Rolf Harris And Press Censorship. A View From The Alternative Side

Since Rolf Harris’ conviction yesterday for indecent assault of children, newspapers are predictably filled with many ‘Rolf Harris’ related stories as the press look for any angle on the story.

One angle on the bigger story you’ll see concerns the fact that law firm Harbottle and Lewis, acting on behalf of Rolf Harris, censored the media by using Leveson to bully them into silence.

But not one such story I’ve seen has mentioned that some outlets like this one were not silenced and did report that Rolf Harris had been questioned under caution.

So this is an ‘outsiders’ inside of view.

Credit must go where it is due. If it had not been for been for this tweet from Mark Williams-Thomas on Nov 29 2012 I for one would not have felt confident in reporting it.

About one hour later, I published, ‘Rolf Harris Interviewed Under Caution Over Sex Offences’

The following day, Nov 30th, I published ‘Further Indications That Rolf Harris was Questioned Yesterday’

In December 2012, I reported that Rolf Harris had spent Christmas at The Priory ‘Op Yewtree: Rolf Harris Spends Christmas At The Priory’

On March 29th I reported ‘Op Yewtree: Rolf Harris Arrested For Sex Offences’

Throughout this entire period the MSM remained silent. It wasn’t until 3 weeks after the arrest of Rolf Harris that we saw the BBC ‘Breaking’ the story.

Just to be clear and for the record, I not once received any request to remove any story connected with this,I  was not threatened, nor was I aware of any court injunction and to my knowledge no one has claimed that there was one.

In my view, something is either true and can be reported or untrue and can not.

So why didn’t the Mainstream Media report it when they knew that it was true ?

Well, they won’t thank me for saying this but I believe a lot of it had to do with ‘game playing’ following The Leveson Inquiry.

The MSM united to demonstrate the ‘chilling effect’ of press censorship if Leveson’s recommendations were put into law and they did it by deliberately not reporting on the police investigation into Rolf Harris.

They pretended, and still pretend today, to have been cowed by the empty threats of Harbottle and Lewis. So it was left to the Alternative Media, blogs like The Needle, to keep the public informed and that is why you’ll not see any news reports in the MSM today acknowledging that while they kept silent, the story was being reported nevertheless.

Did David Cameron Lie To Leveson ?

Mmmm.

Perhaps this PMQ exchange between Chris Bryant and the Prime Minister might shed some light on that ?

David Cameron gave misleading evidence to the Leveson inquiry over his friendship with the former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, according to a new book by a journalist with close links to No 10.

In one of the most authoritative accounts of Downing Street’s links with News International, Matthew d’Ancona also writes that the prime minister was awestruck by the former News of the World editor Andy Coulson.

D’Ancona, who has known the prime minister for 20 years, says the prime minister was wrong to tell the Leveson inquiry that he saw Brooks more frequently after her marriage to his Eton contemporary Charlie Brooks. “I was definitely seeing her more often because of my sort of friendship with Charlie and as a neighbour,” Cameron told Leveson of his fellow members of the “Chipping Norton set”.

The former Spectator editor dismisses this account in a new book on the coalition, In It Together. D’Ancona writes: “But this was misleading. Cameron knew Charlie Brooks only slightly before his marriage to Rebekah. It was Rebekah who brought him closer to Charlie, not the other way round.”

The Guardian

Rolf Harris And Press Censorship

After reading Guido Fawkes’ blog yesterday, I’ve decided to write about press freedom but I’m going to stray from the accepted narrative that you’ll read about everywhere else. To begin with let’s look at the meat of what Guido wrote.

Today we can report that Rolf Harris has also been questioned under caution by police from Operation Yewtree. This has been an open secret in media circles for weeks, journalists and newspaper editors alike have known about the story – yet none has published the news. Why?

No judge has ordered reporting restrictions in relation to Rolf Harris, no super-injunctions prevent the reporting of news concerning him, instead his lawyers Harbottle and Lewis are citing the Leveson Inquiry’s report in letters to editors of newspapers – cowing them into silence. The Leveson effect is real and curtailing the freedom of the press through fear.

Guido Fawkes

This extract is absolutely in line with every major media outlet’s position , along with every shallow politician of whatever stripe, desperate for the support of those media outlets.

The truth is that there is nothing in Leveson which could have stopped any MSM outlet from reporting that Rolf Harris had been questioned, absolutely nothing. Nor is there anything that is likely to come about as a result of the Leveson Enquiry, including a statutory underpinning of the Press Complaints Commission, which would stop the press from reporting in the future.

My own view is that far from newspaper editors being ‘cowed into silence’ they’ve seized on this  little story to illustrate the narrative they wish to promote. They want to distil the argument to a ‘censorship bad, press freedom good’ paradigm. It is not that black and white and it’s best to remember why there was a Leveson Enquiry in the first place.

A newspaper can always, and will always be able to, publish and be damned, and stars like Rolf Harris who can afford a £7,000 a week stay at The Priory can always afford to seek legal redress.

Anyone with an internet connection and the inclination to type ‘Rolf Harris’ into Google, have been in on this “open secret in media circles” since November 29th when he was questioned.

The first step to freedom is to know when you’re  being manipulated and resist.

Nothing To See Here.

David Cameron today defended his pre-Christmas meeting with Rebekah Brooks as ‘no big deal’.

The Prime Minister and the ex-News of the World editor were said have had an ‘intense’ conversation at a party near his Oxfordshire home.

Mrs Brooks, who resigned as chief executive of News International at the height of the phone-hacking scandal, faces three sets of charges linked to her time at Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

David Cameron played down the festive chat he had with old friend Rebekah Brooks who he used to text using ‘LOL’ as a sign-off……

……It emerged that Mr Cameron had met his old friend at a pre-Christmas party organised by Tom Astor, great-grandson of the American heiress Nancy Astor.

The bash was held in Chipping Norton in Mr Cameron’s constituency on December 15………..

……..But today the PM, who has been criticised for his close relationship with Murdoch executives, played down the significance of his festive conversation with Mrs Brooks.

Reports of the conversation with Mrs Brooks raised questions about the PM’s judgement at a time when he is grappling with how to regulate the press.

But Mr Cameron swept the criticism away, insisting he was ‘very focused on the job I do’.

Daily Mail

“But Mr Cameron swept the criticism away, insisting he was ‘very focused on the job‘”. – But what kind of ‘job’ was he very focused on ?

Wouldn’t it be a good idea, if the PM really wanted to put the rumours to bed, if he released all the personal texts between himself and Rebekah Brooks ?

Just a thought………………

Leveson in Summary

Leveson Asserts the Authority of the Law.

Lord Justice Leveson this morning, in a public statement before the day’s proceedings, fired a warning shot across the bows of both the Government and the press.

The message, though not explicit, was clear “Back off !”

Many people have thought long and hard about what is actually wrong with our society. Perhaps, it is that one of the most important pillars of the UK establishment, the law, is too often bookish and dry and fails to ‘compete’ for the public’s consciousness with the sensationalist press and the pandering politicians.

Lord Justice Leveson has calmly and reasonably reasserted the authority of the law, and in doing so he has enhanced the credibility of the Inquiry which bears his name.

Every Briton, without a conflict of interest, should welcome his statement.

This Leveson Inquiry will be no whitewash.

Those Whom The Gods Wish to Destroy They First Make Mad.

If I were George Osborne I would count myself an extremely lucky man. OK, I’d still have to go before Lord Justice Leveson this afternoon and answer some awkward questions but I would do so safe in the knowledge that I’d be following the political freak show which is a rare public appearance of Gordon Brown and that it will be he, and not myself, who will dominate the media coverage in the evening.

Just like the majority of people able to look at the current financial crisis without ideological prejudice, I consider Gordon Brown to be responsible for a great many poor decisions, in his roles as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister, which have left the UK in a worse position than might have been otherwise expected as the world entered the Global Economic Crisis.

But now I’m starting to feel sorry for him. He is the perfect illustration of what can happen to a politician after long pursuit and final attainment of the ring of power and on the few occasions I’ve seen him since he was ousted as PM, his Gollum-like delusion, has started to make me pity him.

Don’t get me wrong, that pity does not extend to forgiveness. He sold the country’s Gold off for peanuts at the bottom of the market, he failed to properly regulate the market, he built his boom on ponzi- economics fueled by personal debt, which he encouraged, he brought the UK economy to a precarious state, and when he left office he bequeathed this country an unsustainable structural deficit. In the final two years of his premiership, after Lehmans, he made no attempt to cut spending, even on some of the more extravagant schemes.

But I am starting to pity him. He even makes Rebekah Brooks look good, and that is an extremely difficult thing to do.

I suspect this appearance at the Leveson Inquiry will be the last we see of him in public. After this he’ll crawl off somewhere quiet muttering and blabbering about how he lost his ‘precious’.

Shifty Tintin’s Latest Adventure.

For full story read Tom Chiver’s Comment in The Telegraph

Full Transcript of what Leveson Protestor said about Blair.

While Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was being questioned earlier today at the Leveson Inquiry, a 49 year old protestor gained entry, interupted the proceedings, and shouted the following:

” Excuse me, this man should be arrested for war crimes.

JP Morgan paid him off for the Iraq War  3 months after he invaded Iraq he held up the Iraq bank for 20 Billion ($?) he was then paid 6 million in dollars every year and still is from JP Morgan 6 months after he left office. The man is a war criminal !”

Note: I’ve not attempted to add too much punctuation as it can slightly change the meaning and it’s difficult to decide on listening exactly where the commas and full stops should be. – gojam

Meanwhile, In a More Just Parallel Universe, Not Too Far Away

Not too far away, in a more just parallel universe.

Confessions of a News International Chauffeur

Paul Maley

This is a strange tale, I can only put the known facts before you and certain claims which are already in the public domain. You’ll have to decide the veracity of the story yourself.

We know that Paul Maley was a chauffeur for News International from 2005 until 2009 and that most of that time he spent driving Clive Milner, the Chief Operating Officer of News International but Paul Maley claims that his duties and responsibilities were not restricted soley to driving  NI executives around London, on at least  17 occasions, according to Mr Maley, he delivered packages containing cash to 10 police officers in the capital between 2006 and 2007.

Mr Maley claims that, it was only on the third such journey that curiousity got the better of him and he opened one of the packages which he estimated to have contained around £5,000.

Mr Maley alleges the packages were always handed over in public places, including Hyde Park and that the recipient had been informed beforehand of the time and location of these ‘drops’ and given a description of Mr Maley and the car which the recipient would then approach.

Now, no less than Rebekah Brookes at a Select Committee hearing in Parliament admitted that payments had been made to the police for information and so, that payments were made to police officers is in little doubt and Mr Maley’s allegations would at least clear up how some of those payments were made.

When the News International hacking scandal and the associated police bribery scandal hit the headlines and public consciousness, Paul Maley decided to go to the police with his allegations.  Mr Maley has claimed that since then he had become the target of a ‘campaign of intimidation’, which he says was, designed to deter him from  identifying the officers who he delivered packages to, including threatening phone calls, damage to his car and even dog excrement posted through his letterbox.

And so on September 30th 2011, Mr Paul Maley decided to go and see his own constituency MP to see if he could intervene to stop this harrassment.

Unfortunately for Mr Maley, and not just for the obvious reason, Mr Maley’s constituency MP is Culture Secretary Mr Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Hunt acknowledges that the 40 minute meeting took place.

As well as alleging police bribery and intimidation at this meeting with Mr Hunt, Mr Maley also confided in Mr Hunt and told him that he had a ‘Black Book’ which listed the names of the corrupt officers which had previously been held by News International drivers and which was under lock and key in a safe location.

Soon after this meeting took place, Mr Maley claims that a senior figure at News International contacted him who said, ‘I understand that you have an artefact’ and who suggested ‘sorting this out’. As News International had not been aware that Mr Masey had this driver’s ‘Black Book’ it is difficult to understand how they could have gained that information.

What we know for sure because a spokesperson for Mr Hunt has acknowledged is that Mr Hunt reported the criminal allegations to both the Surrey and Metropolitan Police.

And that brings us neatly to the next bizarre twist in this odd tale, for, in January this year Mr Maley was tried on charges of impersonating a police officer at Guildford Crown Court. The judge acquitted him on the grounds of lack of evidence.

Mr Maley claims that these were trumped up charges designed to silence him.

Mr Maley’s lawyers say the prosecution was in possession of documents which would have helped Mr Maley’s case but were barred from handing them over by order of a Public Interest Immunity Certificate, a ruling which allows government ministers, prosecutors, police and even private companies to ensure evidence remains secret from those facing trial. The CPS would not comment on why the trial was abandoned.

But this may not be the last we hear of Mr Paul Maley as he seems determined to pursue this and we may even see him at the Leveson Inquiry.

Steven Heffer, of Collyer Bristow Solicitors, who is representing Paul Maley, said: ‘I can confirm I have been instructed to prepare a statement for submission to the police, the Leveson Inquiry and others, concerning certain payments made in 2006  and 2007’

We shall see.

How Long Before Cameron Loses His Wingman ?

Robert Jay QC Will Have Rebekah’s Head.

by gojam

The main headlines after Rebekah Brooks’ appearance at the Leverson Inquiry today have focused on another email which seems to put Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s job on the line. You can read that elsewhere.

I’m more interested in the ‘beartraps’ that Robert Jay QC set up for Rebekah Brooks. In the previous post I mentioned that a number of ministers had been granted ‘Core Participant Status’ last week but Lord Justice Leveson only agreed to this because every ministers, including Cameron, Clegg, Cable, Hunt, Hague, Osbourne, Gove, and Theressa May, had already submitted their own written submissions. This was so that those ministers did not have prior sight of other witness statements which might allow them to create their own written statements around what others had already submitted, this limits the chance of collusion.

Robert Jay QC has obviously seen those written submissions by ministers and Rebekah Brooks has not and during the proceeding it became obvious that Robert Jay was using those ministerial submissions to question Rebekah Brooks.

The two obvious cases were when the questioning turned to the McCanns. Robert Jay asked on atleast three occasions whether Mrs Brooks had threatened the Prime Minister that if the government did not instruct the police to review the McCann investigation the Sun would “Put the Home Secrtetary’s picture on the front page everyday until the government relented” and at the end he was asking it in the kind of manner lawyers use when they are imploring a witness not to perjure themselves. Now, obviously somebody has submitted that she did but on three occasions she denied it.  It could be in David Cameron’s or Theressa May’s or another ministers submission but I bet you a fish supper it’s in there somewhere and we’ll all find out soon enough.

The other occasion was whether the Prime Minister had ever asked Rebekah Brooks if the continuing phone hacking saga could jeopardise Andy Coulson’s position, then working for the PM, in a particular conversation that she’d admitted having with him. “Not on that occasion” replied Mrs Brooks, “On any occasion ?” enquired Mr Jay, “On no occasion.” came the reply. By the end of this little exchange it appeared, by the looks on the faces everyone present at the inquiry, that a barrel load of rotting fish had just been dumped in the room, so strong was the odeur of evasion.

Anyway, we’ll all find out pretty soon but I suspect that she has directly contradicted some written ministerial submission and Robert Jay QC has just metaphorically lead Mrs Brooks a few steps closer to the guillotine.

Signing off, LOL  ;-)

Leveson – Government News Management.

by gojam

You know that you’re going to get lots of juicy and embarrassing details coming out of the Leveson Inquiry when government anonymous sources begin spinning some of the evidence we’re going to hear.

Just a week since Ministers including Cameron, Osbourne, Hunt, Gove,Hague, Cable and Clegg were awarded Core Participant Status, meaning that they have prior sight of written evidence submitted by other witnesses, and the very morning before Rebakah Brooks takes the stand with a large number of embarrassing details about communications with Cameron, mysteriously a story about a text sent by Tony Blair to Rebekah Brooks has emerged.

Now, before discussing Blair’s text itself, let’s first understand the context of this ‘news management’. When the Government lawyer applied to Lord Jusice Leveson to award those ministers Core Participant Status he gave specific assurances and undertakings that future written evidence from witnesses would not be made public before that evidence was given. This was of great concern to Lord Justice Leveson at the time and one wonders what ‘his honour’ will be thinking if he hears about the Blair text being made public.

Now for the Blair text, I’m afraid it’s not very interesting, Tony Blair texted Rebekah Brooks before the 2011 select committee meeting ‘urging her to apologise to the committee’, that’s it, hardly Watergate is it ? Especially when you consider that Blair wasn’t the Prime Minister at the time, he wasn’t even an MP.

But that’s not how ‘government sources’ are spinning this mysterious leak, oh no. They are suggesting that this shows that previous Prime Ministers too had cosy and inappropriate ‘relations’ with News International, a line of spin which, if you are a political anorak like myself, should do nothing more than whet your appetite for today’s proceedings at the Leveson Inquiry, because the spin identifies clearly what Downing fear the most and they are hoping to set the news agenda for the day onto general Prime Ministerial impropriety and away from the catalogue of embarrassing details of David Cameron’s improprieties.

It should be worth watching today.