Published on June 21st, 2012 | by Hannah Riley
Image © [caption id="attachment_10413" align="alignnone" width="566"] © DonkeyHotey[/caption]   The majority of the public are aware of the infamous Leveson inquiry which is currently investigating the media’s role in phone hacking. It’s focused around the culture, practices, ethics and boarder framework of the press, which so clearly needs looking into. The board scope of Leveson explains the complexity and lengthy process of the case. Many questions have been asked since the inquiry was launched and some not-so-professional relationships have been dug out of the dark hole which was intended to be kept well away from the public eye. Many celebrity victims of the News International hacking scandal have appeared and given evidence but this goes a lot deeper than the personal lives of A-listers and public figures. It was revealed to the public around a year ago that Milly Dowler’s phone had been hacked which, at the time, lead to her parents believing she was still alive. We also know of police bribery’s and the abuse of professional work relationships particularly between News International figures and key members of the Conservative party. It was announced recently that it appears as though the Murdoch’s had arranged a deal with the Tory’s to support them in the media in the run up to and throughout their general election campaign. They changed their media policy in order to win the press empire’s support. The size of the Murdoch empire and the fact that only one newspaper supported the Labour Party in 2010, shows just how much power the media elites had, and still do have, in controlling public opinion. Not forgetting that the influence is born out of something that can be argued as being corrupt an illegitimate. The inquiry has shown the gulf between those at the top and the rest of the general public. It appears that the key to unlock power and to gain access to the government is money, and a lot of it. So while the Murdoch’s were negotiating with the likes of Jeremy Hunt to heighten their business success, the rest of us were being fed political arguments and certain outlooks based on a deal struck up with a political party. The stories were therefore not genuine opinions of those newspapers under the umbrella of the Murdoch Empire, but a reflection of the family’s deals and opinions. They were technically censored; a complete paradox of the freedom of the press. The public were reading information that was the result of a business deal between media tycoons and the ‘wannabe’ cabinet office. If what the public is being told isn’t accurate then how are we meant to find out the truth? Just how much power does Rupert Murdoch have? If he had taken full control of BSkyB, the plan was to scrap Sky News and replace it with FOX News; potentially highlighting the power Murdoch has to control the format of the information fed to the public. This is particularly significant during times like these when the political attitude is so temperamental and more susceptible to media influence. The public had the wool well and truly pulled over their eyes and even now, I fear we know very little of the truth. The political system remains extremely secretive and revealing the depth of the relationships between press and politics remains far out of our reach. As Rebekah Brooks stated "one day the world will know the truth"... but just not quite yet.  This was only further emphasised by David Cameron’s appearance at the Leveson Inquiry last week. Cameron claimed that he “doesn’t recall” Jeremy Hunt’s Memo on BSkyB which is quite convenient for both his position and his minister’s, considering the issue is very much in the spotlight. How realistic is it to say that the prime minister had forgotten what was said about something that could not only jeopardise his minster’s position, but also his ever diminishing chances of re-election? Unfortunately for him, there were tweeters who were reacting to Mr Cameron’s claims that he was struggling to remember talking with Rupert Murdoch at a particular meeting, stating that they themselves could remind the prime minister exactly what went on. Again, a convenient excuse, only this time it was made less plausible by a social networking site. However, there is an argument defending his poor memory considering it was only a couple of weeks ago that the prime minister forgot he’d left his 8 year daughter in a pub. Another story which was briefly brushed over in the media. David Cameron also denied that any pact was made between the Conservative party and the Murdoch Empire before the 2010 general elections. However, the text messages from Rebekah Brooks to himself suggest otherwise. Mirroring the party’s slogan, Brooks wrote, “we’re in this together, both has friends and professionally”, as well as, “Speech of your life? Yes he Cam”. The evidence stands against Cameron’s words. I don’t believe that the oath is taken seriously by some witnesses, they don’t necessarily lie, they are simply very clever with words - as most politicians tend to be. What’s also intriguing is the recent investigation launched into Baroness Warsi’s expenses, as she has been accused of falsifying accommodation fees. This is in stark contrast to the absence of an investigation into Jeremy Hunt’s behaviour which has been criticised heavily as breaking the ministerial code. The suggestion that Baroness Warsi’s supposed wrong doings have been used as a distraction from the Leveson inquiry isn’t absurd. At the same time as portraying himself as a prime minister who believes in holding ministers accountable, Mr Cameron is avoiding delving any deeper into relations with BSkyB to prevent any possible public humiliation. This would suggest that there is a lot more beneath the surface than any of us know. The politicians involved have not put themselves on a good stance with the public. Not only has the public trust in the government weakened even further, it appears as though we are becoming alienated from them. As I mentioned earlier, there is a gulf between ‘us’ and ‘them’ and isn’t looking as though it’s shrinking. Not only has the reputation of the Conservative party suffered from this, the future of the media has too. David Cameron has suggested that there should be an independent regulator of the press as self-regulation hasn’t worked. The freedom of the press, something this country takes pride in, is in jeopardy and talks of implementing restrictions are being taken seriously as it needs to be made sure that these horrific hacking incidents cannot happen again. In an ideal world, newspapers would be independent and press and political relationships would not become pacts. However, it would be wrong to begin dictating the extent of friendships. Meanwhile, we’ll just have to wait and see what loose ends the Leveson Inquiry can solve.