News of the World made hush payment of £125K to McCanns

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/dec/17/news-of-world-mccanns-payment?CMP=twt_fd

News of the World made hush payment of £125K to McCanns
Confidential deal towards search fund for Madeleine was part of apology for tabloid's publication of mother Kate's diary extracts


News of the World made hush payment of £125K to McCanns

Confidential deal towards search fund for Madeleine was part of apology for tabloid's publication of mother Kate's diary extracts

Daniel Boffey
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 17 December 2011 13.48 GMT
Article history

Gerry and Kate McCann Leveson Inquiry
Kate and Gerry McCann giving evidence at the Leveson Inquiry over coverage of their daughter Madeleine's disappearance. News of the World made a confidential payment for publishing Kate's private diaries. Photograph: Pool/Reuters

The News of the World paid £125,000 to the fund supporting the search for Madeleine McCann as part of an apology for publishing Kate McCann's diaries – on condition that the terms of the deal remained secret.

The payment was made after the missing girl's parents expressed their outrage at the story, which Kate McCann said made her feel "mentally raped". All the parties involved in the negotiations over the payment, which was agreed in September 2008, were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement hiding the scale of the newspaper's culpability.

The payment was made despite claims by the defunct newspaper's editor at the Leveson inquiry last week that he believed he had had the full support of the McCanns to publish. Colin Myler, who edited the NoW from 2007 until it closed this year, told the inquiry he had received repeated assurances from his head of news, Ian Edmondson, that the McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, supported publication – a claim which has been strenuously denied.

Myler told the inquiry that he subsequently ran an apology and paid a "substantial sum" because "he felt very bad that she didn't know". However, the Observer has learned that the NoW initially tried to minimise the compensation. A source at News International, the owner of the newspaper, said there were hours of negotiations between the newspaper's lawyers and Carter-Ruck, the solicitors hired by the McCanns, in the days following publication of the story on 14 September 2008.

A deal was finally struck in which a £125,000 payment was agreed, but all parties were obliged to sign agreements that they would not talk about the size of the compensation. Last night Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman declined to comment on the revelation.

The Leveson inquiry into the media will hear this week from former NoW sports journalist Matt Driscoll, who was awarded almost £800,000 for unfair dismissal in April 2007 while on long-term sick leave for stress-related depression following a campaign of bullying provoked by the newspaper's then editor, Andy Coulson.

It will also hear via video link from Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror and the NoW, who now works for CNN in New York. At 28, Morgan was appointed editor of the NoW, making him the youngest tabloid newspaper editor in history. He was editor of the Daily Mirror for more than 10 years, but was sacked in 2004 after the newspaper conceded that photos it published apparently showing British soldiers abusing an Iraqi were fake.

Morgan claimed in a GQ magazine interview in 2007 that phone hacking was "widespread" and that "loads of newspaper journalists were doing it" when Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire were jailed in January of that year.

Asked in the interview whether he knew about voicemail interception while he was editor of NoW, Morgan said: "Well, I was there in 1994-95, before mobiles were used very much, and that particular trick wasn't known about. I can't get too excited about it, I must say. It was pretty well known that if you didn't change your pin code when you were a celebrity who bought a new phone, then reporters could ring your mobile, tap in a standard factory setting number and hear your messages. That is not, to me, as serious as planting a bug in someone's house, which is what some people seem to think was going on."

In 2006 Morgan wrote an article for the Daily Mail claiming that he was played a tape of a message Paul McCartney left on the mobile phone of Heather Mills. "The couple had clearly had a tiff, Heather had fled to India, and Paul was pleading with her to come back," he wrote. "He sounded lonely, miserable and desperate, and even sang We Can Work It Out into the answerphone."

Let's hope it was paid "Without Prejudice".

all parties were obliged to sign agreements that they would not talk about the size of the compensation

Because it's such a piffling amount? Given the McC's claim they didn't give consent, one would think Carter Ruck would have managed to squeeze an awful lot more than £120,000 out of the NOTW. Feels more like a 'gesture' than proper compensation to me. I think the Pink one fkd up and had this gone to court, the McC's would have lost. Better to just take what's been offered and shut up about it.

Is it my failing eyesight or has the word 'hush' been whooshed from that article?

almostgothic wrote:Is it my failing eyesight or has the word 'hush' been whooshed from that article?

It does appear to have been edited. Someone's on the ball!

Hush, hush, whisper who dares!
Daniel Boffey's been given the scares!

Good job we have the originals
We know who has been got at, who did the getting at?

Annabel wrote:

Thank you Annabel!

OMG! Didn't take long, did it!!

almostgothic wrote:Hush, hush, whisper who dares!
Daniel Boffey's been given the scares!

I've just nicked your verse for my blog! I usually like to credit what I've nicked, so would you be happy for me to say it was from almostgothic?

Thank you Anna - yes, perfectly happy!


And I promise I won't tell the world I've been violated.
Or force your people to negotiate with my people for £125k hush money compensation.
Or sneak to Lord Justice Leveson.
Or have my spokesperson vent his bluster and pomposity anger and disappointment.

almostgothic wrote:Thank you Anna - yes, perfectly happy!


And I promise I won't tell the world I've been violated.
Or force your people to negotiate with my people for £125k hush money compensation.
Or sneak to Lord Justice Leveson.
Or have my spokesperson vent his bluster and pomposity anger and disappointment.

I'm so relieved to hear that!

It would have looked bad on Kate if she had been paid for her private thoughts - her diary - to the NoW having made the point to the PJ that it was not appropriate to delve.

The only way it could be done was to agree to unearth a Portugese version, blame the PJ for the 'leak' (added bonus) and then apologise and pay up afterwards - its called money laundering and SY should get on it straight away - Clarry seems to have his hands dirty with this.

Does that money show up in the Fund's accounts?

http://www.maxfarquar.com/2011/12/hush-up-the-hush-payment/


Max Farquar


It is what it is …

Hush Up The Hush Payment


24tweetsretweet


Well, here’s a strange thing, that occurred over on the Guardian website yesterday. When their article about the McCann evidence, at the Leveson inquiry, first went up it had this headline … “News of the World made hush payment of £125K to McCanns”. Then, for some reason or other, the headline was changed to … “McCann fund received £125,000 from News of the World”, which puts a completely different spin on the whole story.

Normally, when an editorial change is made to an online article, you would expect to see when that article was updated, within the information under the ‘Article history’ tab. Nope. Not in this case. Nothing about the ‘hush payment’ headline. Only a mention of an alteration for publication in The Observer at 00.10 GMT, hours after the headline change was made.

Does any of this really matter or surprise? No. Probably not.

But I do find myself wondering … “what was all that about then?”





Tip of the hat to @ElementaryForce for the screen grabs

.

It's on the CR website that Kate McCann received an apology and a donation to the fund.


Doesn't say how much though.....wonder why.


Carter ruck are also representing a lot off the phone hacking clients..

Could this be the start of something big?????

A deal was finally struck in which a £125,000 payment was agreed, but
all parties were obliged to sign agreements that they would not talk
about the size of the compensation. Last night Kate and Gerry McCann's
spokesman declined to comment on the revelation."

Annabel wrote:http://www.anorak.co.uk/305919/madeleine-mccann/madeleine-mccann-when-hush-money-becomes-a-donation.html/

Thanks Annabel, I love Anorak"s sense of humour This is an extract about The Star

POLICE have finally admitted Madeleine McCann was abducted four years ago.

Fact! How did they prove it? We are not told:

Her parents Kate and ­Gerry had fought ­authorities to accept she was snatched from their holiday apartment in ­Portugal.

But only now have ­detectives put in writing that her case is one of ­abduction.

The Met at first refused to release paperwork under the Freedom
of Information Act on the grounds it would “adversely harm the
­investigation”.

But, after an appeal, ­police finally handed over details to the
Daily Star Sunday last week after a wait of nearly three months.

A source close to the McCanns, both 43, said: “Kate and Gerry are
pleased the police are treating it as an abduction because that’s what
they have said was the case since Madeleine went missing.”

We do not see hos the Met proved the child was abducted. But if the Star says so, it’s good enough, right?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10774023

The News of the World paid £125,000 ($255,000) to the fund supporting the search for Madeleine McCann as part of an apology for publishing Kate McCann's diaries - on condition that the terms of the deal remained secret.

The payment was made after the missing girl's parents expressed their outrage at the story, which Kate McCann said made her feel "mentally raped". All the parties involved in the negotiations over the payment, which was agreed in September 2008, were asked to sign a confidentiality agreement hiding the scale of the newspaper's culpability.

The payment was made despite claims by the defunct newspaper's editor at the Leveson inquiry last week that he believed he had had the full support of the McCanns to publish.

Colin Myler, who edited the NOTW from 2007 until it closed this year, told the inquiry he had received repeated assurances from his head of news, Ian Edmondson, that the McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, supported publication - a claim which has been strenuously denied.

Myler told the inquiry that he subsequently ran an apology and paid a "substantial sum" because "he felt very bad that she didn't know".

However, the NOTW initially tried to minimise the compensation. A source at News International, the owner of the newspaper, said there were hours of negotiations between the company's lawyers and Carter-Ruck, the solicitors hired by the McCanns, in the days following publication of the story on September 15, 2008.

A deal was finally struck in which a £125,000 payment was agreed, but all parties were obliged to sign agreements that they would not talk about the size of the compensation. Yesterday Kate and Gerry McCann's spokesman and News International declined to comment.

The Leveson inquiry into the media will hear this week from former NOTW sports journalist Matt Driscoll, who was awarded almost £800,000 for unfair dismissal in April 2007 while on long-term sick leave for stress-related depression after a campaign of bullying provoked by the newspaper's editor at the time, Andy Coulson.

It will also hear via video link from Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror and the NOTW who now works for CNN in New York. Morgan claimed in a GQ magazine interview in 2007 that phone hacking was "widespread" and that "loads of newspaper journalists were doing it" when Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire were jailed in January of that year.

Asked in the interview whether he knew about voicemail interception while he was editor of NOTW, Morgan said: "Well, I was there in 1994-95, before mobiles were used very much, and that particular trick wasn't known about. I can't get too excited about it, I must say. It was well known that if you didn't change your pin code when you were a celebrity who bought a new phone, then reporters could ring your mobile, tap in a factory setting number and hear your messages.

"That is not, to me, as serious as planting a bug in someone's house, which is what some people seem to think was going on."

In 2006 Morgan wrote an article for the Daily Mail claiming that he was played a tape of a message Paul McCartney left on the mobile phone of Heather Mills.

"The couple had clearly had a tiff, Heather had fled to India, and Paul was pleading with her to come back," he wrote. "He sounded lonely, miserable and desperate, and even sang We Can Work It Out into the answerphone."

- Observer

COLIN MYLER WAS BORN IN WIDNES,CHESHIRE,ANY SIGNIFIANCE?

Badboy wrote:COLIN MYLER WAS BORN IN WIDNES,CHESHIRE,ANY SIGNIFIANCE?

Not that I know of Badboy, but someone else might.

Panda wrote:

Badboy wrote:COLIN MYLER WAS BORN IN WIDNES,CHESHIRE,ANY SIGNIFIANCE?

Not that I know of Badboy, but someone else might.

Same here Panda, he's described on Wikepedia as a practicing Catholic, educated at SS John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School, in Widnes. Working first at the Catholic Pictorial in Southport, moving to various other UK dailies before leaving for the states in 2001. Returning in 2007 becoming editor of the News of the World and remained in post until the paper ceased publication on 10 July 2011. In January 2012, Myler was appointed editor in chief of the New York Daily News.