Two press commentators take up the story of Clive Goodman, the royal editor of the News of the World, who may face a jail term after admitting that he intercepted mobile phone messages. Both reach similar conclusions. Stephen Glover, in The Independent, wonders why he "cannot get very worked up about the case" and argues that "the techniques he employed were not necessarily reprehensible." Goodman's stories were small beer, but if they had been in the public interest then it would have been fine. He also argues that the News of the World "is not as intimidating, and probably not as unscrupulous, as it once was."
Ian Reeves, in The Guardian, thinks Goodman was a fool but worries over the increasing restrictions on journalists' ability to operate. He writes: "Goodman must not be used as a lightning rod for those who have a vested interest in wanting a privacy law to protect the wealthy and the powerful from reasonable scrutiny." (Via The Independent and The Guardian)
