Quotes of the Week

Nick Davies in the Guardian: "Rupert Murdoch's News Group has paid out more than £1m to settle legal cases that threatened to reveal evidence of his journalists' repeated involvement in the use of criminal methods to get stories."

Andrew Neil on his BBC blog: "If, as the Guardian claims, between 2,000 and 3,000 people were targeted and had their privacy breached in various ways, then some of the names already mentioned could get together to mount a multi-million pound class action against the Murdoch company. Just starting that process would almost certainly unseal the documents. Then more than the cat would be out of the bag ... and the potential damages unlimited.
"As they used to say in Fleet Street, this story will run and run and run ...."

BBC political editor Nick Robinson on Andy Coulson on his blog: "Coulson has already broken rule one for any spin doctor - "Never become the story". He's good enough at his job to know that this story will soon become one about David Cameron's judgement."

News International in statement to the Guardian: "News International is prevented by confidentiality obligations from discussing certain allegations made in the Guardian newspaper today.
"Since February 2007, News International has continued to work with its journalists and its industry partners to ensure that its journalists fully comply with both the relevant legislation and the rigorous requirements of the PCC's Code of Conduct.
"At the same time, we will not shirk from vigorously defending our right and proper role to expose wrongdoing in the public interest."

Former editor of the Belfast Telegraph Ed Curran speaking to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: "I do regard the BBC as a bogeyman.My personal view is that the BBC needs to be restricted in the way it expands, particularly in the regions. Since the 1960s, I think its expansion in the regions has been detrimental to the regional media."