British media scandal spreads to Mirror Group
In the British media scandal about tapped telephone mailboxes, journalists from the Mirror newspaper group have also been targeted by investigators for the first time.
Three men and one woman have been arrested on suspicion of being involved in phone tapping. This was announced by Scotland Yard on Thursday. According to Scotland Yard, the main focus is on the Sunday Mirror and the years 2003 and 2004. The Trinity Mirror Group confirmed that the editor-in-chief of the gossip magazine People and his deputy were among those arrested. The other two were former journalistic employees.
Investigations into illegal research and bribery methods at British newspapers have so far focused primarily on Rupert Murdoch's newspaper holding News International, which owns the now defunct News of the World and the Sun. The scandal, which had been smouldering for years, reached its temporary climax in 2011. Since then, numerous journalists, police officers and others involved have been arrested in the three-part police investigation.
The police are investigating the tapping of cell phone mailboxes, bribes to the police and computer hacking. Former Murdoch confidante Rebekah Brooks, who was also a friend of British Prime Minister David Cameron, is one of the most prominent alleged perpetrators currently under investigation.
Dispute over press code
Parallel to the police investigations, Cameron had convened a judicial committee to develop a new press code to prevent similar scandals in the future. The so-called Leveson Committee presented its recommendations last November - but now the government and opposition cannot agree on a version.
Cameron broke off talks between his Conservative Tories, the coalition partners from the Liberal Democrats and the Social Democratic opposition on Thursday. On Monday, he wants to present his plans for a new system of press regulation, a so-called "Royal Charter", in parliament.
Liberal Democrats also want a stricter codex
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats criticize Cameron's guidelines for not going far enough. The latter, on the other hand, insists on freedom of the press. "The route I have put forward is the fastest possible way to get the strong self-regulation that Leveson has proposed, which can impose multi-million pound fines, demand prominent apologies and bring justice to victims," Cameron said. (SDA)
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