British Newspaper Tests Teeth of a New Regulator

By: Alan Cowell | New York Times

LONDON — There had been inquiries and arrests and trials and high drama; millions were paid out in compensation as the British press shuddered through years of unwonted scrutiny.

 A major newspaper was closed down. Editors faced trial. A report cataloging malfeasance ran almost 2,000 pages. The scandal, set off by illicit phone-hacking — primarily but not exclusively at Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid empire — brought the fortunes of an oft-maligned profession yet lower, recalling doggerel of the 1930s: “You cannot hope to bribe or twist (thank God!) the British journalist. But, seeing what the man will do unbribed, there’s no occasion to.