U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
In the summer of 2011, allegations of illegal phone hacking perpetrated by several British media organizations spawned a torrent of criticism and anger from the public. Official investigations and multiple arrests followed. Journalists' relationships with politicians and police were examined. And ultimately, the very nature of the press and how far it should be allowed to go in pursuit of news became subject for debate.
As the Leveson inquiry into British media ethics releases its report on unscrupulous practices and puts forward recommendations for an independent regulatory body to oversee the press, here is a look at some of the key players in the investigation and the scandal that started it all.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Lord Justice Brian Henry Leveson
"The press provides an essential check on all aspects of public life," he said. "That is why any failure within the media affects all of us. At the heart of this Inquiry, therefore, may be one simple question: who guards the guardians?"
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
The Dowlers
Milly Dowler, 13, went missing in 2002. In subsequent coverage of the case, News of the World investigators hacked her phone and deleted voicemails, causing her parents to believe at the time she was still alive. The Guardian reported the hacking in 2011, sparking a firestorm that ultimately led to the formation of the Leveson inquiry. News International, publisher of News of the World, agreed to pay the family a 2 million-pound ($3.2 million) settlement.
But the Dowlers weren't the only family whose mistreatment at the hands of the British media were probed in the inquiry. The panel heard testimony about how the parents of Madeleine McCann, a 3-year-old girl who went missing while on a 2007 family vacation to Portugal, were hounded by the press, including the unauthorized publication of private diaries.
A host of celebrities also alleged phone hacking, including Hugh Grant, Sienna Miller and J.K. Rowling, to name a few.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Rupert Murdoch
The media titan and owner of News Corp became embroiled in the scandal since July 2011, though he attempted to distance himself from any wrongdoing. Murdoch met with and offered his apologies to the family of Milly Dowler, the British teenager whose phone was hacked by reporters from Murdoch's now-folded News of the World tabloid. He also dropped his bid for a controlling percentage of shares in the U.K. satellite network British Sky Broadcasting, or BSkyB, in the wake of the scandal.
When questioned before a House of Common committee on phone hacking, Murdoch said it was "the most humble day of my life," but said he had no former knowledge that the illegal practice or payments to victims were taking place at any of his publications. He has also denied using his publications to influence politics.
His July 2011 testimony before a parliamentary committee also generated drama when a comedian named Jonathan May-Bowles, who also goes by the name Jonnie Marbles, struck him in the face with a foam pie, before being swatted back by Wendi Deng, Murdoch's wife.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
James Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch's son and deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. He formerly ran Asian and European operations for News Corp, including oversight of News International, the publisher of News of the World (the tabloid most linked to the scandal).
He has faced considerable heat over whether or not he knew hacking was practiced at Murdoch-owned publications, as alleged by several News of the World employees. His admission to authorizing large settlements drew considerable scrutiny from British lawmakers.
The younger Murdoch also served on chairman of BSkyB's board of directors before stepping down in 2011. In November 2012, shareholders approved of his return to the board as a director.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Rebekah Brooks
The former chief executive of News International and one of Rupert Murdoch's most trusted lieutenants felt some of the most intense scrutiny related to the phone hacking case.
Brooks worked as editor of tabloid News of the World between 2000 and 2003, during which time murder victim Milly Dowler's phone was hacked. She previously testified at a 2003 hearing that News International had paid police for information, but she steadfastly denied any knowledge of phone hacking practices in the wake of the Dowler revelations.
When she was first charged with concealing evidence in May 2011, she called the move an "expensive sideshow" and had Murdoch's ardent public support. But she ultimately resigned under pressure as the scandal dragged on. She was arrested for phone hacking and bribing the police in 2011 and was formally charged in August 2012.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Andy Coulson
He was arrested July 8, 2011 and remains charged in the case.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Sean Hoare
Former News of The World entertainment reporter who described the culture of phone hacking to police, and also told the New York Times that police assisted in hacking high-profile subjects in exchange for bribes. Weeks after giving the interview to the Times, he was found dead, though of natural causes.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
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Piers Morgan
The CNN host built his career on spilling celebrity secrets with his insider knowledge and top-shelf access, but has denied doing anything illegal to obtain that information.
Morgan was dragged into the scandal with allegations stemming from his time as editor of the the Daily Mirror, a tabloid part of the Trinity Mirror PLC group, from 1995 to 2005. The paper was the subject of a lawsuit over hacking in October, involving former England soccer manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, actor Shobna Gulati and two others. Heather Mills, ex-wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney, also accused a reporter for the media group of intercepting her voicemail in 2001. Morgan told the Leveson inquiry he had "no reason or knowledge" that the practice occurred at the Mirror during his tenure there.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Glenn Mulcaire
Private investigator who worked for News of the World had already served prison time for helping the tabloid hack into phones. He was sentenced to six months after pleading guilty to breaking into the voicemail from Clarence House, a royal residence, in 2007. His colleague, royals editor Clive Goodman, was sentenced to four months in the same case.
His name came up again once hacking allegations against the paper were renewed in 2011--Scotland Yard recovered 3,700 names of people Mulcaire hacked or targeted for hacking. He currently faces charges related to phone hacking.
U.K. phone hacking scandal: Key players
Neil Wallis
Former executive editor at News of the World, succeeding Coulson in 2007. He served as Coulson's deputy prior to that.
He would go on to serve as a part-time media adviser for London's Metropolitan Police Service, commonly referred to as Scotland Yard.
The New York Times reported that Wallis was still at News International at the same time he was advising Scotland Yard on a media strategy for the phone hacking case, which lasted about a year.
He was arrested in July 2011 in connection with the investigation.
His employment with Scotland Yard brought the police force's relationship with journalists under scrutiny and ultimately led to the resignations of Sir Paul Stephenson, former Scotland Yard commissioner and John Yates, one of his subordinates.