It’s fairly certain that News International executives (and others) will have been edified by the Guardian having to draw a rueful distinction between the arrest of a 51-year-old detective constable over leaks associated with the Met’s enquiries into phone-hacking and the wrong-doings under investigation.
A spokesperson for Guardian News & Media understandably declined to comment on reports that the leaks involved had been to the newspaper group and stated:
"We note the arrest of a Scotland Yard detective on suspicion of misconduct in a public office relating to unauthorised disclosure of information.
"On the broader point raised by the arrest, journalists would no doubt be concerned if conversations between off-the-record sources and reporters came routinely to be regarded as criminal activity. In common with all news organisations we have no comment to make on the sources of our journalism."
The problem with this particular defence however is that such conversations are already regarded as illegal if the ‘off-the-record sources’ are serving police officers providing info on live investigations.
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