Yesterday the Telegraph told its staff they were planning to lay-off 20 sub-editors and farms out their work to Press Association. Today, it emerges the paper has hired Andy Coulson to do their PR. According to Greenslade:
“His public relations firm, Coulson Chappell, has been awarded a contract to improve the standing of the company’s publications, the Daily and Sunday Telegraph. His main brief is thought to be to promote the papers as truthful and authoritative.”
The news has been met with bewilderment and gallows humour in the newsroom. How many of those subs’ salaries will be going on Coulson’s PR paycheck?
He’ll be looking for a job…
Judge Lord Burns rules he has no case to answer in his perjury trial…
He will stand trial in Scotland on 21 April. 16 days before polling day…
Moments from day 3 of coulson evidence #hacking https://t.co/EWsVHGtOlg
— Robin Brant 白洛宾 (@robindbrant) April 16, 2014
Everything you need to know, summarised in 6 seconds…
The Old Bailey have been hearing from Dom Loehnis, a former Telegraph journo turned head-hunter and close old friend of the Prime Minister. Called by the prosecution, Loehnis has told the court that he sat next to Rebekah Brooks at David Cameron’s fortieth Birthday party hosted at the PM’s grace and favour country pad Chequers in 2010. The conversation was rather fruity:
Loehnis tells court that brooks told him 'it had been discovered' how people could access voicemails using factory setting pins #hacking
— Robin Brant 白洛宾 (@robindbrant) November 26, 2013
Loehnis on Brooks "She said there was one default code, and nobody changed it… and some people put that code in and discovered voicemails
— Peter Jukes (@peterjukes) November 26, 2013
Loehnis: "Brooks said she didn't think the story would go away…" She talked about PIN numbers "wasn't a story that could be closed down"
— Peter Jukes (@peterjukes) November 26, 2013
Court hears the chequers occasion was a 'private dinner…for close friends' to celebrate the prime ministers birthday #hacking
— Robin Brant 白洛宾 (@robindbrant) November 26, 2013
As early as 2010, Brooks did not believe Coulson could survive in N0.10:
Loehnis tells court brooks told her she didn't think coulson could survive #hacking
— Robin Brant 白洛宾 (@robindbrant) November 26, 2013
Yet he didn’t jump until 2011?
Loehnis came onto the police radar when a latter he wrote to Brooks after she resigned from News International was discovered. Sharp intakes of breath in Downing Street this afternoon….
