Steve Coogan: 'Stack of evidence' links Piers Morgan to phone hacking
Actor Steve Coogan discusses his relationship with the UK press, more than a decade after he gave evidence to the Leveson inquiry following a phone hack by tabloid journalists.
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In brief…
- Coogan has backed calls for a second Leveson inquiry, and says he wants Piers Morgan to face renewed scrutiny for his involvement.
- He says billionaire media owners such as Rupert Murdoch are protected from facing consequences by their wealth.
- If a new inquiry into tabloid practices was to take place, he says he would get involved, and says there is already a “stack” of evidence against key figures who have so far avoided repercussions.
What’s the story?
Actor Steve Coogan has backed calls for a second Leveson inquiry, saying that top media names such as Piers Morgan and Rupert Murdoch have evaded repercussions for their role in the tabloid phone hacking scandal.
An investigation into newspaper practices held in 2005-2007 found Coogan was among the high-profile individuals to be targeted by private investigators employed by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
Similar practices were employed across the UK newspaper industry, and it was not only Murdoch publications engaged in phone hacking.
The Leveson inquiry was held in 2011-2012 into press culture, practices and ethics, but a second – due to focus on the relationship between UK police and journalists – was scrapped.
A recent court case, brought by Prince Harry against Murdoch’s media empire concerning press intrusion, has brought the phone hacking scandal back to the front pages, and has renewed calls for a second Leveson inquiry.
Coogan tells Emily Maitlis the second inquiry being scrapped under David Cameron’s Tory government was a "purely political decision based on fear" of Murdoch, and other billionaires who control the UK press, and "impede freedom of speech".
Actor Hugh Grant recently called for the police to investigate the owners of The Sun, and Coogan says he would get involved if it was to happen, and he was asked.
He names Piers Morgan specifically as someone he wants to see face consequences for his role in phone hacking.
“Newspaper proprietors – and the executives who lied under oath and committed crimes of perjury – even the judge admitted that Piers Morgan lied before a public inquiry, and said as much,” Coogan says.
“Piers Morgan came out and said he never instructed anyone to hack a phone, and never personally hacked a phone. It was a very qualified denial.”
In December 2023, a judge stated there “can be no doubt” Morgan was fully aware of phone hacking taking place at the Daily Mirror when he was editor of the paper.
Morgan has always denied these allegations. Daily Mirror is not part of Murdoch’s media empire, and is instead owned by Reach PLC.
“Of course he doesn't know how to hack a phone. He doesn't have to do it. It's the other people who do it for him, so of course, he doesn't know,” Coogan adds.
“He's not out of the woods yet, because we have a stack of evidence against him.
“If the police don't act against these people, who have been guilty of criminal wrongdoing, then they'll face private prosecutions. That's going to happen.”
Why Coogan fears the influence of tabloid journalism
Coogan says that, despite his experience with tabloid journalists, he has “no fear” of the UK media.
He adds, however, that he does fear the influence it has over national opinion and conversations.
"I think there's been a successful lobby to confuse independent accountability with somehow an impingement on freedom of expression, or freedom of the press," he says on The News Agents.
"I fear the proprietors being able to dictate the national conversation.
"People talk about the fact that newspapers aren't as influential as they once were, but everyone talks about the papers. In every news bulletin – or any kind of political analysis – they sit around and talk about the newspapers."
Free speech and billionaires
In an era of increasingly divided politics, the topic of free speech has become polarised, with changes brought to social media after Elon Musk bought Twitter, and more recently on Meta sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, to comply with the demands of Donald Trump's second administration.
In the UK, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for a review of hate laws, to ensure the protection of free speech, and said she enjoys being accused of stoking culture-wars with her rhetoric and attacks on "woke" culture.
"If people were truly concerned about freedom of speech, they'd be concerned about the fact there's a handful of billionaires who control the message and control what those newspapers say," Coogan says.
It has only been the "foot soldiers" of newspapers who have faced any repercussions for improper practices, he adds, saying he feels the people at the top escape every time.
He says billionaires such as Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corp, can afford to "buy themselves" out of legal disputes, by offering settlements, knowing the risk of taking cases to trial can leave the defendant paying huge costs, even if they win.
This, he believes, is likely why Prince Harry took a settlement in his recent case.
"If these CEOs were from any other organisation, they would already have been brought to heel. There is a fear – amongst the people who are supposed to hold these people accountable – of the power of Murdoch and the power to affect their electability," Coogan says.
"They get cold feet. It's understandable, but not particularly admirable."