BRITAIN - Rupert Murdoch's Growing Circle of Scandal

"Murdoch’s Circle:  The Growing News International Scandal" by Lena Groeger, ProPublica 6/24/2014

This chart, which has been updated, was originally published February 15th, 2012.

From phone hacking to bribery, the corruption at News International has involved many players -- increasingly, ones close to Rupert Murdoch.  We’ve mapped out the players involved in this growing debacle, organized by their proximity to Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and other senior staff.  Keep in mind that in the United Kingdom, officers can make arrests without a formal charge (this Slate explainer provides more details on the British system).

Update (June 24, 2014):  Former editor Andy Coulson was found guilty of conspiracy to hack phones, while Rebekah Brooks was found not guilty of all charges.  Also acquitted were Brooks' husband Charlie, her secretary Cheryl Carter, head of security Mark Hanna (all found not guilty of conspiracy to "pervert the course of justice") and retired managing editor Stuart Kuttner (found not guilty on phone hacking charges).  The jury has not yet reached a verdict on further charges against Coulson and former royal editor Clive Goodman relating to paying police officers.

Update (October 30, 2013):  A London court was told that Neville Thurlbeck, James Weatherup, and Greg Miskiw had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to intercept communications, and Glenn Mulcaire had pleaded guilty to hacking a mobile phone.

Update (June 19, 2013):  Nick Parker, the Sun’s chief foreign correspondent, was charged with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

Update (May 3, 2013):  David Johnson, a former security guard for Rebekah Brooks, was charged Friday with concealing potential evidence relating to phone hacking.

Update (Mar. 21, 2013):  The Crown Prosecution Service announced that Neil Wallis, a former executive editor of the News of the World who was arrested in July 2011, would face no further charges, due to "insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction."

Update (Mar. 20, 2013):  Geoff Webster, the deputy editor of the Sun, was charged on Wednesday with two counts of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office by authorizing payments to public officials.

Update (Feb. 13, 2013):  Six more journalists were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications.  They were former News of the World editors Jules Stenson, Rav Singh, Polly Graham and Matt Nixson, and Sun editors Rachel Richardson and Jane Atkinson.

Update (Jan. 22, 2013):  Virginia Wheeler, the Sun’s defense editor, was charged Tuesday with conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.  We've also added the recent arrest of Anthony France, a crime reporter at the Sun.

Update (Nov. 20):  David Cameron's former media chief Andy Coulson and former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks were charged Tuesday for conspiring to pay bribes to public officials.  Two other journalists were also charged:  John Kay, former chief reporter at the Sun, and Clive Goodman, a former News of the World reporter.  We've also added a previous arrest: former News of the World crime editor Lucy Patton, who was arrested last December on suspicion of paying police officers.

Update (August 30):  Former News of the World legal manager Tom Crone was arrested Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept communications.  We've also added two previous arrests: former Times journalist Patrick Foster, who was arrested August 29th over suspected computer hacking, and former News of the World Scotland news editor Douglas Wight, who was arrested and charged August 17th with perjury and conspiracy to hack telephones.

Update (August 29):  Bob Bird, former Scotland editor of News of the World, was arrested and charged Wednesday with attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Update (July 31):  Nick Parker, the Sun's chief foreign correspondent, was arrested Monday on the suspicion of gathering data from stolen mobile phones.  He has since been released on bail.  This was his second arrest.

Update (July 24):  British prosecutors brought 19 conspiracy charges against eight major figures in the Murdoch scandal.  The accused include Rebekah Brooks, who oversaw News International and served as a top editor of Murdoch's News of the World, Andrew Coulson, another former editor of the Murdoch paper, and Stuart Kuttner, Glenn Mulcaire, Greg Miskiw, Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck and James Weatherup.  All eight have previously been arrested, but these criminal charges represent a major escalation in the ongoing scandal because the indicted could now face prison time.

Update (July 19):  Rhodri Phillips, a news reporter at the Sun, was arrested Thursday morning.

Update (May 15):  Rebekah Brooks, her husband, and four others were charged Tuesday with conspiring to pervert the course of justice.  The other suspects include head of security Mark Hanna, Brooks' former personal assistant Cheryl Carter, her security guard Daryl Jorsling, and her chauffeur Paul Edwards.  These are the first charges filed in the ongoing News Corp investigation.

Update (April 19):  Duncan Larcombe, the royal editor of the Sun, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

Update (March 15):  Neville Thurlbeck, a former chief reporter at The News of the World, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of intimidating a witness.  This is his second arrest.

Update (March 13):  Six more people were arrested Tuesday, including Rebekah Brooks, her husband Charlie Brooks and News International Head of Security Mark Hanna.  This is Rebekah Brooks' second arrest.  We'll be updating this chart with more names as they become known.