UK phone hacking scandal

The problem I have with this response is that the News apparently targeted anybody they thought would make a good story, not just people who were probably doing things they shouldn't. If it were politicians and business people, for serious research, okay—but the Guardian article I saw said a number of celebrities were also spied on.

Journalism is not the same as tabloid "journalism".

So will WikiLeaks be hosting leaked celebrity sex videos now? Frankly, I've always found their collection of politically themed documents a tad... highbrow.

While I do fear privacy controls, there's quite a difference between public interest and "shagging stories" (as an ex-NotW staffer referred to them when interviewed on Newsnight).

"The right to freedom of speech is not short hand for the right to pontificate. We defend speech freedoms for their connection to a deeper underlying concept—the Right to Know. Without understanding the world around us we can not function. Without an informed public, democracy has no meaning and civilization is adrift. Through understanding the truth about ourselves and the world around us, we are able to advance and survive. Ultimately our understanding depends on discovering primary sources. Everything else is speculation. "

I think this is a superbly well phrased summary of my own (and dare I say the proverbial "hackers") beliefs.