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Why Hasn’t CNN Reported On Piers Morgan’s Hacking Allegations?

» 32 comments

While CNN, like many news outlets, has provided extensive coverage of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, the network has neglected to pursue an angle that hits close to home: CNN host Piers Morgan‘s own possible indiscretions as former editor of The Daily Mirror.

Adweek decided to directly verify CNN’s lack of Morgan coverage with the network itself, which readily confirmed that no airtime has been devoted to Morgan’s possible role in any hacking allegations. A network spokesperson explained that Morgan “has not been officially called to testify in England.” Furthermore, the spokesperson pointed to an interview Morgan conducted this week with CBS’ The Talk, where he insisted that “the papers I edited always operated within the law.”

But that hasn’t stopped some from questioning Morgan’s possible involvement with a hacking scandal involving Swedish television presenter Ulrika Jonsson and soccer manager Sven-Göran Eriksson. British blogger “Guido Fawkes” presented the story that Morgan, under pressure to breathe new life in the paper’s gossip section, was aware that journalists at the Mirror had hacked phones to obtain information on an affair between the two Swedes:

James “Scottie” Scott, the Daily Mirror’s showbiz reporter at the time, was listening into Ulrika Jonsson’s voicemails when he was flummoxed by messages in her native Swedish. As fortune would have it, he was able to get a half-Swedish Mirror secretary to translate the mysterious voicemails. It was clear from the translations that the couple were having an affair. The male voice sounded just like the then England football manager Sven Goran Eriksson. The paper put the allegation to the sexy Swedish shaggers and they coughed to the truth of the allegation. It broke on the [sic] April 19, 2002.

The paper’s editor at the time, one Piers Morgan, was receiving flak for the fact that his 3AM Girls gossip section was dire rubbish and lacked any bite compared to Morgan’s old Bizarre column in News International’s Sun. Morgan decided to let 3AM Girl Jessica Callan break the illegally obtained story under her byline in order to try and rid the column of its banal reputation.

The Mirror‘s parent company responded to these allegations by stating that “Trinity Mirror’s position is clear. Our journalists work within the criminal law and the PCC code of conduct.”

Which all prompts the question: If Morgan is indeed called to appear before Parliament (and, again, it’s important to note that no formal, official allegation has been made against him) will CNN cover it? Will there be a bits and pieces of the story floating around various programs, or will the network present an exclusive one-on-one interview with Morgan, complete with soft lighting and a Vaseline-smeared camera lens?

h/t Adweek

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  • TfT

    I don’t know, maybe Steven Colbert or Jon Stewart can do a piece on it; oh wait a minute, Piers is liberal, he won’t get that kind of treatment.

    All kidding aside, thanks for covering this Alex….CNN is quick to discuss the scandal, but not so quick to identify potential ties to it’s own personalities,all the while having no problem tying Murdoch and his US based entities to it, despite there being no proof or substantive charges assocaited with that.

  • lillyluminatus

    TfT said:
    I don’t know, maybe Steven Colbert or Jon Stewart can do a piece on it; oh wait a minute, Piers is liberal, he won’t get that kind of treatment.

    There’s also the small fact that he doesn’t own the paper, nor the most-watched “news” network in the United States…

    I agree that CNN should cover this, but it certainly doesn’t change the fact that the sole stain here is on Fox News and its owner and sister companies, not CNN.

  • cmdrgmh

    People who live in glass houses should’nt throw stones. CNN. You better make damned sure ole Piers is clean.

  • MadCharles

    CNN is in much in much deeper slime than news corp. The lingering CNN story we should move on and investigate more closely is CNN’s illegal secret deal with a named terrorist state’s dictator Saddam Hussein not to report all the despair and brutality leveled onto Iraq citizens by Saddam Hussein in exchange for CNN having exclusive in-country access for news gathering and reporting providing all CNN reporting is pro Saddam Hussein. How sick is that one.. Did you think we forgot about this national security disgrace by CNN ? Perhaps Congressman Darrell Issa will rev up his promise to look into this matter and investigate deeper to see if CNN America has entered into any other secret deals with named terrorist states, say like one with North Korea, or China, or Iran…

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

    First of all, there are no “journalists” working for tabloids. They’re all JEERNALISTS. Please don’t make that mistake again. Thank you.

    In other news…Apologies by News Corporation executives abound, but the practical reality is that now is the time to purge the world of the evil influence of Rupert Murdoch. If entire countries (Egypt, Syria, Libya) can excise its evil, society can reject Murdoch’s hideous control of practically the entire English-speaking world’s media.

    If you value an independent media comprised of ethical and responsible journalists, you can do your part by not purchasing or patronizing anything controlled by the News Corporation. Here’s a complete list of News Corporation holdings.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_Corporation#Holdings

    Please do your part. There will likely never be another opportunity to have your voice so widely or forcefully heard.

  • TfT

    laughing at lilly….what stain is on fox news? the made up stain the lefties are trying to slime fox with?

    Mad is correct, CNN not got the kind of attention that Fox is getting now, even though we know full well they lied, cheated, and with held critical information from the public about what Saddam was doing in order to maintain an office in theregion. That was disgusting and disgraceful, but nary a word or hardly a word in the msm since they are sister/brother lefties.

    Funny how Obama is not tied to Ayers and Wright, but Murdoch is tied to all of this…..and here I thought “assocaitions” didn’t matter to lefties, but I guess that only applies to the Big O, the zero himself, the manchild, the false god of the uber liberal media.

  • RichardBraincase

    lillyluminatus said:
    I agree that CNN should cover this, but it certainly doesn’t change the fact that the sole stain here is on Fox News and its owner and sister companies, not CNN.

    Didn’t “Piers” work for them (NewsCorp) during the period in question or am I mistaken … seriously, I thought I saw that somewhere …. but even as important as Piers Morgan is; Do you think that Fox’s (News Corp’s) involvement in NASCAR will affect Dale Jr. qualying tonight? I mean he is in the chase, but is on the bubble – this might be the straw … although the race is on TNT this week, so that’s a lefty org with Ted Turner and all so maybe it’s a “push”.

  • realdeal

    morgan also works for nbc so why not have ge fire him too

  • Thelonious Funk

    FOX shouldn’t cover this story because it’s no big deal, but CNN should cover it because it is.

  • glenn113

    ummmmm maybe because they don’t have the facts yet?

  • Jackyboy

    glenn113 said:
    ummmmm maybe because they don’t have the facts yet?

    Oh man you saying that is making me die of laughter.

  • ProObamaAgenda

    nice job wingnuts…..go after your own…..piers morgan is a ultra conservative rupert murdock croonie….its nice that you go after CNN…your live in the dream world where a network that employs the likes of erik ericson dana loech wolff blitzer john king and anderson cooper is liberal…..this is sooooo freaking cool watching you wingnuts implode….heres the problem…..you fruitcakes have been lying to yourselves so much youre starting to believe it….thats gonna be your demise….the threat of prison time is gonna start bringing out the whistleblowers and thats a good thing

  • Dem4Ever

    Why Hasn’t CNN Reported On Piers Morgan’s Hacking Allegations?

    Everyone knows why.

  • wessmantooth

    Here’s the point that should be focused on…Murdoch is the media mogul in charge of all this mess…Piers isn’t. Plain and simple. Murdoch owns how many media outlets not to mention brainwashes 57% of Americans with FAUX News. Piers is a minuscule player in this IF he even had anything happening under him while at NOTW. This is not about two cable networks you twits.

  • wessmantooth

    Dem4Ever said:
    Why Hasn’t CNN Reported On Piers Morgan’s Hacking Allegations?

    Everyone knows why.

    …ok, so tell us…enlighten those of us who aren’t “everyone”

  • http://constitutionallibertarian.co.cc DavidKramer

    Does everyone remember the CNN surrealistic fake newscast of the Iraq war. Now that was like one of them poorly written and poorly acted daytime dramas or even worse, a very bad porno.

    For your viewing pleasure, I give you CNN fake news-

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98JDKB-Qmxs

    As for Piers Anthony, will he get the same coverage as another Anthony in recent years? LOL

  • macombman

    I see someone mentioned Jon Stewart’s piece on this subject. Here it is if you’re in the mood for a laugh tonight. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vCACB8PRI

  • Anonymous

    Let’s see…a former Editor of News of the World is now firmly ensconced in American media as the host of–what was the name of that show?  ”Piers Morgan Tonight.” Yeah, that’s it. Scummy limey Piers Morgan was Editor of NOTW from 1993-1994. Did plenty of damage then, too, and laughed about it all the way to the bank. Lying, exaggerating, going for the jugular…the whole ball o’ wax.

    After having been run out of Britain on a rail, Morgan took Simon Cowell’s advice and moved to the U.S. where American viewers don’t really know his tawdry tabloid history. I wonder if any of Morgan’s sordid past will be exposed along with every other low life snarling jackal at NOTW. Without a public acknowledgment, I don’t think Morgan will ever be able to wash the stink off himself from being mentored by Rupert Murdoch and Kelvin Mackenzie, both repulsive yellow journalists. Now he’s trotting himself out as a quality but “dangerous” mainstream interviewer on CNN. Shame on CNN for hiring this disreputable and lame excuse for a journalist. It’s a sad day for journalism when Piers Morgan is considered “quality journalism.”

  • Anonymous

    ummmmmmmm maybe because they are just alligations at this point. What, do you think the World Nut Daily would use that approach… right

  • Sue

    I agree with CathCoy’s post which I have copied and pasted here again. Wake up world, let’s kick Murdoch to the curb and investitgate this to the max.  I want responsible and ethical journalists also!  This is our chance to speak out on this matter.  We are only as good as the media we demand!

    CathCoy wrote:
    “First of all, there are no “journalists” working for tabloids. They’re all JEERNALISTS. Please don’t make that mistake again. Thank you.In other news…Apologies by News Corporation executives abound, but the practical reality is that now is the time to purge the world of the evil influence of Rupert Murdoch. If entire countries (Egypt, Syria, Libya) can excise its evil, society can reject Murdoch’s hideous control of practically the entire English-speaking world’s media. If you value an independent media comprised of ethical and responsible journalists, you can do your part by not purchasing or patronizing anything controlled by the News Corporation. Here’s a complete list of News Corporation holdings.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N…Please do your part. There will likely never be another opportunity to have your voice so widely or forcefully heard.”     

  • Anonymous

    With so very many credible good journalists all over the world why would CNN hire this phony to to replace King? I did not know anything of Morgan’s tabloid background. For that matter I had not heard of Morgan. But I took the time to research this guy, and he’s a piece work. From Wikipedia:  In 1994, aged 28, he was appointed editor of News of the World by Rupert Murdoch, becoming the youngest national newspaper editor in more than half a century.[7] He quickly gained notoriety for his invasive, thrusting style and lack of concern for celebrities’ right to privacy, claiming that they could not manipulate the media to further their own ends without accepting the consequences of a two way deal. Morgan’s autobiography The Insider states that he left the News of the World of his own choice and somewhat against owner Rupert Murdoch’s wishes when he was 
    offered the job of Editor at the Daily Mirror. He’s neck deep in it, as time will prove, and CNN will have some “splaining” to do. LA Times: Is Piers Morgan connected to phone hacking scandal?
    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/sns-rt-us-media-piersmorgantre76e648-20110715,0,6554646.story

  • http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

    CNN should probably run at least one story, perhaps an interview segment on Situation Room, though chances are that Howard Kurtz will at least ask about it on Reliable Sources and if nothing else, his question of an unconnected guest would be better than absolutely nothing.

    Also, CNN really plays up their multiplatformness and an explanation should be on their website.

  • Jerry Baustian

    LibelFree, forgot to mention that Piers Morgan left the NOTW in 1995 to go to work for The Mirror. And that he was fired by The Mirror for printing digitally modified photos that purported to show British soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners.

    The guy is scum — he was scum before he worked at the NOTW, and while he worked at The Mirror, and he probably hasn’t changed based on the content of conversations he had with Bill Maher.

    But it was not his experience at NOTW that made him a bad journalist. Murdoch gave him a chance, and Morgan made his own bed. The activities that caused Morgan to be fired occurred at The Mirror, a competitor to the News International papers.

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  • Anonymous

    What’s a “Piers Morgan”?  Is it some type of car or a new type of wine?  Is it GM’s answer to the “Anderson Cooper”?

    I’ve heard of CNN; isn’t that the talking test-pattern?

  • http://profiles.google.com/chatmandu002 Randall Holland

    What stain??????

  • http://games-survival.com Justplaythegame

    Damni it Piers!! I actually enjoyed your interviews..
    I should have known..every time I enjoy a show..
    POOF it’s gone..
    hmmm why didn’t I just say i like Nancy Grace then???

  • http://games-survival.com Justplaythegame

    Damni it Piers!! I actually enjoyed your interviews..
    I should have known..every time I enjoy a show..
    POOF it’s gone..
    hmmm why didn’t I just say i like Nancy Grace then???

  • http://www.facebook.com/tony.westover Tony Westover

    Hypocrisy at CNN? I am shocked — shocked I tell you!!!

  • http://www.storminsmorningjava.blogspot.com/ stormin1961

    perhaps “anonymous sources” is the mask worn my by those who have gathered and reported information from phone hacking.

  • http://www.storminsmorningjava.blogspot.com/ stormin1961

    perhaps “anonymous sources” is the mask worn my by those who have gathered and reported information from phone hacking.

  • Alen Lvovich

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