to hold publishers to account for phone hacking and covering it up. It also has repercussions for the British press, since Fancourt’s judgment names a number of editorial and executive figures as complicit in the Mirror’s unlawful activities.”
Looking to the future he added: “Any real and meaningful change will depend on the courage of a new government to reverse decades of inaction and introduce a regulatory framework that does not rely on a wealthy royal warrior to bring justice.”
Read the full article on The Conversation.
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