Hugh Grant confronts British press at phone hacking hearing

He also criticized The Daily Mail, the weekday sister of The Mail on Sunday, for its coverage of the recent announcement of the birth of his daughter, saying it had paid a former lover of the girl's mother $150,000 (125,000 GBP) to obtain private pictures of her. The inquiry, headed by senior judge Brian Leveson and due to last a year, will make recommendations that could have a lasting impact on the media industry, possibly leading to tighter rules or at least an overhaul of the current system of self-regulation. Earlier on Monday, Sally and Bob Dowler, the parents of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, whose phone was hacked by one of Murdoch's UK newspapers, spoke about the heartbreak caused by the hacking.

source: msnbc.msn.com

The lengths to which certain journalist will go is just sick. As we know, mainstream media, but really, I suppose, just people in general; we're not all too trust worthy Some people just take it too far, and when you're a corporate enterprize, distributing 100's of 1000's of prints everyday, the benefits must seem to outweigh the risks. When you can lie, cheat, steal and bribe, etc. your way toward a good story, with your name attached for an increase in "legitemacy" and following, so to speak, the line between being any sort of journalist and a sadist gets thinner and thinner.

Big ups to Hugh Grant, I don't know the man, or what his agenda may me, but it seems as though he'd just had enough... Rightly so.

It would be magic to see that his actions portend a more, dare I say, moral and just style of journalism. Lets hope.

Here's a quote from one of the comments, just to tie things up:

As a former journalist, I am sickened by these reports. We need freedom of the press to help safeguard against tyranny. But journalists also have an obligation to be self-policing and adhere to a high code of conduct. Hacking falls well out of the scope of good, investigative journalism and undermines credibility. Shame on all those responsible. Collapse Darrel B

Here's another little tidbit:
Hugh Grant launches blistering attack on tabloid press

yeah, I'm no celeb fan or anything like that, but this just seemed interesting.... and no one'd threaded it yet

So....the British tabloids....hack people phones...and mess with their messages and lives in order to have information....sensationalize their stories...to sell more papers....and make more money.

I am glad that this very intrusive practice is being revealed.

Is any of this legal in England? Are there loopholes in their laws...that make this hacking possible?

I also wonder...how many other countries is this happening in?