The downside of celebrity culture.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066410/Father-7-7-victim-snubs-press-inquiry-hijacked-celebrities.html

Father of 7/7 victim snubs the press inquiry 'hijacked by celebrities'
By Vanessa Allen

Last updated at 11:46 PM on 25th November 2011

Graham Foulkes has rejected the chance to speak at the Leveson inquiry
The father of a man killed in the July 7 terror attacks has refused to take part in the Leveson inquiry because it has been ‘hijacked’ by celebrities.

Graham Foulkes was told by police that – following the death of his son David – his phone had been targeted by a private investigator working for the News of the World.

Appalled by the discovery, he said he initially wanted ‘retribution’ and had hoped the Leveson inquiry would focus on the media’s treatment of victims of tragedies.

But Mr Foulkes, a magistrate, said he had now decided against offering evidence – despite having testified to the July 7 inquest.

‘My objection to the inquiry is that I believe it’s been hijacked by so-called celebrities and they’re using it for their own purposes,’ he said.

Witnesses at the Leveson inquiry have included actors Hugh Grant, Steve Coogan and Sienna Miller, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley.

The parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler and Kate and Gerry McCann have also given moving evidence about the impact of press intrusion on their lives.

Mr Foulkes, from Oldham, said: ‘The inquiry is a good thing for those ordinary members of the public whose lives have been touched by tragedy and intruded upon in such a dreadful way by one organisation.

More...
How I fought for the privacy of my children, by Harry Potter author JK Rowling
Kate McCann 'felt raped' after her secret diary was printed in the News of the World
Sienna Miller felt 'terrible' for accusing family and friends of selling stories, she tells Leveson Inquiry

‘But what does concern me is that celebrities choose to employ people like [the publicist] Max Clifford, who’s a multi-millionaire out of celebrity and the media.

‘And just because the media is under the spotlight at the moment, one or two so-called celebrities seem to me to have jumped on the bandwagon and they’ve hijacked the inquiry for their own purposes.

‘I’m not quite sure what Hugh Grant is moaning about.’
Mr Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son was among 52 people killed in the bombings, said he thought Lord Justice Leveson should focus on how the press dealt with the public in the aftermath of such tragedies.
Hugh Grant giving evidence at the Leveson inquiry, Graham Foulkes said he didn't know what he was moaning about
In an interview with the BBC, he said the News of the World and its owner Rupert Murdoch had already been held to account over phone hacking.

He said: ‘When the police phoned me and told me the News of the World had my personal details I was really angry and I wanted retribution.

‘And then I think my need for justice was satisfied: the Murdochs have been held to account, the shares went down the pan and they’ve been highlighted for the people they are.

‘I felt happy with that, and then when the inquiry was announced and that Brian Leveson – a man I hugely respect – would be running this inquiry, I expected that the focus and attention would be to really make the press sit up and take notice of how they deal with the public in such terrible circumstances.
‘Instead, it’s been broadened out to lots of newspapers by celebrities for their own purposes.’

Evidence; Steve Coogan was another celebrity to speak at the inquiry
Mr Foulkes said he was alarmed that the inquiry could lead to restrictive controls being enforced on newspapers.

‘I am worried that as a result of this inquiry and any knee-jerk reaction the Government will impose overly restrictive codes of practice on solid, important journalism,’ he said.

‘We’ve seen many examples where journalists have brought terrorists, murderers and criminals to justice where the police have failed. And that must not be allowed to be restricted.’

A spokesman for the Leveson Inquiry said Mr Foulkes had not been called to give evidence.

A leading QC, meanwhile, has criticised the huge attention given to the Leveson inquiry.

Speaking at a media dinner in Glasgow, Paul McBride said: ‘I watched, as most of you have, the hysterical coverage of allegations of journalistic wrongdoing.
‘I say allegations, because there’s been plenty of them with very little in the way of evidence.
Actress Sienna Miller and David Sherborne QC arriving at the Leveson inquiry on Thursday
‘I watched the Leveson inquiry, with endless celebrities babbling away about how their lives have been ruined by media intrusion when often they have paid millions of pounds to PR consultants to get their names in to the paper in the first place.’

He also said the enormous police resources used to investigate hacking were disproportionate to the scale of the problem.

‘It doesn’t take you long to find out that in London the Met have the most unsolved murders in the United Kingdom,’ he added. ‘In London, every year, about 15 per cent of murders go unsolved.’

The first part of the Leveson inquiry, sitting at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, is looking at the culture, practices and ethics of the press in general.

The second part will examine unlawful journalistic activities.
Unquote.

This will upset the Mc's - not being in the list of celebs - esp not in the same class as their busum buddy JK Rowling! TuT!

Fortunately I don't fawn over "Celebrities"myself but some of them do seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the Press and methinks they do protest too much.

And if those who do fawn over Celebrities were to stop feeding their habit, we could all be seen for what we are ............ "the ordinary person"

In the specific instance of the Leveson farce enquiry, people who may actually have been really hurt are generally taking a back seat.

What a sad indictment of our Society.

I felt Leveson, who should have been kindly, and decently sympathetic to the Mccanns, and yet neutral when mentioning what caused Madeleine to go missing, blotted his copybook from stage one. He stressed the word 'abduction' (so did the inquiring lawyer for that matter). Also, he positively oiled up to the pair. He should simply have thanked them for appearing voluntarily as witnesses and that should have been that. I found it quite creepy how he appeared to grovel, stressing Doctor McCann rather than Doctor McCann when speaking to Gerry in particular. It is true that they suffered at the hands of the press, but they also used it shamelessly for their own separate purposes, as well as for helping in 'the hunt for Madeleine'. The fact that I feel sympathetic to them for being hounded, alters not a jot my opinion that 'abduction by a paedophile stranger' seems to me the least likely answer to the question: 'What happened to Madeleine?' I don't think we shall ever find out now...

Fortunately I don't fawn over "Celebrities"myself but some of them do seem to have a symbiotic relationship with the Press and methinks they do protest too much.

And those who do fawn over Celebrities were to stop feeding their habit, we could all be seen for what we are ............ "the ordinary person"

In the specific instance of the Leveson farce enquiry, people who may actually have been really hurt are generally taking a back seat.

What a sad indictment of our Society.

I agree. "Celebrities" such as Sienna Miller who feature in Hello magazine have asked for the media when they want it but don't like it when they don't (actually the same as the McCanns). I wonder why Sienna doesn't employ the McCanns attack dogs Carter-Ruck as they have done a great job in keeping the stories "sympathetic" to them in the last 2 years or so.

I actually think that the McCanns only went to Leveson Enquiry to stop bloggers, forums and users of social networking sites discussing their case. They are looking for total control on their story. And as I have seen on twitter people can change their mind about them once they are presented with the evidence (I am one).

If the McCanns want to stop internet dissenters discussing their case they'll be in for a few headaches.
It's akin to a field of mushrooms - pick off one or two blogs or fora and a whole bunch more will appear overnight.

If they wanna play Whack-A-Mole, they'll be doing it into their dotage!

Great post.

I can just see them with their mallets at the ready

Celebrities normally crave the limelight in all forms of human endeavour, and are paid big bucks for their shallow ‘pretendy’ lifestyle and are quite happy to utilise the media to achieve the stardom and narcissistic fame their ego demands. Yet they cry into their bulging wallets the first time an adverse article appears in the press or are duped by the media and are appearing in this enquiry purely to suit their own pathetic needs.

Who really gives a damn whether the likes of Hugh Grant, once arrested by the LAPD after being caught in his car on Sunset Strip with prostitute Divine Brown who he'd paid $50 to perform a service down below, copping a $1,180 fine and two years probation for his lewd act. Appearing afterwards on the Jay Leno show, Leno asked him, 'What were you thinking?' Grant replied, 'I'm not one to go around blowing my own trumpet' his blatant wit sending the audience into raptures." Does this seem like someone who isn't at ease with the media and quite capable and prepared to use it to suit his own perverse ends?

The McCanns, in their manifestation of aspirant celebrities have been allowed to utilise the podium of this enquiry just as they have the media, to spread their mantra without any attempt of a challenge to the veracity of what they were saying, even though a previous statement by their spokesperson had denied there had been any hacking...
Why just them? Why not just allow every mobile phone owner with a tall tale to tell, to step forward and make a statement of discontent with the actions of the media?

While our laws should equally apply to everyone, non celebrities who have been wronged by the rabid scandal seeking paparazzi, such as the Dowlers and Watsons are who this enquiry should focus on.

The limelight chasing celebrities and their wannabes with their fiscal ability to challenge any apparent or deemed slur should be made to spend their time and money protecting their pathetic childish allusions to grandeur and give the real people of this country some proper reality entertainment.