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Royals hacked
The News of the World publishes a story on a knee injury suffered by Prince William, Queen Elizabeth's grandson and second in line to the throne. That prompts complaints by officials of the royal court about voicemail messages being intercepted. The complaints spark a police inquiry. -
Clive Goodman arrested
August: Detectives arrest the News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman and private investigator Glenn Mulcaire over allegations that they hacked into the mobile phones of members of the royal household. -
Clive Goodman Jailed
The News of the World's royal affairs editor Clive Goodman is jailed for four months. Private investigator Glenn Mulcaire is given a six-month prison term. Goodman and Mulcaire admitted conspiring to intercept communications while Mulcaire also pleaded guilty to five other charges of intercepting voicemail messages. After the two were sentenced, News of the World editor Coulson resigns, saying he took "ultimate responsibility," though knew nothing of the offences in advance. -
Andy Coulson (remember the name)
Harbottle and Lewis, News International’s lawyers, review internal emails between Mr Coulson and executives, but find “no evidence” they were aware of Goodman’s actions. Later that month, Andy Coulson becomes the Conservative Party's director of communications under leader David Cameron. -
James Murdoch
James Murdoch is made chief executive of News Corporation's European and Asian operations. -
Gordon Taylor
James Murdoch agrees to pay Gordon Taylor (footbal executive) £700,000 to settle a phone hacking claim. -
Rebekah Brookes
Rebekah Brooks becomes CEO of News International. -
Phone Hacking
It emerges that News of the World reporters, with the knowledge of senior staff, illegally accessed messages from the mobile phones of celebrities and politicians while Coulson was editor from 2003 to 2007. It is also reported that News Group Newspapers, which publishes the News of the World, has paid out more than £1 million to settle cases that threatened to reveal evidence of its journalists' alleged involvement in phone hacking. -
phone hacking continued
Scotland Yard says it will not be carrying out a new investigation into the allegations, but the Crown Prosecution Service announces an urgent review of material provided by the police in 2006.
News of the World editor Colin Myler tells the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee of an internal review in which more than 2,500 emails were read and that “no evidence” of wrongdoing had been uncovered. -
Andy Coulson - yes him
Mr Coulson tells MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee things went ''badly wrong'' under his editorship of the News of the World, but insists he knew nothing about alleged phone tapping by his journalists. -
Les Hinton
Les Hinton, chief executive of Dow Jones and former executive chairman of Murdoch's newspaper arm in Britain, tells a committee of legislators any problem with phone hacking was limited to the one, already well-publicised, case. He says they carried out a wide review and found no new evidence.
At the start of the month, Rebekah Brooks leaves The Sun to become the chief executive of News International. -
PPC Report
The Press Complaints Commission says in a second report that it has seen no new evidence to suggest anyone at the News of the World other than Goodman and Mulcaire hacked phone messages, or that the paper's executives knew what the pair were doing. -
House of Commons
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee says in a report that it is "inconceivable" that managers at the paper did not know about the practice, which the legislators say was more widespread than the paper had admitted. -
Andy Coulson (again)
Mr Coulson becomes head of the new coalition Government's media operation after David Cameron enters 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister. -
MPs want an investigation
MPs ask parliament's standards watchdog to begin a new investigation into the hacking allegations at the Sunday tabloid and its former editor Coulson.
The New York Times publishes a long article which claims Mr Coulson knew his staff was carrying out illegal phone hacking. The story also raises questions about how vigorously Scotland Yard pursued the case and prompts pressure for a new investigation. -
Andy Coulson
Mr Coulson is interviewed as a witness by Metropolitan Police detectives investigating the phone tapping allegations. He is not cautioned or arrested. -
CPS back off
The Crown Prosecution Service says no further charges will be brought over the News of the World phone hacking scandal because witnesses refused to co-operate with police. -
Operation Weeting
British police open a new investigation into allegations of phone hacking at the tabloid called 'Operation Weeting' after actress Sienna Miller, MP George Galloway and RMT union leader Bob Crow claim their phones were hacked.
NOTW announces it has sacked senior editor Ian Edmondson after an internal inquiry. Despite David Cameron defending Andy Coulson in the face of ongoing speculation about his knowledge of phone hacking at NOTW Andy Coulson resigns as Cameron's communications chief. -
Met Police Statement
The Met Police release a statement saying officers have identified more potential victims of hacking while reviewing files relating to the original Goodman and Mulcaire case. They say they are urgently notifying people who had previously been told that police had "little or no information" about them. -
Glenn Mulcaire
Lawyers for a football agent suing the NOTW claim Glenn Mulcaire passed information directly to the newsdesk rather than an individual reporter, Goodman. They say the desk could have been staffed by "a number of journalists", and suggest that this means knowledge of phone-hacking was more widespread than previously admitted. A judge rules that Mulcaire must provide information about whether other journalists at the NOTW were involved in hacking. He was worried about incriminating himself. -
Panorama
The BBC's Panorama reveals that in 2006, a then News of the World executive, Alex Marunchak, obtained e-mails belonging to an ex-British Army intelligence officer that had been hacked in to by a private detective.
Mr Marunchak denies any wrongdoing, while News International says it will act if shown new evidence of improper conduct. -
More NOTW arrests
Former NOTW editor Ian Edmondson, chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and senior journalist James Weatherup are arrested on suspicion of hacking. NOTW admits it had a role in phone hacking. NOTW publishes apologies on both its website and newspaper. News International also announces it will set up a compensation scheme to deal with "justifiable claims" fairly and efficiently. The publisher adds it will continue to contest cases "that we believe are without merit or where we are not responsible". -
More victims
Former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott, Labour MP Chris Bryant, ex-Scotland Yard commander Brian Paddick and journalist Brendan Montague, all alleged victims of phone hacking, win a High Court bid for a judicial review into the police inquiry. They believe their human rights were breached.
Former senior Scotland Yard officer Ali Dizaei is also told by the Met Police his phone could have been hacked in 2006. If the claims are true, Mr Dizaei says he will sue. -
Sienna Miller
June 7: News Group, owner of the News of the World, formally apologises to Sienna Miller for hacking into several of her mobile phones, and pays her a settlement of £100,000 for damages and legal costs. -
Lord Prescott
Lord Prescott, the alleged victim of phone hacking by the News of the World, calls for the government to hold an independent public inquiry into the issue.
Meanwhile, Scotland Yard confirms it is also investigating allegations of computer-hacking at the News of the World following the March BBC Panorama revelations about e-mail hacking. -
Ryan Giggs
Footballer Ryan Giggs launches legal action against the News of the World over claims his mobile phone was hacked, his lawyer says. -
paying off the police
300 emails handed to Scotland Yard, which had been retrieved from Harbottle & Lewis, allegedly show that Mr Coulson had authorised payments to police officers. -
Andy Gray
Football pundit Andy Gray accepts £20,000 in compensation from the News of the World owner News Group Newspapers, plus undisclosed costs, over voicemail interceptions. -
Terenia Taras
Police investigating the phone-hacking claims arrest a 39-year-old woman in West Yorkshire. She is understood to be Terenia Taras, the partner or former partner of Greg Miskiw, who worked in senior roles for the News of the World until 2005. She was released on bail and is due to return to a West Yorkshire police station on a date in mid-October.
And following a month-long trial, Levi Bellfield is found guilty of murdering Milly Dowler in 2002. -
Laura Elston
Police arrest journalist Laura Elston, who covers royal stories for the Press Association, on suspicion of intercepting communications. She is released on bail until October. -
Milly Dowler voicemail hacked
A lawyer for the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler reveals police have told him her voicemail messages was hacked back in 2002, possibly by the New of the World. -
Announcment there willl be an inquiry into the British Press
Cameron announces two inquiries. one to inquire on the hacking of the scandal to be led by a Judge. And the second to look at new regulations for the British Press. -
News of the World last edition
Last ever edition of the NOTW -
Lord Justice Leveson to Chair
News Corp withdraws its bid for BSkyB. Family of Milly Dowler meet with David Cameron in Downing street. And Lord Justice Leveson is named as the chair of the public inquiry into the Phone Hacking scandal. -
Neil Wallis
Neil Wallis, former Executive editor of News of the World arrested. Suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications. -
Rebekah Brooks
Rebekah Brooks, former News of the World editor resigns as Chief executive of News International. -
Murdoch apologises
Rupert Murdoch uses adverts in National Newspaper to apologise for the News of the World “serious wrongdoing.” The sun website is hacked by Lulzsec group to display a fake story about Rupert Murdoch’s death. -
Scandal
David Cameron calls MPs from their summer break to debate the scandal, he also cuts short his trip to Africa to deal with the crisis. -
Brooks questioned - MPs
Rebekah Brooks is pressed by MPs on her knowledge of News of the Worlds involvement with private detectives and police payments for stories. Murdoch says he is “appalled and ashamed” -
Sarah Payn
Reports emerge that the News of the World targeted the mobile phone of Sarah Payn’s mother, Sara. The phone was allegedly a gift from NOTW and was by Rebekah Brooks. -
Heather Mills vs Daily Mail
Heather Mills calims her Phone was hacked by a reporter at the Daily Mail. -
Greg Miskiw - arrested
Greg Miskiw, former News of the World editor is arrested. -
Greg Miskiw - hush money
He admits to paying £700,000 of ‘hush money’ to Gordon Taylor, chairman of the professional footballers Association. -
public inquiry annouced
Cameron has set up a public inquiry, chaired by Lord Leveson to investigate into media ethics. -
NOTW strike 2
Ruport Murdoch launches a new Sunday edition of The Sun Tabloid in place of the News of the World. -
Brooks arrested
Police arrest Rebekah Brooks for the second time, along with five other men including her husband Charlie Brooks.
James Murdoch apologises in a letter to those affected by the hacking scandal. -
James Murdoch
James Murdoch severs all ties with News Corp’s British newspaper business.
April 3rd he resigns as chair from BSkyB -
Leveson Report
Newspapers should continue to be self-regulated - and the government should have no power over what they publish. There had to be a new press standards body created by the industry, with a new code of conduct. That body should be backed by legislation, which would create a means to ensure the regulation was independent and effective. The arrangement would provide the public with confidence that their complaints would be dealt with seriously - and ensure the press were protected from interfer -
IPSO
The newspaper industry, in defiance of the Royal Charter and against the wishes of the public, is set to launch IPSO, a son-of-PCC. IPSO does not meet 20 of the 38 recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson in relation to press self-regulation.
