What is the Leveson Inquiry - and will there be fireworks?

THE LEVESON INQUIRY, which opened at the High Court today, will interrogate victims of phone hacking, journalists and others in an attempt to draw up recommendations on potential regulation of the press. Newspaper editors have already been warned not to victimise those who appear to give evidence against the press.

What is the Leveson Inquiry?
The inquiry has been divided into two parts. The first, expected to report back within 12 months, will be an investigation into the practices and ethics of the press, its relationship with the public, police and politicians, and the failures of press regulation.

The second part will examine "the extent of unlawful or improper conduct at the News of the World and other newspapers". It will not take place until after the completion of a police investigation.

Why do we need the Leveson Inquiry?
The inquiry is a response to the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World, which was closed down by News International after the revelation that journalists had listened in on the voicemail messages of murder victim Milly Dowler.

The scandal raised questions of how much privacy people who are famous can expect and the extent to which politicians are influenced by the media, as well as allegations of police receiving payment from journalists for information.

Who is Leveson?
Lord Justice Leveson, 62, is best known for leading the prosecution of the serial killer Rosemary West in the 1990s. As head of the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, he was criticised by some in the media when he defended the leniency of another judge who fined a man who burned poppies during an Armistice Day event £50.

Who will give evidence at the inquiry?
Victims of phone hacking will appear as witnesses. Among those expected to take the stand are the families of Milly Dowler, Hugh Grant, JK Rowling and Sienna Miller.

Perhaps the most intriguing of those asked to answer questions are bloggers and Tweeters, who have been fingered by Press Complaints Commission chairman Lord Hunt as being a greater "challenge" to the concept of journalistic integrity than tabloids.
 
Richard Wilson, who tweets as @dontgetfooled, has been invited. He is the man who broke the Trafigura superinjunction in 2009. In doing so, he demonstrated for the first time the pointlessness of attempting to gag the press when a band of Twitter users could smash an injunction in seconds.

Paul Staines, who blogs as Guido Fawkes, will also appear. He has been criticised in the past for printing stories based on hearsay, including the allegation, later proven, that the then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott had had an affair.

Another blogger who will be giving evidence, the lawyer David Allen Green, hinted at potential fireworks when he pointed out on Twitter that any answers he and other witnesses gives will be protected by parliamentary privilege. This potentially means injunctions could be broken - and reported on - without fear of legal action.  

When will Leveson report?
Leveson is expected to report on 'part one' of his inquiry within 12 months. ·