Guardian newspaper under pressure to name sources

The Met Police are seeking a court order to force Guardian reporters at the centre of the phone hacking story to name their sources.

The Guardian newspaper has said recently that the police are seeking an order under the Official Secrets Act to make Guardian reporters name their sources. It follows an arrest of a police officer who allegedly leaked information to Guardian reporters about the ongoing phone hacking inquiry. The Guardian has stated that it has never paid police for information.

The newspaper has been at the forefront of the phone hacking story over the past decade. It hit the world headlines this summer when it revealed that Sunday newspaper News of the World had hired private investigator Glen Mulcaire to allegedly intercept voicemail message left on the phone of murdered school-girl Milly Dowler in 2002. This led to daily revelations which subsequently led to the closure of 168 year old News of the World.

The Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger said:  “We shall resist this extraordinary demand to the utmost”. The National Union of Journalists have come out in support of the Guardian saying that the situation is a “serious threat” to journalists.