was just over a year since he’d taken the editor’s chair at the News Of The World and, whatever anyone might think of him personally, Piers Morgan had certainly turned his paper into a talking point. While the critics and colleagues continued to squabble over what should make the pages of a newspaper, his circulation figures spoke for themselves. In his first year, circulation was up 1.6 per cent. Clearly, the readership approved of what he was doing, even if there was caution elsewhere. And the plaudits were flooding in: Editor of the Year, Newspaper of the Year and Scoop(s) of the Year.
But Piers showed no sign of letting up. Another couple in the news at that time were Charles Spencer (Princess Diana’s brother) and his then wife, Victoria. They were about to separate, and Victoria, a former model, was known to have had all sorts of past travails with drink and drugs. She was now being treated for an eating disorder and the News Of The World pictured her at a clinic whereshe was receiving treatment, leading the intemperate Earl Spencer to dub the tabloid press ‘hypocritical and evil’. Back then, no one knew that he was repeatedly unfaithful to his wife and would go on to develop quite a reputation because of the way he treated women.
The couple were separating after six years of marriage and, because Charles was Diana’s brother, there was intense interest in their every move. People would sell stories about them, and so, to test one particular acquaintance under suspicion, Lord Spencer informed him that he was leaving to work at a television station in New York. The story duly made its way into the press, specifically the front page of the News Of The World, whereupon Spencer gleefully rang the paper and told reporters they had been fooled. He had actually written a letter to the person in question, claiming that he and his four children were relocating to New York to see what happened, and was delighted when the entirely false news was printed in full.
‘Over the past few weeks it has become apparent to my wife and I that we have a friend who has been informing the News Of The World, ’ a vindicated Spencer told the Press Association. ‘To find out who this was, we decided to release false information to the main suspect. My wife and I are both sorry that he has sought to gain from the News Of The World rather than respect his friendship with my wife. He was able, with his boyfriend, to take hospitality repeatedly over the past few years and has repaid us in this shabby way. I am delighted we have found out who it was, but I am saddened for my wife that one of her closestfriends has turned out to be a traitor. I don’t take any pleasure in trying to catch people out like this.’
As soon as the first edition of the paper appeared, the News Of The World was alerted and hastily moved the story back to page 13. Naturally, this was a highly embarrassing episode and, clearly ruffled, Piers sought to play down the damage. The newspaper had published the story ‘in good faith’ he said, before adding, ‘I am extremely surprised that Lord Spencer should involve his ailing wife and his children in such an elaborate attempt to deceive a newspaper. He has also quite deliberately attracted a whole new avalanche of publicity at a time when he himself has repeatedly pleaded for privacy on behalf of Lady Victoria.’
There was history here: six months after Lord Spencer married Victoria, he had a brief fling with a former girlfriend – cartoonist Sally Ann Lasson – the news of which duly appeared in the News Of The World . That had been before Piers’ time, but Spencer had obviously neither forgiven nor forgotten. Not only was it embarrassing, it was bad timing, too. The general feeling was that Piers was pushing it to the limits at the News Of The World, running stories that could barely be said to be in the public interest and shining a highly unfavourable light on the industry as a whole. And then, to make
But Piers showed no sign of letting up. Another couple in the news at that time were Charles Spencer (Princess Diana’s brother) and his then wife, Victoria. They were about to separate, and Victoria, a former model, was known to have had all sorts of past travails with drink and drugs. She was now being treated for an eating disorder and the News Of The World pictured her at a clinic whereshe was receiving treatment, leading the intemperate Earl Spencer to dub the tabloid press ‘hypocritical and evil’. Back then, no one knew that he was repeatedly unfaithful to his wife and would go on to develop quite a reputation because of the way he treated women.
The couple were separating after six years of marriage and, because Charles was Diana’s brother, there was intense interest in their every move. People would sell stories about them, and so, to test one particular acquaintance under suspicion, Lord Spencer informed him that he was leaving to work at a television station in New York. The story duly made its way into the press, specifically the front page of the News Of The World, whereupon Spencer gleefully rang the paper and told reporters they had been fooled. He had actually written a letter to the person in question, claiming that he and his four children were relocating to New York to see what happened, and was delighted when the entirely false news was printed in full.
‘Over the past few weeks it has become apparent to my wife and I that we have a friend who has been informing the News Of The World, ’ a vindicated Spencer told the Press Association. ‘To find out who this was, we decided to release false information to the main suspect. My wife and I are both sorry that he has sought to gain from the News Of The World rather than respect his friendship with my wife. He was able, with his boyfriend, to take hospitality repeatedly over the past few years and has repaid us in this shabby way. I am delighted we have found out who it was, but I am saddened for my wife that one of her closestfriends has turned out to be a traitor. I don’t take any pleasure in trying to catch people out like this.’
As soon as the first edition of the paper appeared, the News Of The World was alerted and hastily moved the story back to page 13. Naturally, this was a highly embarrassing episode and, clearly ruffled, Piers sought to play down the damage. The newspaper had published the story ‘in good faith’ he said, before adding, ‘I am extremely surprised that Lord Spencer should involve his ailing wife and his children in such an elaborate attempt to deceive a newspaper. He has also quite deliberately attracted a whole new avalanche of publicity at a time when he himself has repeatedly pleaded for privacy on behalf of Lady Victoria.’
There was history here: six months after Lord Spencer married Victoria, he had a brief fling with a former girlfriend – cartoonist Sally Ann Lasson – the news of which duly appeared in the News Of The World . That had been before Piers’ time, but Spencer had obviously neither forgiven nor forgotten. Not only was it embarrassing, it was bad timing, too. The general feeling was that Piers was pushing it to the limits at the News Of The World, running stories that could barely be said to be in the public interest and shining a highly unfavourable light on the industry as a whole. And then, to make
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