Telling Tales: Press, Politics, Power, and the Public Interest

This special edition was commissioned in response to one of the largest media scandals in recent history—the illegal practice of phone hacking. Although the events originated in the United Kingdom and relate particularly to the newspaper industry, the ramifications extend across the globe and across media, just as the tentacles of the Rupert Murdoch empire reach far and wide. As you read the articles that follow so the story unfolds: the lies and the deceit (Tiffen), the wily entanglement and extensive associations of media and political elites (Grantham; Coleman); the macho news cultures (Breit and Ricketson); and the sheer lack of accountability and transparency (Cathcart; Freedman) all add up to a tale of considerable woe