Privacy and Injunctions - Evidence - Parliament

James Harding, editor, The Times, Peter Wright, editor, Mail on Sunday, and Bob Satchwell,
Executive Director, Society of Editors—Oral evidence (QQ 889–936)
Peter Wright: That would be one of the things, yes. But if you are writing a profile
of a politician and he or she has a friendship with another politician of a different political
hue, you would put that in the profile. It would not be exceptional. I do not really see why
it makes a great difference if two people are sleeping together. The fact of the relationship
is not necessarily private. What goes on in the bedroom may well be private. There is a
difference.
Q285 Chairman: The argument that has been put to us by many witnesses is that
the question is: does it have any bearing on their ability to do their job? I am not sure that
you have indicated that it necessarily does.
Peter Wright: That is something you would have to look at. When you are writing
about people you are not necessarily criticising them; you are simply explaining who they
are. People are interested to know what makes people in public life tick. It is not
necessarily hostile.
Q286 Chairman: Do they therefore lose any right to say, “That part of my life is
private”?
Peter Wright: No, they do not. In my view, there is a distinction between whom a
person associates with and has alliances with, and knowing what you may call “what goes on
in the bedroom between people”. There is a complete distinction there.
Q287 Lord Myners: Mr Wright, Viscount Rothermere has already told us about
the discussion between Richard Desmond and Murdoch MacLennan, under which it was
agreed that the Mail newspapers would no longer write negative articles about Mr Desmond.
How was that communicated to you?
Peter Wright: I do not believe that it was. I heard that a meeting had taken place
between Mr MacLennan and Mr Desmond, but the Mail on Sunday had not been involved in
writing hostile articles about Mr Desmond.
Q288 Lord Myners: This has been largely Mr Dacre. Are there other people
who are off-limits—where the proprietor or his agents have told you, “Go easy on these
subjects; this is not a person about whom we should write because it might upset the
proprietor”?
Peter Wright: No.
Q289 Lord Myners: None at all?
Peter Wright: No.
Q290 The Lord Bishop of Chester: There are varying perceptions of what is
private, which must make life quite difficult when you have to make decisions that can cost a
lot of money if you get them wrong. I would ask you to talk about the public interest and
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