Wednesday
Aug172011
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Mail takes down Leigh story
Aug 17, 2011 Media Autonomous Mind is reporting that the Daily Mail's story about the Guardian's David Leigh being interviewed about phone hacking has disappeared from the web.
Reader Comments (20)
Some of these websites are labyrinthine. Maybe they just filed it somewhere else. Googling 'David Leigh phone hacking' gives 45,100 results.
Here is the confession.
"I've used some of those questionable methods myself over the years. I, too, once listened to the mobile phone messages of a corrupt arms company executive - the crime similar to that for which Goodman now faces the prospect of jail. The trick was a simple one: the businessman in question had inadvertently left his pin code on a print-out and all that was needed was to dial straight into his voicemail."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/dec/04/mondaymediasection
Anyone who believes the last line of the confession is hopelessly naive.
Pharos - did you read the article Bish linked to? There is a screen shot of an article that I can't pull up using Google domain search or the DM search facility. If anybody else can, please post a link.
I learn something everyday, today it is "The Streisand Effect" thanks to Anthony Watts at AM:-
"Anthony Watts 17/08/2011 at 9:28 pm
Confirmed, not a server bug, they really did disappear it.
Fortunately there are dozens of copies about. The Streisand effcet will kick in."
http://autonomousmind.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/stealth-editing-becomes-stealth-censorship/#comment-7533
"The Streisand effect is a primarily online phenomenon in which an attempt to hide or remove a piece of information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
The more that people dig into David Leigh's activities the more we can see there is something rotten going on. Delving into some historical news items I now have another example of the Daily Mail airbrushing from its record without explanation all reference to another journalist scandal.
And who did this journalist happen to be working with...? David Leigh of the Guardian.
More about that soon on AM once I have double checked my info. In the meantime we can be excused for asking just what is the behind the scenes relationship between people at the Daily Mail and David Leigh.
"The recent furore has largely been limited to News International's News of the World, which shut its doors after 168 years when it was alleged the tabloid hacked the phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler.
But other media groups are now in the spotlight after Britain's Information Commissioner's Office said police had requested files from a 2006 inquiry into the use of private investigators by newspapers.
That inquiry found the Daily Mail made 952 requests to private detectives for confidential details; The People made 802 requests; the Daily Mirror 681; and The Mail on Sunday 266.
News of the World was in fifth place with 228.
"The information was handed over to the police three months ago. It was at their request," a spokesman for the Information Commissioner's Office said."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-21/hacking-evidence-to-be-looked-at-again/2805108
"what is the behind the scenes relationship between people at the Daily Mail and David Leigh."
David Leigh wrote for the Daily Mail.
I've just reported it to the Daily Mail's technical team with a link to the Autonomouse Mind article. Perhaps others might like to do the same.
Anthony Watts uses something that caches all old pages but I cannot recall what it is at the moment. Will have to trawl back through WUWT to find out if it will help. Anyone else used it?
Pete H
Waybackmachine.org
I think (haven't time to look)
Follow the money and I think it will lead right to the top - the Very Top.
If you remember the TV interviews with private detectives you will remember they made it clear it was far from just being the NOW that used this sort of approaches . The board sheets , like the Guardian, like to portray themselves above the red tops , but the reality is there just as news hungry and just as willing to get down into the gutter if a slightly posher type of gutter .
In one way the surprise about recent events has been the press having a go at itself , as there as long been a short of fleet street understanding between papers that, you don't knife me in my back and I won't knife you in yours . So although their happy to throw dirt at everyone else they didn't general throw dirt at each other as they all know to much about each others dirt . Looks like understanding has gone and we could all be hearing much more about the boys & girls that come up with the headlines .
"Looks like understanding has gone"
If I was an ex-NOW hack, I'd be looking for blood!
I agree there was a conspiracy of silence in Fleet Street in the past on this kind of malpractice. But for the Mail to remove a page referring to David Leigh's confession strikes me as inept in the extreme, for the reason Anthony Watts gives over at AM. Then there's our old friend Ben Webster's name on a front-page article in the Times yesterday in effect putting the boot into his own proprietor. It seems as if it's open season on the Murdochs but elsewhere deals are being struck to try and limit the damage. But the blogosphere/twittersphere is the giant obstacle for all that. More to come no doubt.
The version of the story at the express is still there:
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/263289
It says that Leigh got a “voyeuristic thrill” from secretly listening to private messages.
I said this at Autonomous Mind, but isn't it possible that the story has been taken down on the grounds that it might prejudice a police investigation/court case?
The rules on reporting criminal cases have changed dramatically in the past 15 years. Best to check that there isn't a valid reason for the removal.
>Anthony Watts uses something that caches all old pages.
Probably Internet Archive http://www.archive.org/
Aspiring internet detectives may also enjoy Tineye http://tineye.com/
@Bruce | Aug 18, 2011 at 1:05 AM
"David Leigh wrote for the Daily Mail."
The David Leigh to whom you're referring, who penned stories for the Mail about the "faked death canoeist John Darwin" and other stories, is a freelance of the same name. The Guardian's David Leigh has never written for the Mail.
Dead Dog Bounce: But apparently there's no reference to the original story at all. If the Mail said explicitly "We took a story about David Leigh down so as not to prejudice such and such" that's one thing. This is another.
Don't think the Mail will be taking this one down. This tangled web is starting to unravel, wonder just how many areas it will cover in the end?
"Phone hacking investigation detective arrested 'for leaking information to the Guardian'"
"A 51-year-old Scotland Yard detective has been arrested over leaks during the phone hacking investigation, the force said today."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2027963/Phone-hacking-investigation-detective-arrested-leaking-information-Guardian.html#ixzz1VUiwhN1G