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This article discusses the launch of the pressure group Hacked Off to campaign for a public inquiry into the telephone-hacking scandal involving the newspaper "News of the World." It is noted that a public inquiry might be the only chance of ensuring that facts about the controversy were presented before the public. The possible impact of the campaign on the state and reputation of British journalism is explored.

Reporters and the public were outwitted after the mysterious deaths of young soldiers at the Surrey Barracks, writes Cathcart: "Knowing what we now know (and that is still less than half the picture), we should expect people to be held to account." The author believes that, "at the very heart of this scandal has been the withholding of information - reporters, families and the public have been kept in the dark" and he warns: "All this may be history now...but it is not without current resonance. Deepcut was left to run amok by the Army because resources were tight. Just such a squeeze is under way within the Armed Forces again today and there is no guarantee that commanders will not make the same, potentially disastrous decisions again." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]