All language subtitles for The Hack 2025 S01E07 720p WEB-DL HEVC x265 BONE_Track3

Previously on The Hack...

I'm friends with
Clare Rewcastle Brown,

the journalist and sister-in-law
of Gordon Brown.

'He's leaning in.'

Murdoch's ambition is limitless,
but he's overstepped here.

Part of a new operation,
Operation Weeting.

We're investigating
allegations of phone hacking.

Contact of mine in the force
has been put on it. He's feeding me.

DAVE: This fell into your lap, OK?

NICK: 'This could get you
in serious trouble.'

Hello.
'Dave, it's Mike at The Sun.'

Give Panorama, Mike Sullivan,

Nick Davies anything
about our cases,

and you'll be strung up
for all to see.

NICK: I was in the database.
News Of The World, April 14th, 2002.

Milly Dowler.

AMELIA: 'Jingle says there is a page
on Dowler in Marquez' notebooks.'

The News Of The World
will not be forgiven for this.

I was being drawn to stories
again and again with the same theme.

A deep-seated urge to hit back
at anybody at all

who takes power and abuses it.

WOMAN: Our guest now joining us
from the newsroom of The Guardian

is Nick Davies,
award-winning journalist

who has brought phone hacking
into the light.

Hi.
Now, Nick Davies...

could you have predicted the furore

that the Milly Dowler case
seems to have caused?

Predicted? No.

But I do think it speaks well
for the British public,

for the world public,
that a furore has been provoked.

You have Rupert Murdoch
firmly on the ropes.

I have to say, I'm horrified that
they closed the News Of The World.

Good journalists
have lost their jobs.

I believe this was a cynical move
on Murdoch's part

to help aid his capture of BSkyB.

'And what do you think it is about
the Milly Dowler case

'that has had such an impact?'

Well, what we discovered

was that during the period
of her disappearance,

News Of The World
were using a private investigator

to listen to her voicemails,

so that, in itself, is horrid,
deeply personal stuff.

Friends and family still thought
she may have run away

and were imploring her to come home.

The voicemail filled up,

which is why
they deleted the messages.

Now, friends and family

who had previously heard
the message, voicemail, full

were surprised by this,

and the presumption became
that Milly was still alive.

'I guess we all wanna know
whether Rupert Murdoch will feature

'in front of your Leveson Inquiry
and what...' Ah. Ah.

Well, before Leveson, actually,
Rupert Murdoch is due to speak

at the House of Commons
Media Select Committee.

We want to get answers from him

as to what he knew
about phone hacking,

widespread practice
at his newspaper,

when he knew about it,
and why he didn't act.

'Nick Davies,
thank you for joining us.'

Thank you for having me.

Whether Rupert bails on us,
I don't know. You could compel him.

The thing you need to ask is

can you truly compel Murdoch
to do anything?

Are we singing Happy Birthday?

So, who's getting to ask
the first question? Well, I do.

Though Nick is intent
on writing it for me.

GLASS CLINKING
I think we should sing.

No. Happy Birthday
is a terrible song.

Nick thinks
Happy Birthday's fascistic.

It is culturally fascistic -

everyone has to sing the same song
on their bloody birthday.

Where's the individuality?
Well, we could sing, erm...

What's the one where we count
the candles on the birthday cake?

Have we the energy?
Oi. Well, speech.

At least we deserve a speech.
Yes, yes. On your feet.

Er, no. But, OK, I would like
to thank you all for coming.

And I would like to remind you
we have work to do.

The Select Committee...
Boo!

The Select Committee is our chance,
with Murdoch on the stand...

And I won't let you down.

No, no, no, Tom, I'm not saying...
Maybe I should have let you retire.

You were gonna retire?
Move to Belgium.

Ah. Chocolate.

And then with Leveson making sure
we're fully prepared...

Nick... Nick, today, we celebrate.

A prep session would've been
much more preferable to a birthday.

Not only are the songs fascistic,

but Nick thinks birthdays
are narcissistic.

He likes to work.
True.

How nice, then,
that none of his friends came,

just the people he works with.

Now you're treading a very fine line
between insulting... Sod this.

# Happy birthday to you... #
Oh, God.

# Happy birthday to you... #
Oh, God.

# Happy birthday, dear Nick

# Happy Birthday to you. #

CAMERA CLICKS

CAMERA CLICKS

Hi.
Hi.

So, good news and bad news.

Good news, it's all cooking nicely
for the Select Committee.

The bad news, you are gonna have
to give evidence at Leveson.

It needs your heft. It needs...

Look, Alan's house
may have been compromised. What?

He hired someone
to sweep his house for bugs.

That person subcontracted it.

The person
they subcontracted it to...

Worked for Rees?
..was an associate of Rees.

How do you know?
I can't tell you.

But I know Rees has been bragging
about how he knows the bug sweeper.

Are you sure?

Ask Alan about the socks
he keeps under the piano.

What socks?

Oh, Christ.
It's true?!

I like, erm...

I get a better feel for the piano
if I play barefoot.

Alan, you do not have
good hiring practices.

Seems possible to claim.

You hired someone
to debug your house,

and instead,
they may have compromised...

Are my children in danger?

Dave doesn't think so.
Don't know about you and me.

We've got Murdoch on the stand.

They know they're being hunted.

Cornered animal,
the most vicious animal of all.

Fuck.

SIGHS

I thought the worst of it was over.

HORN BEEPS

The day after Cameron announced
the Leveson Inquiry

into phone hacking,
the CMS Select Committee

issued an order summoning
Rupert Murdoch and his son James

to attend parliament
on the 19th of July

to basically explain themselves.

The significance of this moment
was not lost on any of us.

If we asked the right questions,
we could ensnare them,

both of them, father and son.

DOOR OPENS

WHITTINGDALE: OK, everyone,
settle now, please.

We are now in session.

Mr Watson
will ask the first question.

Mr Murdoch Sr, Mr Murdoch Jr,

good afternoon,
thanks for coming in today.

My first question
is for Mr Murdoch Sr.

You have repeatedly stated

that News Corp has zero tolerance
to wrongdoing by employees.

Is that right?

Is that me?

Yes.

In October 2010,
did you still believe it to be true

when you made your Thatcher speech
and you said,

"Let me be clear. We will
vigorously pursue the truth,

"and we will not tolerate
wrongdoing"?

Yes.

So if you were not lying then,
somebody lied to you.

Who was it?
I don't know.

That is what the police
are investigating

and we are helping them with.

But you acknowledge
that you were misled?

Clearly.

If I can take you to...
WHISPERS: He's doing...

..2006, when Clive Goodman
was arrested

and subsequently convicted
of intercepting voicemails,

were you made aware of that?

I think so. I was certainly made
aware of when they were convicted.

And what did News International do

subsequent to the arrest
of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire

to get to the facts?

We worked with the police
on further investigation,

and eventually, we appointed,
very quickly appointed,

a very leading firm of lawyers
in the City

to investigate it further.

What did you personally do
to investigate that?

After Mr Goodman
went to prison, you...

you were obviously concerned
about it.

I spoke to Mr, erm...

..Hinton, who told me about it.

OK.

In 2008, another two years,

why did you not dismiss

News Of The World chief reporter
Neville Thurlbeck

following the Mosley case?

I'd never heard of him.

So none of your UK staff

drew your attention
to this serious wrongdoing,

even though the case received
widespread media attention?

I think my son can perhaps
answer that in more detail.

He was a lot closer to it.

I will come to your son in a minute.

Can I ask you, when did you first
meet Mr Alex Marunchak?

Mr...?

Alex Marunchak.

He worked for the company
for 25 years.

I don't remember meeting him.

I might have shaken hands
walking through the office,

but I don't have any memory.

Mr Murdoch Sr, you seem to indicate

that you had a rather hands-off
approach to your company.

Could you just give us
an illustration

of how often you would speak
to the editors of your newspapers?

For example, how often you would
speak to the editor of The Sun,

or to the editor
of the News Of The World.

Erm, very seldom.

Sometimes, I'd ring the editor
of the News Of The World

on a Saturday night and say,
"Have you got any news tonight?"

But it was just to keep in touch.

Well, I'm intrigued as to how
these conversations might go.

I imagine that to the editor
of the News Of The World,

it might go along the lines of,
"Anything to report?"

And the editor
of the News Of The World says,

"No, no, it's been a standard week.
We paid Gordon Taylor £600,000."

LAUGHTER

He never said that last sentence.

Well, I mean,
surely in your weekly conversation

with the editor
of the News Of The World,

with something as big as that,
paying someone a million pounds,

paying someone £700,000,

I mean, surely you'd have expected
the editor

to just drop it
into the conversation at some point

during your weekly chat.

No, I'd say, "What's doing?"

Sorry?
I'd say, "What's doing?"

And what sort of response
would you expect?

Well, he might say, "We've got
a great story exposing X or Y,"

or he would say, more likely,
"Nothing special."

He might refer to the fact
that however many extra pages

were dedicated
to the football that week.

But he wouldn't tell you about
a million-pound pay-off?

Er, I just want to say that...

I was brought up by a father
who was not rich

but who was a great journalist.

And he, just before he died,
bought a small paper,

specifically in his will,

saying he was giving me the chance
to do good.

Now, I remember what he did
and what he was most proud of

and for which
he was hated in this country

by many people for many, many years,

which was to expose
the scandal at Gallipoli,

which I remain very, very proud of.

I think that all students of history
will be...

Scheming...!
CLAMOUR

Erm, the-the sitting is suspended.

Fuck it.

WOMAN ON TV:
'The defence told the court

'the father-of-one from Windsor
had wanted to show his revulsion

'over the scandal
at News International.

'He'd admitted assault...'

If I get my hands on that fool...
He's in custody.

He thinks, what,
that his amateur dramatics

are more useful than
what we were doing in that room?

Good questions were asked.
Yeah, and they weren't answered.

And that obfuscation is important.
Or it was.

Oh, God, that... awful senile act
Murdoch was putting on,

that needed writing about.

But now, every paper will carry
one thing and one thing only -

Wendi Murdoch fighting for her man.

You're worrying too much, Nick.
You don't understand news cycles.

Well, there's still Leveson.
Yeah, nothing else but Leveson.

There is no air but Leveson.
If Leveson doesn't produce...

Then what? You gonna hide under a
tea towel for the rest of your life?

Look, Nick, a serious inquiry
led by quite a clever bloke

is happening
because of your journalism.

It could mean regulation, ethics,

maybe even
an appropriate relationship

between press, politicians
and police.

When did you become
the positive one?

Oh, fuck off.

Lord Leveson's report's given us
a new press and a new Dave Cook.

Fuck off. Twice.

INAUDIBLE

What's the latest
with the Select Committee?

Get James Murdoch back in.
On what grounds?

Clarity on whether or not
he was told about the Neville email.

Why are there police officers
in our newsroom?

What?

PHONE RINGS

They want to talk to Amelia.
Amelia? What about?

They're citing
the Official Secrets Act.

PHONE RINGS

Yeah?
NICK: 'Hi. Where are you?'

On my way somewhere.
Can't tell you where.

Amelia, this is Alan.

'Alan, I'm just on my way
to meet someone.'

What's going on?
'I think you should come in.'

They're upstairs. They won't leave
until they've spoken to you.

No. No way. Not without a lawyer.
Agreed.

They don't like my biscuits,

and they don't like my small talk
about Chopin.

They're saying
they need your notebooks.

If you can't find your notebooks,

they'll get a warrant
and enter your flat.

They're also saying if the notebooks
aren't in your flat,

they could visit your mother.

Tell them I'm not going to give up
my source or my notes.

I'd rather go to prison.

Right.

Good.

I'll contact some friends,
give you some recommendations,

or you can find a lawyer yourself,
a human rights specialist.

This will get leaked, right?
I'd expect so.

But you might need to stay
somewhere else tonight,

a friend's or...
Is this what happens?

We were exposing them,
not the other way around.

It isn't what happens.

But it does seem to be
what's happening.

I'm so sorry.

DIALLING TONE

DAVE: 'Hi.'

Hi. How are you?

I'm OK.

I'm calling about Leveson.

Erm, I'm going to apply
to be a core participant.

The group, Hacked Off, I don't know
if you've... Yeah, yeah.

Well, they saw
the Channel 4 interview,

and they've been pretty insistent
that I say something.

Not that they're making me, erm...

They seem very good people.

'They don't really have anyone
to talk to about the Met

'from the inside, and I think
that's why they want me.'

Oh, they have you, and they have me.

You're doing it, too?
I registered yesterday.

I was gonna email.

'There are implications.'

Sure.
For the kids.

We'll have to speak to their school,
their friends. We could be targets.

Why is it worse me doing it
than you?

Because of Daniel Morgan,
because the case collapsed.

They said you were feeding lines
to a witness.

You don't think they're gonna use
that against you if you give evi...?

No, no, listen, listen, Jacqui.

I just want this out there,
same as you do, OK?

KNOCKING ON DOOR

Hi, Nick. Sue Akers.
I hope I'm not disturbing you.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner,
this is quite...

Call me Sue, please.
..quite the surprise, Sue.

I was hoping you might have a moment
to make me a cup of tea.

Of course I do.
Yeah, of course. Come in. Sorry.

Through here.
Thanks.

You're coming to my house,
not a short distance, on a Saturday.

So... whatever this is
can't be good.

I mean, I have to assume...
it can't be good at all.

Maybe take a seat.
Oh, God.

Nick, I'm afraid
that part of the story you published

about Milly Dowler is inaccurate.

Inaccurate how?

It looks likely
that the News Of The World

did not delete voice messages
from Milly Dowler's phone.

It's probable
it was the phone company.

That's not... I have...
I have two separate sources.

The network she used automatically
deleted messages after 72 hours.

That's how we presume
they were wiped.

You're using words like presumed,
probable, likely.

And we believe
those deletions happened

prior to Glenn Mulcaire being
instructed to get inside her phone.

Before Mulcaire?

Nick, I came here in person
to acknowledge all you've done.

Without you, Weeting is impossible.

Without you...
You can't know for certain

who deleted what.

I'm sorry. We'll be releasing
a statement to correct the record.

The article said messages
were deleted by journalists

in the first few days
after Milly's disappearance.

That's the only inaccuracy.
It's a large one.

I have a good source which tells me

Surrey Police turned off
the automatic deletion system

on the fourth day,

and some voicemail appeared
to have been deleted after.

Will they sue?

No.
Sure?

They were inside the phone?
Yes.

They may have
subsequently deleted messages.

My source tells me they did.
I believe my source.

Then there is too much
for them to lose in court.

Right.

Well, then we issue a retraction
and an apology. Bah!

We made a mistake.
We may not have!

We made a mistake, Nick,
but there we are.

Ten lashes for you,
ten lashes for me.

Sue Akers agrees
with most of our story.

They did hack the phone.

Surrey Police did know about it,
surely. I have two priorities.

That they don't use this

to try and obfuscate the crime
they have committed.

A dead girl's phone was hacked.

And my other priority is you.
God!

What was that Carl Bernstein quote?

All great reporting
is the same thing -

best obtainable version
of the truth.

I'm gonna be absolutely monstered.

It serves them very well
to try and destroy your reputation.

I don't want to apologise.

Then don't.

The paper has to. You don't.

Stand up, put on
some iron underwear, and fight.

INHALES SHARPLY

The monstering was high-energy.
Fuck you!

Doubt turned into certainty
that we had got it wrong.

Fuck you!

Richard Caseby,
managing editor of The Sun,

told the House of Lords Committee

that Alan Rusbridger
had sexed up his investigation

into phone hacking.
Fuck you!

Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times

said boldly
The Guardian had made it up.

Shame on you.

But beneath all...

..beneath all that exaggeration
and hostility

was the fact that I had stated
as a fact

something which now appeared
to be untrue.

I had damaged myself,
and I'd exposed The Guardian.

So, how are you enjoying it?

Yeah, it's quite a thing.
To be outside your house?

Whatever fuel they have they're
readying to throw in the fire.

So why are you so calm?
Oh, I'm an optimist/pessimist.

I presume I'm capable
of great things

and yet assume
the worst's about to happen.

You always thought
you'd be found out.

My mother said I would be.

Maybe I should be
an optimist/pessimist.

I wouldn't recommend. It does
horrible things to your guts.

You're really going to New York?

The police haven't charged me.
I'm free to go.

But you could just stay here.
Yesterday's stale toast in no time.

The Evening Standard

tried to do a story about me
sleeping with my source.

A few weeks later, they rang
and said I was sleeping with an MP.

Wrong Amelia,
and she's married to him.

Yep.
I just... I can't.

I don't want to be the story.

No.

No, I'm not sure I do, either.

Luckily, they had a booking free
for me on Newsnight tonight,

and Jeremy Paxman's
a notoriously kind interviewer (!)

You're going on Newsnight?
Yeah.

Against whoever News International
think will do me most damage.

But, you know, steel underpants
filled with stale toast. Be fine.

If I don't come back...

I mean, I want to say something.

When this is all done
and they tell the story of it,

you know, when you look back
or write about it...

..don't paint me as your protege.

I mean, I've been at this
a long time.

I worked Jingle
across multiple cases for years.

I mean, it was your story,

and Milly would've never happened
without you.

But it wouldn't have happened
without me, either.

You don't need to say anything.

Don't let them whitewash
the other people out.

Don't need to say any of this.

I actually do.

You have my word.

OK.

Email me when you get there.

If Paxman
hasn't killed you first (!)

Then email my corpse.

Good luck, Nick.

NEWSNIGHT THEME
PLAYS

JEREMY: Tonight, who knew what and
when in the phone hacking scandal?

Could James Murdoch
really have been unaware?

Why did The Guardian claim
the News Of The World

deleted voice messages
when they had no evidence?

It was
The Guardian newspaper's claims,

stated as fact, that they'd been
erased by the News Of The World,

which triggered the shutdown
of what was once

the biggest-selling paper
in the English-speaking world.

Nick Davies, let's cut to the chase.

What you claim to be a fact
wasn't a fact, was it?

NICK ON TV:
'The story we published in July

'was squarely based
on the evidence available,

'correct in saying
that her voicemail was deleted.'

And it remains the case that
News International are not denying

that News Of The World journalists

may have been responsible
for those deletions.

Well, let's look at
the front page here. Yeah.

"News Of The World
hacked Milly Dowler's phone

"during police hunt."
Exactly.

Then, "The paper deleted
missing schoolgirl's voicemails,

"giving family false hope."
Yeah.

And you say in the copy

the messages
were deleted by journalists

in the first few days
after Milly's disappearance.

Everybody who was involved
in that story accepted it was true.

It's a very interesting thing
that... No, no, no.

..when that story was done...
No. No, no.

You're not allowing me to answer?
No, because you're not answering.

You're not asking
the right questions.

Oh, I'm sorry.
JEREMY SCOFFS

Everybody... involved in that story

accepted that that story was true.

And you believed it to be true.
..and continued to accept

until four months later...
Right, perhaps.

..new evidence
which was not available,

to everybody's surprise...
You did not report it like that.

..showed that one element
of that story is now in doubt.

It has not been proved to be untrue.
So you accept it wasn't true.

Jules Stenson was a features editor.
What do you say?

Well, the key point to this as well
is that this wasn't any old story.

This was a story
that was the most important story

in The Guardian's history.

It was vital that every single
element of it should be right,

and Nick Davies repeated
that allegation 34 times.

Let's get things in proportion here.

Your newspaper had hacked
a murdered girl's telephone.

What we did was indefensible,

not just to Milly
but to all the victims of hacking.

I'm not here to justify that
in any way.

What I am here to do, though,
is to attack the shoddy journalism

of The Guardian
and the shoddy journalism of Nick.

This-This is a classic example
of the way tabloid newspapers work.

You're in a heap of trouble
because for years,

you personally
have taken Murdoch's money

and ruined people's lives,

invaded people's privacy
and engaged in criminal activity.

You've hired private investigators
in the past

who've broken the law,
haven't you, Jules?

I'm not here to justify...
Haven't you?

You accuse me of shoddy journalism

when your name
is all over the records

of Steve Whittamore,
private investigator,

convicted of using illegal means.
Your name's there.

Information about Jamie Theakston,

about Anne Robinson,
about Anna Friel...

There are public interest factors...
Know what, Jules? Just stop.

Take a leaf out of Rupert Murdoch's
book and get humble.

Or else just go quiet.

People don't believe you any more.
Right. We're done being bullied

by you any more.
We've had enough of you.

Two years after this,

Jules Stenson pled guilty
to conspiracy to hack phones, but...

Well, I wish I knew that
at this moment.

SOFT JAZZ MUSIC
PLAYS

# Do I want you?

# Oh, my, do I

# Honey, indeed I do

# Do I need you?

# Oh, why do... #

BANGING ON DOOR

# Honey, indeed I do. #

Detective Chief Superintendent
Dave Cook.

INAUDIBLE

PHONE BUZZES,
SCRUBBING

BUZZING CONTINUES

Hello.
'Hi, Jacqui. It's Dave.'

David. What's this number?

Listen, Jacqui, I am...

I... I need you to pick up the kids.

'Where are you calling from?'

It's, erm...

It's actually
a police station number, Jacqui.

I've been arrested.
What?

On what charge?

It's misconduct, data protection.

I...

They raided the house.
Well, did they find anything?

'Some old files.'

What files? What...?
Why did you have files at home?

HINGES CREAK
I don't...

'What the fuck are they doing?'

I don't know, Jacqui!

I don't know.

What do we do? How can we help him?

GLEN: 'I'm not sure we're gonna help
until we know what they have.'

Well, we have to do something.

'Nick, we both know he was passing
information to both of us,

'and they've arrested
Amelia's source.

'Sit tight. We'll find an answer.'

OK. Bye.

I don't know
what you think you have here.

How about a cup of tea, sir?
No. I would like to leave.

I'm supposed to be giving evidence
tomorrow.

I'm a participant in Leveson.

But, then, I suppose
you already know that.

This conversation
is being recorded, so... Yes.

I understand that you've refused
legal representation. Yes.

And I do need to check that
you do fully understand your rights.

I'm 40 years
in the police force, son.

Yes, I understand my rights.

Good. All right.

Let's start from the beginning,
then, shall we?

Tell me about your relationship
with the journalist Mike Sullivan.

No comment.

So you deny passing information
to journalists?

And, as you know, police officers
working for Operation Elveden...

Operation Elveden is about bribery.

I have never accepted money
from a journalist in my life.

This is an operation looking into
the corrupt relations

between police and the press.

News International sent us emails.

News International sent you emails?
They were sent from their server.

Have you any idea...?

Do you deny
you were in regular contact

with the journalist Mike Sullivan?

Mike Sullivan and I worked together.

It was John Yates who introduced us.

He had access to my investigation

in return for writing
helpful articles in the newspaper.

I have done nothing

that a million police officers
before me haven't done.

It is standard police practice.

So you did nothing wrong?
Nothing.

Forty years in the police service

and you didn't know
you broke the law?

Shame on you.

SHARP RINGING
IN DAVE'S HEAD

RINGING CONTINUES

They're trying to get us all.
They're waiting for any mistake.

Then let's try not to make
any mistakes. Come inside.

DOOR CLOSES

Lindsay found a spare duvet
from somewhere.

I don't need to stay.
You should. I'd like you to.

Doing a sleepover
with the editor of The Guardian?

Not editor. Friend.

This... This may not be
entirely comfortable.

I should be helping.

Yes, you should.

A journalist
running away to America,

two police officers under arrest.

You're so paranoid, you're having
this house periodically debugged,

and it's...

It's all your fault.
SIGHING: Yeah.

You remember when we first met?

I felt like a child
who'd forgot his pencil.

You were so thrusting,
and, well, I wasn't.

But you were ambitious.
Hugely.

Compensating for who knows what?

And I thought, "Well, if everyone
at The Guardian's like him,

"I'm done for."
NICK LAUGHS

Thankfully, they weren't.

And thankfully, as it turns out,
I had something to offer you...

..as you had something to offer me.

Nick...

..don't mistake the fact
you were first through the door

with the fact that everyone else

went through the same door
willingly.

The sacrifices weren't for you.
They were for your cause.

You're part of a team, Nick.

The funny thing is,
you always have been.

I think
he's gonna get away with it...

..Murdoch.

I think he's gonna get away with it.
Perhaps.

Perhaps that's what abusers do.

Get away with things.

Or perhaps not.

Not really. Maybe...

Maybe...

..deep down inside them,
there's just...

..damage.

Yes, but sometimes...

Yes, but sometimes, the damage
they caused sometimes...

But you're not trying to excuse her.
Him.

No, Nick.

I'm not trying to excuse your mother
or him.

I'm saying...

..all we can do is fight
the best we can, and...

..hope we prove to be
a valiant opponent.

And personally speaking, I...

I am so proud to have been a part

of this great, valiant act.

Whatever happens...

..know that.

OK. You're OK.

BALL BOUNCES

DOOR OPENS,
FOOTSTEPS

Don't worry. You're before me.
I'm just...

..insanely, horrifically early.

It's Jacqui, isn't it?
Yes.

I read your statement. Strong stuff.

Harrowing, punchy. Nick, by the way.

I know, and thank you.

Coming from you, that's...
Thank you.

May I...?
I mean, I hope it's OK to ask.

How's David?
Oh.

It's been a week since we spoke,

but he's back in his house
at least.

He won't take my calls.
He will when he's ready.

It won't be you. It'll be him.

It's generally him.

He helped, by the way.

I'm not sure whether you're aware,
but he helped all of us.

He was key.

We wouldn't be here
without his help.

Sorry. I'll leave you
to let you prep, run your lines.

Oh, God.

I'm usually good with details,
but for some reason today,

my mind keeps going blank.

INHALES DEEPLY

SIGHS

I didn't sleep much.

I didn't sleep much last night.

Not a wink.

But, then, I don't sleep.
I'm not someone who sleeps.

You always been like that?
Since I was a boy, yeah.

Dave did tell you I wasn't
a simple guy to understand, right?

I've had days recently
where I can't remember my own name.

I've been in rooms full of people
and forgotten why I'm even there.

I suffer, and I have done for years,
from panic attacks.

Every time I sat down
to write this statement, I'd...

But this morning, I woke up,
and I felt clear,

clearer than I have done in years.

That's good.
Yes.

Just remember,

in the storm of all of this,

in all the mea culpa of...

..News Of The World,

they decided that
in the middle of this inquiry

to launch The Sun On Sunday.

You're right. They're bold.

Hmm.

Hmm.

That thing you were doing
with the ball, I don't mind,

if it helps to calm you.

Oh, come on. Drive you insane.
I've been tested by bigger things.

Please. Do what you need to do.

Oh. Yeah.

DISTANT SIREN
WAILS

'I'll be honest.
I'm scared of this inquiry.'

I'm scared because I think you'll
take the wrong recommendations...

..and because you'll destroy
something which is precious

without rebuilding something better.

I don't want destroyed
the notion of the unofficial source.

Sue Akers has arrested...

..37, 38 people

in the four inquiries
she's been running.

There have been a couple of arrests
of police officers

in cases where I know quite a lot
about the circumstances.

'What's happened there
is those officers have been told

'they will be charged with
the common-law offence

'of misconduct in a public office.

'Despite,
to the best of my knowledge,

'there being no allegation
of any kind of bribe or inducement.'

What those officers are being told
is, "You will be charged,

"and you can expect to get
a prison term of up to 18 months

"because you've spoken
to a reporter without permission."

Now... these two cases are live,
we don't know how they'll turn out.

May well be that the
Crown Prosecution Service will say,

"Hang on a moment.
This doesn't apply."

But... I think it's worrying,

and this is in the wake
of the phone hacking...

I worry that it might be

a completely unjustifiable
and unnecessary backlash

to the allegation of collusion

between News International
and the Met.

And the ultimate effect here may be
to prevent unauthorised contact

between journalists and police.

When, as a matter of fact,
without this unauthorised contact,

the Metropolitan Police
would've been allowed

to carry on misleading press,
public and parliament

about this whole scandal.

I'm also scared that this inquiry

might misstep
in a different direction.

Might soften itself... as it's
attacked from outside sources.

I have been under attack,
in one form or another,

ever since I first attempted
to reveal the practice of hacking.

And I-I-I...

I represent here today...

..a team of people, all of whom
have been under similar attacks.

'I've had to face extraordinary
things to be part of this fight.

'They've done so because
what you're doing here today

'is precious.

'News.

'I think... I think
the best definition of it...

'News is what someone somewhere
doesn't want you to know.'

The most difficult, skilful,
interesting, important... stuff

that reporters do
is about finding human sources

and motivating them
to help reveal that news.

And I can... I can tell you

of someone
at the front line of that.

News is also often what someone
is reluctant to tell.

So it's hard
to motivate a human source

to reveal their truth.

I'd say, look, if I talk to you
and they realise I've done this,

then I'll lose my job or my career.

Or I'll be beaten up,
I'll be arrested,

or embarrassed or ashamed.

I will hurt people who love me.
It's a very sensitive moment.

You have to make those people safe.

You have
to make those people realise

their truth is worth the risk.

What these hackers did was about
cutting out that human connection.

These so-called journalists
didn't find the truth.

They didn't persuade people
to come with them. They just stole.

They took.

And humanity was lost
in that moment.

Not only in the privacy
that was invaded,

but also in the stories told
from it.

Our papers became dish rags
of distorted content.

And a set of rogue journalists
working for a rogue corporation...

..undermine the very tenets
of journalism...

..the very tenets of truth telling.

If this inquiry succeeds, we may
be able to rebuild our newspapers.

We may be able to make them
what they should be.

Fail...

and News International will have
trapped us all in their shadow.

And I'm scared that
we will never get out.

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