Original subtitles

COMPUTER CHIMES, WHIRRING

WHIRRING

'As a journalist,

'you are consumed by two questions constantly -

'how to tell a story,

'but, perhaps more crucially, WHY to tell a story.

'Imagine a country.

'Nice weather. Let's give it nice weather.'

WIND GUSTS

'Nice weather for England, anyway.

'Imagine the people in this country

'believe they are living in a democracy,

'believe in their own freedom.

'But they are being abused

'by a power so everyday they don't know to look for it.

'A treacherous combination of press, the police and politicians

'that hide in plain sight.

'Imagine a country where that concealment was...

'Imagine a country where...

'where the news organisations...'

Shit! CAR HORN HONKS

Imagine it all deleted.

HE SIGHS Florid nonsense.

'My name is Nick Davies.

'I am a journalist,

'and this is a story

'that ends in seven major police investigations,

'nearly 40 convictions,

'and some of the most powerful people in this country

'being brought to their knees.'

Oh, no. It's too grand, too grand, too grand.

HE CLEARS THROAT 'My name is Nick Davies.

'I'm a journalist.'

Morning. I'll just check in.

'This all started with Stuart Kuttner.'

Hello.

Mm, no.

HE CLICKS TONGUE

'This is the most troubling story I've ever written.

'A story about the abuse of power and the concealment of truth.'

Hi. Hi. Nick Davies for the Today programme.

I'm late.

British journalism is "sloppy and morally bankrupt".

That is the claim of the journalist Nick Davies,

who's written a book that shows how often newspapers use illegal methods

for getting their stories.

It's called Flat Earth News, and Nick Davies joins us now.

Good morning. Hi.

You say "sloppy" because newspapers use press releases,

rather than getting their own stories,

and "morally bankrupt" because of the illegality involved.

Really, the root that binds together all the different themes

is that the logic of journalism

has been overwhelmed by the logic of commercialism.

Journalists no longer have the time or the resources

to do their jobs properly.

Instead, they're just passive processors

of unchecked second-hand material.

OK, but you also... You go much further in suggesting

that there has been criminality involved...

Sure.

..and that's generally accepted within the press.

OK. So, principally, that involves hiring private investigators.

They hire private investigators to get your bank statements,

your credit card statements, your itemised phone bills,

your tax records,

even your health records these creatures are getting.

All of that is illegal.

OK. We're joined by John Mullin,

who is the editor of The Independent On Sunday,

and Stuart Kuttner,

who's managing editor of News Of The World.

John Mullin, do you recognise this?

Well, I ploughed my way through the first half of the book,

not the second half so far,

and no-one can deny that life in journalism

is much harder than maybe it was 20, 30 years ago.

But to say that journalism as a whole

is "a passive processor of news"?

I think that's erroneous.

Stuart Kuttner?

Yes, I'll tell you what I think.

I think, frankly, listening to Nick Davies,

I thought he was speaking from a newsroom on another planet.

SHE CHUCKLES It is totally unrecognisable to me.

Many years in newspapers in Fleet Street.

Now, of course, at the News Of The World.

But what did he say that was so wrong?

Well, he talks about, if you like, er,

shortcuts, PR interests, commercial interests.

I have to tell you, none of my News Of The World journalists

would recognise that at all.

But what about the way these people get the stories

and access to personal information?

Well, if it happens, it... it shouldn't happen.

It happened once at the News Of The World.

The reporter was fired,

he went to prison, the editor resigned.

And while Nick is talking about all this,

I notice he doesn't mention

The Guardian's own act of criminality,

when The Guardian forged the signature of a cabinet minister...

OK, I-I don't want to go into details of the story.

I think the charge that Nick Davies...

Sarah, you may not want to go into detail,

but Nick makes a broad-brush, sweeping attack on our profession,

which I happen to believe is an honourable profession.

VOICES MINGLE, ECHO

PHONES RINGING, CHATTER

Hello, Mr...

PHONES RINGING

Did you hear it?

I wish I hadn't.

HE SIGHS

You're too kind.

I did say appearing on the Today programme to attack journalism

wasn't exactly the most sensible idea.

Listen, before I go home, I wanted to talk to you about something.

Good thing was, you weren't representing The Guardian.

You were talking about your book.

My book.

Though Kuttner did have a good go at trying to besmirch us through you.

I want out.

HE INHALES

Do you know anything about baking competitions?

No.

I want to know how many people cheat at baking competitions.

A round number.

Sounds like exactly the sort of thing

the Guardian should be investigating

I don't mean out altogether. I'd like to go to Brussels.

Investigate a whole new horizon, something well paid...

Naturally. ..that will allow me to commute.

The kids are old enough now to be able to... I need you here.

PHONES RINGING, CHATTER

Sadiq Khan. Bugged.

40-year convention breached.

And why? Keep the Americans happy.

Needs a good journalist.

Alan, I'm knackered. Nobody likes me. I'm...

Oh, come on.

I like you... some of the time.

And I'm sure there are a few others who-who also... Please.

Self-pity is not a redeeming quality. We'll talk tomorrow.

I'm freelance precisely so that I don't need to talk to you tomorrow.

You're freelance with more or less a sole employer.

I say you should talk to me tomorrow.

Mm. We've all been roasted by Stuart bloody Kuttner.

Bye.

Let me explain. Alan is, erm...

Well, we grew up together. In journalism, that is.

PHONE BUZZING He's always understood... Sorry.

Yep.

'Nick Davies?' Who's this?

'My name is...' BLEEP

Redacted, sorry.

We'll call him Mr Apollo because...

Erm, well, actually, because he's...

It... It doesn't matter.

How did you get this number?

'Listen, Kuttner made a mistake.'

Well, I made several,

chief amongst them appearing on the Today programme.

'He said it happened once.'

It happened once.

It happened once at the News Of The World.

The reporter was fired,

he went to prison, the editor resigned.

You're talking about phone hacking.

'Nick, your book only scratched the surface.

'We have to meet face to face, somewhere absolutely discreet.

'I think you'll like what I have.'

Where and when?

In the beginning, it was next to nothing.

Two men were arrested for hacking phones in 2006.

A private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire...

..and the Royal Editor of The News Of The World,

Clive Goodman.

The sentences they received were short.

The attention they got, limited. But the crime was unusual.

They had discovered they could access

other people's voicemail messages,

and they spent months eavesdropping

on three of Prince William's staff at Clarence House.

How? They didn't say.

Why?

For the discovery of private information.

It was the start of the next six years of my life.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

To be clear, I've never told anyone who Mr Apollo is.

So some guesses have been made.

Bad guess.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

No.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

No. Sorry, it's not you.

KNOCKING ON DOOR

OK. HE CLEARS THROAT

Oh, come on.

HE SIGHS

KNOCKING ON DOOR

HE SIGHS

Hi.

You coming in, or...?

Sure.

Wow, this is nice.

CHURCH BELLS RINGING IN DISTANCE

Nice choice of room.

Just to check, is The Guardian paying?

Because if so, I'd implore you to stay away from that minibar.

Mulcaire, in the trial, he said he'd hacked other...

Five non-royals. I remember, yes.

Um, Elle Macpherson...

Sky Andrew, Max Clifford...

He's a liar.

Kuttner is a liar, and one of the five is suing them.

Which one?

Well, that five is just the tip of the iceberg.

Hacking phones at the News Of The World

has been endemic.

Endemic?

Mm.

They pick up their leads by intercepting voicemails,

and only then do they get photographs and quotes,

so as to lay a false trail,

to pretend they found the story through legitimate means.

They've hacked thousands.

Here.

Dial a number.

Someone who's likely to not answer.

LINE RINGING OUT

'This is Alan Rusbridger. Please leave...'

That's your phone-a-friend? The editor of The Guardian?

Press nine. PHONE BEEPS

'Please enter your 4-digit PIN.'

Enter one, two, three, four. That's the factory setting.

BEEPING

'Welcome to your voicemail.

'You have one new message.'

'Alan, it's Mummy.

'I'm just calling about Jill Wyatt.

'She won best sponge again, and I'm sure she cheated.'

I don't wanna hear this.

It's that easy? Mm.

Doesn't even need a Glenn Mulcaire most of the time.

And you're saying this was widespread?

Glenn's main job was that when it got tricky,

unlike with your Alan,

was to blag the mobile phone companies

into resetting the celebrities' PIN codes

to their original factory setting.

One, two, three, four.

PHONE BUZZES That's Alan.

Please.

'Who is this?' Hi, yeah, it's Nick.

'Oh.' Listen, change the voicemail settings on your phone.

'And how do I do that?'

Ask a young person. I've got to go. Bye.

Who is suing?

HE INHALES

The person who is, is currently trying to get Scotland Yard

to hand over evidence they collected and did nothing with

when they arrested Mulcaire.

It's evidence that could... HE SIGHS

..burn, fuck and destroy everything. Twice over.

You won't tell me which one of the five it is, will you?

I will tell you...

that you're missing two names.

Gordon Taylor and Simon Hughes.

Will you go on the record?

HE SIGHS

If you dig, it comes from you.

I-I can...

I can confirm things, but... HE SIGHS

Ah, it's just another story of journos behaving badly.

You're not interested?

It's interesting, but... you should talk to someone else.

Do you realise I could lose my job just by talking to you?

Don't worry, this conversation never happened.

No, no, no. That's not my point, Nick. You...

Think. Think who edited the paper.

Think about where he sits now.

You're talking about Andy Coulson.

Stop him.

Shit.

'Mind the gap. Stand clear of the doors, please.'

Andy Coulson, a rapid-ascent journalist.

From a local reporter to Showbiz at The Sun,

he was made editor of News Of The World in 2003.

Even after he resigned in 2007

over the original phone hacking case,

it was seen as honourable,

him carrying the can for the one rogue reporter.

"Not me, really, guv."

But if he was... If he is...

If this is endemic,

he's David Cameron's communications director.

For him to be involved in widespread criminality...

No. No, bad idea.

DOORBELL RINGS

I'm not late.

It would be fine if you were to be a bit late,

so you don't need to be so worried.

Are they ready? Are they ever ready?

Kids?

You OK?

- Kids! - Yes, coming!

Ooh, you're anxious to go, then.

Sorry. How are you, etc?

I'm fine, etc. Are you all right?

Never better.

Really? I heard you on the radio.

Mm. That sort of performance help sales?

Oh, I would doubt it.

Mm.

I'm, erm...

I am worried about... BLEEP.

I'm not going to reveal my child's name.

Let's call him... Beans.

He comes home, locks himself in his room.

I have tried to talk to him, but...

Avoids all questions.

So, do we bring the school in?

Let's get the details, make sure he wants the help.

Oh, you sound like a journalist.

Let me try.

Let me try.

OK.

Got a new recipe.

OK, Dad. Stuffed tomato thing.

Yeah, nice. Sounds good.

I'll call you when it's ready. It's Turkish.

Yep. So...

I met someone today.

A source.

'He was pissed off with what Kuttner said on the radio.'

OK.

Hacking was "endemic", he said, at News Of The World.

And someone is now suing Scotland Yard

for information on what was hacked.

Now, I know... I know it's one of either Elle Macpherson,

Simon Hughes, Gordon Taylor, Sky Andrew or Max Clifford.

'But I don't know which one.'

What do you think?

Do I dig?

Try to find out who it is? If I find them, it might...

we might get some evidence

that proves foul play was a bit more widespread.

Imagine what it does to Andy Coulson. He's about to...

He could soon have keys to 10 Downing Street.

Did Cameron do a fit-and-proper-person test on him?

'Did he even look into Coulson's past?'

It's a good angle.

'But another "tabloids behaving badly" story?'

I said the same thing.

And who wants to kick a bees' nest?

Murdoch, you know?

This source...

'Has he got under your skin?'

No. I just wanted to talk it out with someone. You.

Ah.

Always grateful to be your sounding board.

'Go home, Alan.'

Who says I'm in the office?

'We'll always have Brussels. Bye.'

It's creepy when you do that.

Stare at me like that.

How are you?

Why are you asking?

If there ever is anything you need to discuss...

Yes, Dad. I know.

I, erm... I-I never much liked school.

I'm not being bullied.

I always saw school as a necessity...

Why does everyone always think I'm being bullied?

..not a virtue. There was a guy...

..who-who used to hit us.

Another kid?

Actually, a teacher.

He used to...

God, he used to really scare me.

I-I never used to do well.

Erm...

Well, I never used to do well with fear,

but also, the thing I remember most clearly...

rage.

I heard you on the radio.

You listen to the Today programme?

Mum makes us listen to or read everything you do.

"You've an impressive dad."

And she says it like,

"He may be a total dick, but he's impressive."

HE SCOFFS All right.

You know the story of the dung beetle?

God. Really, again?

If you want to fly free...

First you have to eat a lot of shit.

Sometimes you have to ignore bullies.

I'm not being bullied. Sometimes you...

you have to puncture them.

I'm not, Dad. There's always a way to...

There's always a chance when the wankers...

when they suddenly seem vulnerable.

When they are...

you have to clamp your pincers onto them as hard as possible.

Do not let go.

Tomatoes are in the oven. Ready in ten. They're Turkish.

I love you very much.

WOMAN'S DISTORTED VOICE

'You stupid child!

'You are SUCH a disappointment!'

It won't surprise you to know we didn't get the rights

to use their masthead.

Or this one.

DIALLING PHONE

Hi, it's Nick Davies.

You still have that contact at Scotland Yard?

'No, sorry, mate.

'I really cannot be getting involved with that one.

'You know how it is.'

But Andy Coulson will soon be sitting in Downing Street.

'Yeah, and Murdoch's already sitting on Downing Street.'

Yeah, I-I...

Yes, I appreciate that. I understand.

If I could get some evidence of this...

'No.' MAN 3: 'No.'

'No.' All right. Thanks. Bye.

PHONE RINGS

Oh, hi. Thanks for calling back.

Do you have the number for... Name redacted.

See you later. Yeah.

OK, great. Zero...

..seven, seven, zero, zero, nine,

zero, zero, nine, five, four.

Got that. Thank you.

Hi. I'm wondering whether I could speak to

whoever represents Elle Macpherson.

No, no, I'm not a fan.

No, I'm wondering whether she's currently suing

the News Of The World.

Is that Max?

Hi, it's Nick Davies.

We met at The Orwell Prize.

I'm actually after a bit of insight.

Well, no. Just give me a chance... LINE GOES DEAD

HE SIGHS

Detective Buzz Aldrin?

Not his real name.

My name is Nick Davies. I'm a Guardian journalist.

I believe you were looking into the Clive Goodman case?

I'm very busy, Mr Davies.

I've followed your work, Buzz. I know how principled you are.

I think you know that this... what is happening here

is acutely in the public interest,

and if it's all dealt with in behind-stairs deals,

it'll help no-one.

I can't talk to journalists. You don't have to talk.

All I need to know is which of the five non-royal names

in the Clive Goodman case is now suing the paper.

Cough.

That's all I ask. Cough when I hit the right name.

You are very persistent.

Because what I understand

is that those five names represent thousands,

thousands of people

who've had their privacy stolen by this newspaper. Please.

Elle Macpherson.

Simon Hughes.

Gordon Taylor.

"BUZZ" COUGHS

Thank you.

You did the right thing.

CHATTER

Sorry, excuse me. Charlotte Harris?

Nick Davies at The Guardian.

I believe you represent Gordon Taylor.

I'm due in court.

I understand that he's suing News Of The World for breach of privacy.

Mr Davies, whether or not Mr Taylor is my client,

I have no interest in talking to any press. Sorry.

These so-called journalists...

bring our whole industry into disrepute.

You're very persistent.

Well, can you...

can you tell me, then, about John Hewison?

He's also a claimant, is he not?

And the interesting thing is,

if you ask the public who those two are,

they might know Taylor.

They wouldn't know Hewison because he's a lawyer.

Like you.

He's entrusted with the secrets of others,

in the secrets of sports stars, in his case,

which makes him interesting to the News Of The World.

This is a news operation,

which is trying to undermine the confidentiality

that crucially underlies your profession.

If you want to fight it...

well, you're a tiger, but they're lions.

The Guardian's a lion too.

Well, what if I'm neither a lion nor a tiger?

What if... I am a walrus?

Walruses can be fierce.

And what if you're a...

See, I'm trying to think of an annoying animal.

Has Mr Taylor settled? SHE LAUGHS

What evidence do you have? Are there other claimants?

I'm sure you must... you must be looking to engage more clients.

Privacy cases like this can sometimes...

HE STUTTERS What did Max Mosley get?

£60,000 and costs.

Line enough up, you could have a class-action suit

worth a lot of money.

You were doing well, reasonably well,

until you brought money into it.

I can't talk to you about specific cases,

but I can tell you...

..I can tell you that there is so much more to come.

PHONE BEEPS

PHONE BUZZING

Yep.

'You've got the name.'

Mr Apollo, you're back.

Are you watching me?

'I take it you're still interested in this case, then?'

The deer is in the fireplace. The lion is alight.

Wh-What the fuck are you doing?

Sorry, I... I have a tendency to make jokes.

I was trying to... trying to be a Russian spy.

We could be spotted at any moment. Do you know the risks?

I do. Sorry.

MR APOLLO SIGHS

So, you found the lawyer.

Is this some kind of a test?

Do I get a prize at the end of it?

Do you know how much they're settling for? No.

MR APOLLO CHUCKLES

£400,000 in damages, another £300,000 in legal expenses,

and their associates are getting £140,000 in damages,

plus their legal.

The whole package comes in at just over a million pounds.

Now, that's a lot,

even for News International, to stomach.

But...

Max Mosley was...

They accused him of being a Nazi at an orgy.

All he got was...

Was £60,000, yes. Now you're getting it.

Look, I need...

I need paperwork, or-or audio recording,

some sort of hard evidence.

I don't even have to publish it.

I just need to be able to show The Guardian.

The preliminary hearings in 2007, they're public record.

That's not enough.

Mm.

Right.

What is it? You'll work it out.

Can I use it? Nope.

I need to be able to use it.

Summarise it, yes.

Show it to your editor, yes.

Quote from it, no.

Can I have your number?

Be careful, Nick.

This could get nasty.

PHONE RINGING

I have a piece on MPs' expenses I want you to have a look at.

OK. Do you want some gingerbread?

My mother made it. It's not very good.

I have evidence.

How long did that take you to get?

Maybe two months. And you've never mentioned it?

They're paying out millions to cover this up.

This is a story.

Nick, newspapers reporting on newspapers...

But the editor of that newspaper is about to enter government.

If Andy Coulson was complicit in hacking phones as an editor,

imagine what he might do to enemies of the Government.

Show me what you have.

OK, so...

Printout of an email.

ross.hindley@news-of-the-world to shadowmen@yahoo.co.uk.

It's Glenn Mulcaire's email. His email was "shadowmen"?

Mm. It says, "Transcript for Neville.

"Wednesday, 29th of June, 2005."

I can read.

And Neville is...?

Neville Thurlbeck. Chief reporter at News Of The World.

There are transcripts of 35 voicemail messages

which had been left on the phones of Gordon Taylor and a colleague.

It wasn't just Clive Goodman.

And then there's this.

Greg Miskiw, assistant editor,

approving a payment of £7,000 to Mulcaire

for a story on Gordon Taylor.

And the police have access to all of this and more.

Can we use these?

No.

Can we get your Mr Apollo to speak on the record?

How long have we known each other?

I've no idea.

And no interest in trying to work that out.

It'll make me feel old.

Nearly 30 years.

This is it, Alan.

There is an industry making huge profit

from invading people's private lives,

and Rupert Murdoch's bullying tabloids

have explicitly encouraged it and are buying it.

This matters.

Tin hats on.

Good. OK.

I'll-I'll let you know when I've got something.

Thanks, Alan.

'You may think you lead a private life,

'but The Guardian has uncovered evidence

'to suggest otherwise.

'This strange story began in 2006 with the arrest of two men.

'The News Of The World Royal Editor, Clive Goodman,

'and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

'The men pled guilty to phone hacking charges

'and served prison sentences.

'Following an investigation, the paper told the world

'that hacking was the work of "one rogue reporter".

'The story should have ended there.

'But it didn't.'

HE GROANS

'From the beginning on,

'newspapers have prospered for one reason -

'giving readers the news they want.'

Shit.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!

HE GROANS

Keep it simple.

'Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers

'had paid out more than £1,000,000

'to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence

'of his journalists' repeated involvement

'in the use of criminal methods to get stories.'

"The payments secured secrecy over out-of-court settlements

"in three cases that threatened to expose evidence

"of Murdoch journalists using private investigators

"to illegally hack into the mobile phone messages

"of numerous public figures.

"Cabinet ministers, MPs, actors and sports stars

"were all targets of private investigators."

Are you sure we can safely list all those groups?

We already have evidence of actors, Elle Macpherson,

sport stars, Sky Andrew... MPs, then?

I have an invoice, er,

recording a payment to a private investigator

showing John Prescott had been targeted.

It's likely hacking.

This article has no named sources, no evidence on the record.

Alan thinks we have enough. I do too.

And we haven't got right of reply.

It's a declaration of bloody war.

Murdoch and Brooks, they have nuclear weapons.

Right now, they do.

But we can neuter their nuclear weapons with this.

If we do, Fleet Street will fall in behind us,

the police soon after. And they have...

When they find the information they already have.

Information they've lost?

Information they don't know they have.

This is The Met we're talking about.

Look, once we publish, they'll be forced to act.

Can we name Coulson?

Now you're worried I haven't gone far enough.

No, it makes it more in the public interest

if we can name him.

I did ring Conservative HQ - right to reply, Gill.

I asked about the Gordon Taylor settlement.

His office replied - it "didn't ring any bells".

We've nothing that directly links him.

I agree.

But...

we can say...

that he was the editor in place

when journalists for whom he was responsible, etc, etc, etc...

That's good.

That's good.

Yes?

I'm uneasy. But if you're sure...

I am.

It reads well.

OK.

At half past five in the afternoon on Wednesday, 8th of July, 2009,

we posted my news story on The Guardian website.

As it ran, The Guardian news desk asked a reporter, Caroline Davies,

to call John Prescott, ex-Deputy Prime Minister,

to get a quote.

I told him the gist of the story, and he said, "Fookin' 'ell!"

'You'd have thought the police,

'in the committing of a criminal offence,

'as, clearly, it is, against anyone,

'and particularly, you'd have thought, a Cabinet member,

'they would have told me about it.

'I would have asked them, "What are you gonna do about it?" '

Prescott roared.

But the house fell silent.

Anyone?

Anyone?

And Fleet Street, well...

CHATTER

Fleet Street essentially did their best to ignore the story.

Ask any journalist what a great story depends on.

They'll say the same thing.

A new angle.

One at least journalists can get behind.

We are reliant on our own profession

to follow up on stories so they have impact.

To make a story newsworthy requires multiple news outlets.

But on this one...

crickets.

My company couldn't have settled the legal action

like The Guardian claims.

If they had done, I'd have known about it.

I tried to get this out as wide as possible.

I talked on radio stations, TV shows.

I took constant calls from agents of public figures asking,

"Am I on that list?"

I slept about four hours.

And then, at five in the afternoon,

I was surprised to hear that John Yates,

Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard,

was preparing to make a statement.

Good afternoon.

I was not involved in the original case

and clearly come at this with an independent mind.

In my opinion, what I've seen

is a most careful investigation by very experienced detectives.

He proceeded to gently demolish our work.

We'd suggested there were thousands of victims.

The potential targets may have run into hundreds of people.

But our inquiry showed that they only used the tactic

against a far smaller number of individuals.

And since no additional evidence has come to light,

I can see no reason to reopen the inquiry.

Thank you. That's all for today.

Does that mean The Guardian fabricated the story?

REPORTERS CLAMOUR

NICK SIGHS

'..may have run into hundreds of people.

'But our inquiry showed that they only used the tactic

'against a far smaller number of individuals.

'And since no additional evidence has come to light,

'I can see no reason to reopen the inquiry.'

'That was Assistant Commissioner John Yates,

'speaking in response to...'

What is it?

The police haven't backed us,

and Keir Starmer's conducting a review.

He was Director of Public Prosecutions then.

But he doesn't consider there was anything inappropriate

in the prosecutions undertaken in this case.

We are being squashed.

We need to speak to your Mr Apollo. We need to get him on the record.

He... Mm.

No, he can contact me. I can't contact him.

Nick.

Our colleagues upstairs are gravely concerned.

Is it possible you were set up?

No, this is right. I've...

We've used no named sources, no quotes from documents.

We should never have published.

And Murdoch has set his attack dogs on us in the Commons.

They're briefing that we can't back up our story.

And now the CMS Select Committee want to see us urgently.

That doesn't sound great.

They want to barbecue you, Nick,

and John Yates has given them permission.

I'm sorry. I, er...

I've read the runes wrong here.

The Guardian are putting together a statement.

What kind of statement?

I'll know when I see it.

I feel like I'm having a heart attack.

HE EXHALES

Why is everybody doing this?

HE EXHALES

My mother was a strong character.

Intelligent, forceful, imaginative.

Trapped, as she believed, in domestic drudgery. She had...

She had a furious temper.

This wasn't the 1950s toxic ideal of "Spare the rod and spoil the child".

This was mad beatings,

when she came after us with a black-eyed fury,

armed with whatever weapon she had to hand -

a dog lead, a slipper, a riding crop, a rope.

Are you ready to say you're sorry?

No.

DOOR SLAMS

I'd been working as a journalist for a couple of decades,

thinking I was interested in criminal justice

and social problems,

when I saw that I was being drawn to stories,

again and again, with the same theme.

A deep-seated urge to hit back...

CHILDREN SHOUTING

..at anybody at all...

Mr Davies!

..who takes power and abuses it.

Stupid child!

HE ROARS, SCHOOL BELL RINGS

PHONE BUZZES

HE SIGHS

Yeah, so, I tried hitting him back.

Why?

Seething rage.

I thought he looked vulnerable.

Oh.

Didn't work.

No.

You look terrible.

Thank you.

What happened to you?

You asking me or him?

OK, so, I need to take you to your mum's tonight.

Erm... She says she's cool with it if you are.

Yeah, sure, I don't mind.

'It's been a day of statement and counter-statement

'in the phone hacking affair,

'with News International angrily refuting

'all the allegations made by The Guardian.

'With the editor and the reporter

'due to appear at the Media Select Committee,

'certain publications are claiming a leftist agenda

'against the News Of The World by The Guardian

'and calling for legal action to be taken against the organisation

'if they can't back up

'spurious claims made against Murdoch's paper.'

- Hi. - Hello.

See you, kids. Hi, kids.

Oh, hang on... I'm fine, Mum. I'm fine.

It's my fault.

Sorry. Bad advice.

Coffee? I'll...

Thanks for this. I'll see you Monday. I'm sorry.

Nick? Yeah?

Have you eaten?

When? In the last day.

I'm just...

a bit tired. I'm not... I'm not really at my best.

I need to think. And the...

..House of Commons Select Committee want to see us tomorrow.

And The Guardian have got this message

that their PR have written, that is... that is just...

All right. OK.

You look worse than he does. Let's...

I didn't tell him to fight back.

I told him to pick his moment. I didn't want him to hit someone.

Shit.

It's all right.

Come on.

Sit down. Sit down.

Soup OK?

What do I do?

How do I make it better?

Er, well, we will talk to the school.

You think they'll do better?

It's a good school.

Things have changed, you know.

Teachers, parents, they're not allowed to do...

There's systems, right?

I thought about her.

Earlier today, I was reading this...

..papier-mache, over-apologetic PR nonsense,

and I thought about all the times I'd gone to her and apologised.

And all the times that I... HE STAMMERS

And then my son gets a face like that.

OK.

I'm gonna make the sofa up. You're staying here tonight.

And I'll just put this soup on.

GAS HOB LIGHTS

PHONE BUZZES

LINE RINGING OUT

'Hi.'

I can't read that statement.

A retraction at this time...

you're asking me to say I was wrong.

If we can't get Mr Apollo on the record,

then we need to make a retraction.

You know getting him on the record is impossible.

Then I'm afraid you'll have to make that statement

to the Select Committee tomorrow.

If you make me read it out, I won't come.

If you don't come...

we're fucked.

Oh.

HE SIGHS

HE EXHALES

Carl Bernstein, one of the great reporters

who exposed the Watergate scandal, said,

"I think all good reporting is the same thing.

"The best attainable version of the truth."

The best attainable version of the truth.

The best attainable... So, no matter what, you've got...

..you've got to...

Morning.

Hi. Does this, erm, printer-scanner thing still work?

Er...

Yeah, that one does. Coffee?

And do you have some black paper and some glue and some scissors?

Aw, are you making me a collage, Nick?

Might need the kids to be slightly late for school.

Right. Why?

OK, so, these are emails

written to a journalist, that's Neville,

with transcriptions

of a man called Gordon Taylor's voicemail messages.

What I need you to do is to block out all the sections

which are clearly transcribed from those voicemails.

Leave everything else visible.

Should be able to tell which bits are which. Any doubts, just ask.

Mm. May I ask, why aren't you doing this at The Guardian,

with some sort of vague professionalism?

Alan can't know.

Your editor can't know?

Because I can't have him tell anyone else.

Oh, yeah, that man is a gossip.

Fleet Street can't know about this.

As far as they know, I'm walking naked into that committee room.

I was just trying to protect my editor.

And my newspaper.

And you?

What sort of danger are you putting yourself in here?

HE SIGHS

Nick.

How are you, Alan?

I'm fine. Bit tired.

Something interrupted my sleep last night.

I hate it when that happens.

I hate all of this.

Sorry if I've made your life difficult.

My life?

This is bigger than me.

You could have brought down

the whole Guardian newspaper with this one.

But what a way to go.

I mean...

consider the glory.

"I, Nick Davies,

"have destroyed, utterly destroyed,

"close to 200 years of journalistic endeavour."

You're an absolute... God!

God, I can't even think what you are.

You're awful.

You know what Peter Preston told me when I took over the editor's desk?

"Why in hell did they choose you?"

"Don't join the club."

He'd had to make adjustments to the paper

after the move from Manchester, and he didn't...

well, he wouldn't be part of the media cabal.

He liked being on the edge of Fleet Street.

He considered it part of our DNA.

Last night in bed, I realised something.

What you've done, bringing us here,

is in the line of great Guardian coups.

But I do want to keep the newspaper I've been entrusted with alive.

Are you reading the statement?

No.

But I do have things to say.

If you go too far, I will squeeze your leg,

and you will stop.

I've got a paper to protect.

And you, be sure to protect yourself.

Tin hats on.

Thank you for joining us, gentlemen.

Now, we have a lot of questions,

so try to keep opening statements short.

I'd like to keep this whole experience quite short, if I may.

MURMURING, LAUGHTER

But I do have... There is a lot for me to say.

I'd like to start by showing you, first of all,

copies of an email.

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