In his hacking lawsuit being heard in a British court, Prince Harry aims to land another blow against a tabloid industry that has long been accused of widespread privacy abuses but that has been forced in recent years to rein in its excesses.
So even if Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, wins his suit against the Mirror Group Newspapers for allegedly hacking his cellphone more than a decade ago, analysts question how much of an impact a legal victory would have on publications that have already had to adapt because of hefty legal settlements, prison time for their journalists and the threat of regulation.
The prince, who took the stand on Tuesday, has been at war with the raucous, freewheeling press for years.
And since Britain’s phone-hacking scandal broke, it has forced a News Corporation publication to close, helped send several prominent journalists to jail, reaped hundreds of millions of pounds in legal fees and compensation for victims, and led Parliament to seriously consider regulating the industry.
At the same time, the once-mighty British tabloids have been weakened by a digital revolution that has transformed the global media landscape by gutting revenue, even as the public’s appetite for celebrity news has not waned.
Persons:
Prince Harry, Harry, King Charles III
Organizations:
Mirror, Newspapers, News Corporation