ITV Drama ‘The Hack’ celebrates Journalists Who Uncovered Phone Hacking Scandal
London, UK – An upcoming ITV dramatisation, “The Hack,” is being lauded by writer Jack Thorne as a tribute too the journalists who bravely investigated and exposed the widespread phone hacking scandal at News of the World. Thorne, who also spearheaded the critically acclaimed “Mr Bates vs The Post Office,” highlighted a key difference between the two stories: while the Post Office scandal initially struggled to gain public traction despite diligent reporting, the phone hacking investigation was successfully brought to light by journalists willing to scrutinize their own industry.
“There were brilliant journalists doing amazing work in the post office case,” thorne told the BBC, “but in this case, this is a celebration of brilliant journalists who actually managed to call their own industry to account.” He added, reflecting on the challenge, “I think that I am instinctively a coward when it comes to looking at problems and calling out things within my own industry.” Thorne described the journalists’ actions as “quite remarkable,” acknowledging the courage it took “to look at what’s happening within the media sphere,and to do damage to that industry.”
“The Hack” will present the story through dual perspectives: that of journalist Nick davies, who relentlessly pursued the story, and Detective Dave Cook (played by Robert Carlyle), who investigated the 1987 murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan – a case linked to the scandal.
The dramatisation arrives as David Tennant,along with over 1,600 other celebrities and public figures,has already settled out of court with News group Newspapers,the publishers of the now-defunct News of the World,over the phone hacking allegations. The scandal, which involved the illegal interception of voicemail messages, led to a public inquiry and significant repercussions for the media landscape.
