Though the PCC said that the Code previously banned such
activity, it said that in the wake of the case its editors'
committee wanted to make the ban explicit. The Code is voluntary
but adhered to by newspapers which sign up to it. It is enforced by
the PCC.
The new Code says that: "the press must not seek to obtain or
publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine
listening devices; or by intercepting private or mobile telephone
calls, messages or emails; or by the unauthorized removal of
documents, or photographs; or by accessing digitally-held private
information without consent."
The new insertion is the last phrase about accessing digitally
held private information without the consent of the owner, and is
targetted at voicemail hacking.
Most electronic eavesdropping on telephone activity is illegal,
but the PCC will hope that its Code is enforced internally by
editors, cutting down on clandestine listening.
Former News of the World royal editor Goodman was jailed after
admitting accessing the voicemails of royal employees 487 times in
just one eight month spell. He was jailed for four months for
breach of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).
Also jailed was former footballer turned private investigator
Glenn Mulcaire who worked for Goodman and the News of the World on
a contract basis.
Another change to the PCC Code in the aftermath of Mulcaire's
conviction is designed to ensure that newspapers remain responsible
for the activities of contractors as well as staff.
"Engaging in misrepresentation or subterfuge, including by
agents or intermediaries, can generally be justified only in the
public interest, and then only when the material cannot be obtained
by other means," said the Code. The phrase including agents and
intermediaries has just been added.
"In Clause 10, we felt that, under the spirit of the Code, as
removal of documents or photographs without consent is already
unacceptable, then hacking into computers to obtain such material
must also be," said Les Hinton, chairman of the PCC's Code of
Practice committee. Hinton is also executive chairman of News
International, publisher of the News of the World.
"Similarly, the use of third parties to gain information that
would otherwise be protected by the Code would also amount to a
breach. In both cases, it would be better, for the avoidance of
doubt, to state this specifically," he said.
The Code has also been changed to reflect the growing trend of
user generated content being posted to newspaper websites. The Code
now makes it clear that editors are only responsible for content
their journalists create and control, not material sent in by
readers. It has been amended to apply to "editorial material"
only.
