One of the world’s most successful storytellers is to lift the lid on the intrusion into her private life from journalists anxious to tell stories about her.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling will give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics on the final day of the first week of witness testimony.
Her appearance comes just 24 hours after the parents of Madeleine McCann told the inquiry of the “terrifying” media attention and personal “violation” as they were deluged with stories about them and their family.
It was the most damaging evidence yet of the extent of press intrusion and coercion, with Kate McCann telling of her panic when she discovered her private diaries from the time after Madeleine disappeared were splashed all over the News Of The World (NOTW).
They told the inquiry the then editor of the newspaper, Colin Myler, made an angry phone call to them after they gave an interview to a rival publication.
“He basically beat us into submission, verbally, and we agreed to do an interview the day after.”
Gerry McCann said that as a “last resort” they had taken legal action to stem the flow of hurtful and untrue stories, but added: “I think if there are repeat offenders they should lose their privilege to practise as a journalist.”
JK Rowling rarely speaks publicly and so what she has to say will be revealing.
All the witnesses this week have volunteered to give evidence – an indication of their collective concern about press intrusion.
Also giving evidence later is one of the most vocal exponents of privacy, the former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley.
Just a few weeks ago he won a privacy case against the NOTW in a French court.
He has already sued and won £60,000 in the British Courts after the now defunct newspaper published pictures of him at a sadomasochistic orgy with five prostitutes.
Another legal winner who will also give her account to the inquiry today is actress Sienna Miller.
Earlier this year she accepted £100,000 from the NOTW after it hacked her phone.
Again, Miss Miller rarely speaks publicly, and the insight into the lengths tabloids journalists in particular will go to get stories is likely to add to the growing body of evidence against the way some parts of the press have done business in the past.
The witness schedule:
:: Thursday November 24
Sienna Miller, Max Mosley, JK Rowling, Mark Thomson (lawyer), HJK (anonymous witness – had a relationship with well-known person).
:: Monday November 28
Charlotte Church, Anne Diamond, Ian Hurst (former British Army intelligence officer), Jane Winter (Northern Ireland human rights campaigner), Chris Jefferies (landlord of murdered Joanna Yeates).
Source : Orange News
