LONDON — A former News of the World journalist made a rare, robust defense of phone hacking, telling Britain’s media ethics inquiry that eavesdropping on voice mails was a “perfectly acceptable tool” to help journalists uncover stories.
Paul McMullan said Tuesday that hacking was common at the now-defunct tabloid, describing how journalists traded the phone details of celebrities.
“I think I swapped Sylvester Stallone’s mother for David Beckham,” he said.
McMullan, who now runs a pub in Dover, made headlines earlier this year when he was secretly taped by actor Hugh Grant claiming phone hacking was widespread at News of the World and other U.K. newspapers.
He repeated that assertion Tuesday, adding that the bosses at News of the World, including former top editors Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, knew of the practice — a claim both former editors have denied.
“Phone hacking is a perfectly acceptable tool given the sacrifices we make, if all we are trying to do is get to the truth,” McMullan said.
