FORMER EDITOR of the SunKelvin MacKenzie, who questioned the need for the creation of the Leveson Inquiry, yesterday offered a strong defence of tabloid journalism when he appeared before the inquiry.
"People view the Sunat the bottom of the pile and, for as long as it exists, I think they view papers like the Guardianas the top of the pile," said MacKenzie, who edited the tabloid for nearly 20 years until he left in 1994.
He criticised the Guardian's correction to a story about News of the Worldjournalists deleting messages from murder victim Milly Dowler's mobile phone – since seriously questioned – saying the apology was placed on page 10.
"If the Sunhad done that same thing, if a Rupert Murdoch title had done that same thing, don't you think it would have been quite different?" MacKenzie said to the inquiry, which was set up as a result of the international furore caused by the Dowler allegations. The most likely explanation, though not yet proven, is that the Dowler messages were deleted automatically by the mobile company. However, Lord Justice Leveson made it clear that he believes the setting up of the inquiry was justified, even if the allegation is proven to have been wrong.
MacKenzie complained about "tremendous" snobbery in the media, saying a journalist who hacked former prime minister Tony Blair's phone to prove he had illegally gone to war in Iraq would "be jailed for six months" if he was a Sunreporter and given a Pulitzer Prize if he was with the Guardian.
Questioned by inquiry counsel Robert Jay about whether he had any regard for the privacy of people reported on by the newspaper during his time in charge, MacKenzie replied: “Not really, no.” However, he defended a remark made in October that he had followed a policy of “if it sounded right, it was probably true and therefore we should lob it in”, saying he had thought carefully before he included it.
