Amazing! Hugh Grant Debates Former News Of The World Editor: ‘You Should Try Real Journalism’

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by Jon Bershad | 5:20 pm, July 7th, 2011

» 18 comments

One of the strangest twists in the ongoing saga of News of the World‘s phone hacking saga was the revelation a few months ago that actor Hugh Grant had not only been a victim, he’d bugged the hackers back. In case you don’t recall, Grant met Paul McMullen, a former NoW editor who’d spoken about the phone hacking before in the press, in a pub and secretly recorded the conversation for a piece he wrote in the New Statesman. Today, Grant got in quite a debate with McMullen on BBC News Channel that was as entertaining as any of his movies.

First Grant went over the story as well as some of his most disturbing findings:

“[McMullen told me] how high, extensive, industrial-scale phone-hacking went on at News of the World, particularly under Andy Coulson, how it wasn’t just the News of the World, it was all the tabloids, how money regularly passed hands between News International and offices of Metropolitan Police, how Margaret Thatcher was the first prime minister to realize it was very hard to get elected in this country without the backing of the Murdoch press. So she was the first one to become an undignified sycophant to that organization, to that media tycoon, a pattern that’s been followed by every Prime Minister since including the current one.”

McMullen was then brought on and, while the conversation seemed relatively friendly at first (McMullen joked that the only thing missing from Grant’s story was that he still owed him money for the drinks), the sparks started flying when McMullen defended the practice of phone hacking.

“You should try real journalism,” Grant said. “Because you’re not an idiot. You could probably do it.”

Grant is set to testify in the case.

Watch the clip from the BBC below:

(h/t Hollywood Elsewhere)

BBC, Hugh Grant, News of the World, Paul McMullen, Phone Hacking

http://www.facebook.com/people/Catherine-Coy/1207016798 Catherine Coy

Hugh Grant is my hero.
http://www.zazzle.com/talkingpoints NORBIT Jr.

Hugh, I think you need to share that admonition with the Democratic Mainstream Media in America!

And Hugh, did you hear what that DSK accuser does for some extra cash on the side? – just thought you’d be interested. lol
Dem4Ever

Was Hugh really getting a hand job from a street walker while criticizing his hosts ethics?…what class!
The Lantern of Truth

Amazing! Hugh Grant Debates Former News Of The World Editor: ‘You Should Try Real Journalism’

Sure , when you try acting .
TfT

Doesn’t surprise me one bit that mediaite highlights this absurdity.

So funny, mediaite thinks Hugh is smart! bawahwhahahahahha
Bill Huggins

Wow. You CONS will do anything to defend MURDOCH

THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY TO DEFEND THIS

DEFEND HACKING THE VOICEMAIL OF A KIDNAPPED CHILD

GO AHEAD ALL YOU CONS: DEFEND THAT
CosmosDan

That was pretty funny. Give em hell Hugh.

I don’t have much sympathy for people who seek celebrity and fortune and then whine about the lack of privacy and freedom that goes with it. {That goes for you crybaby Beck} but hacking into phones is highly unethical and ought to be against the law. That’s not counting bribery. That can’t be defended.
BoomShakalaka

Smackdown
Yoda002

“Newspeak” I mean News Corp. doesn’t know what real Journalism is, they never have, they never will.
Rescuedog2

I’m a Fox watcher and WSJ reader, but I’m glad the News of the World has been destroyed. It was a cancer that had to be killed off. Of course, NewsCorp killed it for their own selfish reasons, but that’s another story.
http://justplaythegame.us JustPlayTheGame

Pretty sure that since this was such a successful operation for News of the World, Murdoch’s other news outlets wouldn’t even think of doing such things. Surely, an isolated incident across the pond at just one fraction of the Murdoch empire..

Hugh can speak rather well off script as well I see. Surely made a putz out of that young man.
Tedderman

playthegame
Surely, an isolated incident across the pond at just one fraction of the Murdoch empire..

You’re kidding right, this standard operating fare for Murdoch’s murderers. They’re lower than a snakes nuts, take Fox news for example…..please!
CAINtheBULL

The Lantern of Truth said:
Amazing! Hugh Grant Debates Former News Of The World Editor: ‘You Should Try Real Journalism’

Sure , when you try acting .

So are you saying that News of the World’s practices were okay? Newspapers hacking your phone is not okay. That shouldn’t be a political thing.
Pablo

Tedderman said:
You’re kidding right, this standard operating fare for Murdoch’s murderers.

Murderers? You’ve lost what little mind you had, Timmah! Seek help.
teccec

CAINtheBULL said:
So are you saying that News of the World’s practices were okay? Newspapers hacking your phone is not okay. That shouldn’t be a political thing.

What I got out of the interview (and I’m not including other related stories on the subject) was the News of the World hack was admitting the recordings were wrong but that he had little sympathy for Hugh since he makes millions off his public exposure. I don’t agree the hacking was ok under ANY circumstances, I don’t think the government should be able to do that without a specific and targeted warrant, but also agree the point McMullen was trying to make is a valid one even though the wrongdoing of the hacking overrides it. Hugh showed his stripes when he launched in to personal attacks against McMullen, not caring to hear or discuss any facts. Fact is, as much as I wish it werent so (because I could care less about Octomom or any of the Kardashians or Hulk Hogan’s family), celebrity news is news. A large percentage of people actually do want to know who Jennifer Anniston is dating this week, or what Lyndsey Lohan got arrested for, or who was shouted down on The View. Tabloid journalism has been around a very long time and isn’t going anywhere. Photogs who aggressively and sometimes illegally take pictures ought to be pummeled without repercussion, newspapers who hack in to targets cell phones or email or whatever ought to be in prison, but the stories will still get published and people like Hugh Grant will continue to demand millions in return for putting their faces and lives out there for public consumption.
CosmosDan

Here’s Hugh Laurie and Frye doing a spoof on Murdock years ago

pretty funny

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9c-QVw-FWs
valkyrie101

This is the first time I have realized that this scandal may turn out to be way big for Fox.
jooce81

NORBIT Jr. said:

And Hugh, did you hear what that DSK accuser does for some extra cash on the side? – just thought you’d be interested. lol

just think, if the accuser was a male and had a website, Hugh could be a republican….