UK Journalism: A master of the grey arts reveals all

PHONE hacking and other illegal behaviour has been widespread at several British tabloids, says a former investigative reporter for the News of the World, Paul McMullan.

The pub owner and freelance journalist declined to name mastheads, but noted he had previously worked for The Sun, another title owned by Rupert Murdoch's News International. It was ''spot on'' to suggest the techniques were common practice, he told ABC 24. In April, the actor Hugh Grant secretly recorded McMullan saying the Daily Mail also hacked phones to get stories.

UK Journalism: A master of the grey arts reveals all Ipad-art-wide-556459251-420x0

UK Journalism: A master of the grey arts reveals all Ipad-art-wide-556459251-420x0

''They were as dirty as anyone,'' he said. ''They had the most money.''

McMullan laid the blame for the demise of the News of the World at the feet of the former editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, now chief executive of News International. ''What they have said for the last year was, oh, it was a rogue reporter, we didn't know it was going on. It's like, hang on, you were the people who were directing us to do these things! You were our bosses!''

But McMullan defended illegal methods to get stories about celebrities and politicians, saying the ''grey arts are kind of OK'' but not the dark arts. ''Very few people have any sympathy for someone like Kylie or like Hugh Grant, who earns 5 million quid a picture, just bleating on: ''Ooh, someone listened to my messages!'' Well, come on, get over it!''

http://www.smh.com.au/world/a-master-of-the-grey-arts-reveals-all-20110709-1h849.html

UK Journalism: A master of the grey arts reveals all

UK Journalism: A master of the grey arts reveals all

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