Morgan forgets about hacks as inquiry eyes up Murdoch
PIERS Morgan denied knowledge of phone hacking during his time as editor of the News of the World yesterday, saying “the average editor is aware of five per cent of what his journalists are up to at any given time.”
The CNN anchor told the Leveson inquiry he had no recollection of personal involvement with private investigators while at the Murdoch-owned tabloid. Although he admitted such professionals are useful for corroborating evidence and fact checking, Morgan claimed he “was never directly involved, it was dealt with through the news desk.”
While grilling Morgan, a lawyer for the inquiry said that Rupert Murdoch would be called to give evidence.
Morgan defended the tabloid industry, saying “[This questioning] has become like I thought it would, like a rockstar having an album brought out of all his worst ever hits…Very good things that newspapers do are not being highlighted at all.”
Piers Morgan, who was also editor of the Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004, reminded the enquiry that “not a single person has made a formal complaint against a Daily Mirror journalist” for phone hacking.
It also emerged yesterday that News International has settled cases with seven public figures.