As speculation matures into full-blown witness statements and accusations, Trinity Mirror have called in the law firm Herbert Smith and launched an investigation into phone-hacking across its titles. Until now there have been only present tense denials of such actions.

One shareholder told the FT they expected “nothing less” than an investigation, but it hasn’t come in time to stop the company’s share price going into free fall, with a 9.8% plummet on Monday since Guido, swiftly followed by the BBC, and grudgingly some other papers, began lifting the lid. He’s not sure a mere review is going to do much to reassure investors…

Guido understands the Indy team used every card in the book to secure a delay in the announcement that Johann Hari has been stripped of the 2008 Orwell Prize. The words “delicate” and “state” keep coming up. Sources for the prosecution seem to be outraged at how the Indy are conducting themselves during this humiliating time. While many are concerned at what a fall from grace might do to someone who already claims to be unstable, using a threat of their suicide as emotional blackmail to avoid professional embarrassment has been seen as a step too far. Johann Hari’s accomplice and loyal defender, David Rose, is said to be on suicide watch…

Today’s poor taste award has to go to, Lee Jasper, disgraced Ken Livingstone aide and all round dodgy geezer. It seems he is never one to miss a a smear by association on behalf of his old boss and chum:

http://twitter.com/#!/LeeJasper/status/95475200560336896

Seems the racism campaigner thinks all blonde white people look the same.

UPDATE: Paul Waugh is on this one as well. Team Boris are apparently furious.

UPDATE II: Ken has commented to Guy News via Twitter:

I’m not going to endlessly comment on each & every remark of former employees… But Lee Jasper is not working on or in any way involved in my campaign & self-evidently I don’t agree with these comments.

Further to Guido’s posting earlier about Ed’s red-faced re-jigging and “staggering omissions” on his media contact list, it seems there are even more holes. Despite the video evidence, why was the New Statesman’s conference party not deemed worth of a declaration?

Other media organisations got a name check for their conference parties. Turns out it’s not just Ed’s biographer who can’t remember that night…

Johann Hari looked set to be stripped of one of the most prestigious prizes in the industry, but at the eleventh hour the Orwell Prize committee has agreed to delay their formal decision until an investigation is completed by the Indy. Guido noted the row between the two organisations earlier, and it seems the Indy has got it’s own way by successfully gagged its imaginative columnist. The rather grumpy statement makes it pretty clear which way things were heading for Hari:

“After extensive deliberation, the Council arrived at a clear and unanimous decision, which drew from the combined journalistic and academic expertise of its members. It also considered a representation by Johann Hari in its deliberation, and appropriate weight was placed upon it. The Council of the Orwell Prize is fully satisfied that it has adopted the appropriate procedure for an exercise of this kind. The Independent has now requested that the Council consider further representations by Johann Hari before announcing the decision. However, it would appear that Johann Hari is not permitted to make any further representations whilst The Independent’s investigation is conducted.

In these circumstances, the Council of the Orwell Prize has reluctantly consented to delay any formal announcement as to the status of the 2008 Orwell Prize for Journalism until The Independent has completed its own investigation. We will take no further action and make no further statements until that time.”

Waiting two months won’t make this any less embarrassing Mr Blackhurst, if the announcement was that Hari was going to keep it, you wouldn’t have wanted the delay…

UPDATE: Sources are adamant and that statement is obvious: Johann Hari has lost the Orwell Prize. It was even reported as such yesterday. It’s only the Indy’s PR machine causing trouble, and the Orwell Prize doesn’t smell of roses for caving in.

When Downing Street rushed out their list of media meetings as part of Dave’s fight back at the height of the phone-hacking storm, they missed a couple off. It was typical of the unnecessary communications errors that so often blight this government. With the fact that Miliband hadn’t missed an open goal, a headstrong Labour put the boot in, briefing the Telegraph that a social meeting with Brooks was  a “staggering omission”. “He has got to get a grip on all this and come clean” screamed Ed…

But what’s this from Team Miliband? An updated list this morning. At first glance not much has changed from the first edition, except for, oh yes, previously undisclosed meetings with Screws editor Colin Myler, and one with Rebekah Brooks for good measure. Is this a “staggering omission” as well? Get a grip on this Ed, and come clean et cetera…