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Editor of the Daily Express Hugh Whittow tells the Leveson inquiry he
supports the media group's decision to withdraw from the Press
Complaints Commission
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Hugh
Whittow told the inquiry 'everybody had too much leeway' on
reporting on the McCann case |
Daily Express editor Hugh Whittow told the Leveson inquiry today that
the Press Complaints Commission "should have intervened" in reports on
the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann, for which the Express and
Daily Star both made front-page apologies for in 2008.
In evidence to the Leveson inquiry Whittow was asked by counsel to the
inquiry Robert Jay what the reasons were for publisher Northern &
Shell's withdrawal from the PCC in January 2011, when it was excluded by
the Press Standards Board of Finance (PressBof) for allegedly not paying
a levy to support the commission.
The move meant the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Daily Star, Star on
Sunday and OK! Magazine have since not been covered by the PCC.
Whittow first told Jay that he did not know the "real reasons" as the
decision was "taken at director level" and that he was not editor at
that point.
When asked if it was his personal view that the decision should have
been taken, he said he does "go along with it", adding that he did not
think "it was serving our best interests at the time".
He went on to say that while he was "not an expert on this", the McCann
story was "a huge problem for us", adding that the PCC "perhaps should
have intervened".
In 2008, Express Newspapers paid damages to the McCanns and published
front-page apologies for incorrect allegations made against the couple.
"Everybody had too much leeway, there was nobody intervening" Whittow
told the inquiry today. "As a result the story carried on and on."
In further questioning on this evidence by Jay, Whittow repeated that
"in hindsight perhaps they [the PCC] might have been able to intervene".
Earlier in his evidence Whittow told the inquiry he would not "put
anything in the paper unless I think it is true".
In reference to his written statement the editor confirmed that "ethics
play a big role" in the titles he is responsible for.
"I am law abiding, I behave properly, I treat people properly," he said.
"I will not publish anything unless I'm confident it's accurate." |
