Let's hope that Trinity Mirror's hack-finder general, Paul Vickers, does his job more thoroughly than his counterparts did at News International.
His review of the editorial controls and procedures at the Daily and Sunday Mirror and The People is crucial to the company's very existence.
TM's stock has been fragile for a couple of years and it could not withstand the kind of pressure exerted on News Int. An advertiser boycott would bring TM to its knees.
As I write, TM's share price stands at 42.5p, which is low but not quite its lowest in the course of the last 52 weeks.
But what will Vickers achieve? The company has stressed that it is a review and not an investigation.
Then again, what would an inquiry dig up? Will any journalist ever admit to phone hacking in the current climate (and any future imaginable climate)?
The problem for News Int is the documentary evidence obtained from the private investigator, and convicted hacker, Glenn Mulcaire.
By contrast, there may be all sorts of claims about hacking having occurred at non-News Int titles, but - aside from uncorroborated allegations by MPs and former staff (usually with an axe to grind) - there is no proof.
Vickers is due to give his verdict in six weeks' time. But let me save him the trouble of writing his final report:
After a thorough review across all our titles, it is clear that we have robust editorial controls and procedures in place. In order to allay any fears, we have tightened them still further.
During the review, we found no evidence of any kind to suggest that any of our staff had committed any illegal acts in pursuance of stories.
Now would you please buy our shares.
