Andy Coulson

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Andy Coulson (full name Andrew Edward Coulson ; born January 21, 1968 with Billericay , Essex ) is a British journalist and political advisor. He was the editor-in-chief of the weekly News of the World , which closed in July 2011, and an advisor to British Prime Minister David Cameron .

Life

Coulson grew up in Wickford , Basildon District . He attended Beauchamps High School from 1979 to 1986. From 1986 to 1988 he worked as a reporter for the Basildon Evening Echo. He worked for The Sun from 1988 to 1994 as a show business reporter. In 1994 he worked briefly for the Daily Mail , but returned to the Sun. After other tasks, he took over the editor-in-chief of News of World in 2003 as the successor to Rebekah Brooks . He resigned in January 2007 after a bugging affair among the newspaper's staff was discovered. In July 2007 he became the Conservative Party's communications director .

After David Cameron's election as Prime Minister, he became his advisor. In July 2011, it was announced that Coulson had not been subjected to the usual strict security vetting prior to his appointment as government spokesman.

The bugging affair began when a News of the World reporter , Clive Goodman, was convicted and convicted of illegal telephone surveillance. Goodman's illegal methods were discovered in late 2005 when he was covering details of a private deal Prince William had made with a television journalist. Goodman was arrested and pleaded guilty to illegally overhearing telephone calls made by members of the Royal Family, with the assistance of private detective Glenn Mulcaire. Goodman and Mulcaire were sentenced to several months in prison in January 2007. On the same day, the News of the World announced that Coulson had left his chief position. This step could u. a. an investigation by the British Press Council will be prevented. Coulson denied any knowledge of the criminal activities of his subordinates and claims to this day that he knew nothing about Clive Goodman's activities.

The then Conservative opposition leader David Cameron found this flimsy plea of ​​innocence to be convincing, and in July 2007 appointed Coulson as the Conservative Party's communications director . After David Cameron's election as Prime Minister, he became government spokesman and Cameron's closest adviser. In July 2011, it was announced that Coulson had not been subjected to the usual strict security vetting prior to his appointment as government spokesman .

The wiretapping affair flared up again in 2009 when the Guardian reported that News of the World had paid celebrities whose phones had been tapped to refrain from reporting the paper. Even Scotland Yard again took on investigations. They revealed that not only members of the British royal family, but also politicians, athletes and actors had been bugged. In early September 2010, the New York Times published new evidence against Coulson. Ua was Sean Hoare , a former editor of the News of the World quoted as saying: Coulson had "actively encouraged me to do it" ( "... has me encouraged active [listen mobile phone mailboxes] to do" ). Hoare's statement was confirmed by other employees of the British newspaper , according to the New York Times . Another former editor told the paper, "I've been in dozens, if not hundreds, of meetings with Andy" where bugging cell phone mailboxes was discussed .

After the public pressure became too great, Coulson resigned his post in January 2011. However, he continued to insist that it was an unprovable allegation that illegal wiretapping activities were part of the newspaper's tools under his aegis. In his resignation statement, he stated: "I stand by what I have said about these events. But when the press officer needs a press officer, it is time to move on."

Police temporarily arrested Coulson on July 8, 2011 on suspicion of corruption and illegal research. He was charged with approving the payment of bribes intended for police officers.

On August 16, 2011, the publication of a letter written on March 2, 2007 by former News of the World journalist Clive Goodman (see above) made it clear that the entire management team of the News of the World knew of the illegal wiretapping practices of its journalists . Goodman had served a prison sentence for the newspaper's illegal wiretapping practices and lost his job at News of the World . He wrote the letter after he was released from prison. In his letter, now published by the UK Parliament's Media Committee, he said he had acted with the full support of the leadership. Other high-ranking employees of the sheet were informed about his wiretapping activities. Many of his colleagues have also tapped phones.

"This practice was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference, until explicit reference to it was banned by the Editor." ( "This practice [tapping phones to obtain sensitive information] has been widely discussed in daily editorial meetings until clear reference [to these practices] has been forbidden by Editor-in-Chief [Andy Coulson]" .

In addition, the then editor-in-chief Andy Coulson and the head of the newspaper's legal department, Tom Crone, had promised him that if he kept the newspaper or other News of the World employees out of the matter, he could get another job at the newspaper to get.

In July 2012, Coulson was formally charged with inciting illegal telephone surveillance and other related crimes. In October 2013, the trial of Coulson, Rebekah Brooks and six other defendants began. The trial ended in June 2014. While the remaining defendants were acquitted, Andy Coulson was found guilty of one of the charges of inciting illegal telephone surveillance. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Prosecutors announced they would bring Coulson back to court on several counts.

On June 3, 2015, the High Court in Edinburgh ruled that Coulson was not guilty of under oath charges of false testimony . The court thus agreed with the defense that Coulson's false testimony in a trial against Tommy Sheridan in 2010 did not influence the judgment at the time, as this statement did not concern the subject of the hearing and should therefore not be regarded as a false testimony. Coulson testified at the time that he was unaware of illegal telephone surveillance after the newspaper reported on Sheridan's personal life, which prompted Sheridan to file a defamation lawsuit and then to be tried and convicted of false testimony. In the process of Sheridan's false testimony it is said to have come to the false testimony accused of Coulson, of which Coulson has now been acquitted. After the verdict was formally established on June 1st, the prosecution asked for time to consider an objection, but then rejected it so that the verdict is final.

On January 11, 2016, Coulson founded the public relations agency C and C Advisory together with the marketing consultant William Andrews , which a short time later appeared under the name Coulson Chapell and is managed by Coulson together with Henry Chapell, the founder of the public relations agency Pitch . In March 2017, Coulson's public relations agency was commissioned by the Telegraph Media Group , led by Murdoch MacLennan, to strengthen the reputation of the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Telegraph so that the newspapers appeared as honest publications and authorities . Murdoch MacLennan is considered Coulson's best friend and testified for him in the News of the World trial.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b James Robinson: The Tories bring on a new spinner In: The Observer from June 3, 2007 (English)
  2. ↑ a b British police arrest ex-government spokesman In: Spiegel Online from July 8, 2011
  3. ↑ a b Guy Adams: Andy Coulson: Blue-eyed boy In: The Independent from June 2, 2007 (English)
  4. ↑ Carsten Volkery: Rüpel from Revolverblatt In Spiegel Online from September 3, 2010
  5. ↑ a b Christopher Hope: Andy Coulson takes £ 135,000 pay cut to join Coalition - but is paid more than Nick Clegg In: The Daily Telegraph of June 10, 2010 (English)
  6. ↑ a b Guardian July 20, 2011: Andy Coulson was never given top security clearance in government
  7. ↑ a b Guardian July 21, 2011: Andy Coulson's limited security clearance at No. 10 'breathtaking' / Here are the different 'vetting levels'
  8. ↑ a b Die Zeit-Online July 21, 2011: wiretapping scandal. Coulson was less rigorously tested than his predecessors
  9. ↑ a b c Spiegel-Online July 21, 2011: wiretapping scandal. Government spokesman escaped strict security check
  10. ↑ a b Der Standard July 22, 2011: New allegation. Coulson became government spokesman without a security check
  11. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: "News of the World" scandal - The masters of the dark arts - Clive Goodman
  12. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: "News of the World" scandal - The masters of the dark arts - Glenn Mulcaire
  13. ↑ BBC July 19, 2011: Phone hacking: The main players
  14. ^ Spiegel-Online January 21, 2011: Cameron loses his most important advisor
  15. ^ Spiegel-Online September 9, 2010: Cameron's Spin Doctor Coulson. The untouchable
  16. ^ Spiegel-Online July 10, 2009: British press scandal. Murdoch-Gate puts Tory boss under pressure
  17. ↑ Guardian January 21, 2011: Timeline: how the scandal that led to Andy Coulson's resignation developed
  18. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung: "News of the World" scandal - The masters of the dark arts - Sean Hoare
  19. ^ A b New York Times September 1, 2010: Tabloid Hack Attack on Royals, and Beyond
  20. ↑ Carsten Volkery: "Guardian" captured Coulson's scalp in Spiegel Online on January 21, 2011
  21. ^ Süddeutsche Zeitung-Online January 23, 2011: Andy Coulson leaves. When the speaker needs a speaker
  22. ↑ Cameron's ex-advisor is free again In: Tages-Anzeiger of July 8, 2011
  23. ^ The Guardian August 16, 2011: Phone hacking: News of the World reporter's letter reveals cover-up
  24. ^ A b New Statesman August 16, 2011: Clive Goodman's letter to News International
  25. ^ New Statesman August 16, 2011: A new bombshell in the phone hacking scandal
  26. ↑ Spiegel-Online August 16, 2011: Newspaper tip is said to have advocated spy practices
  27. ^ Die Zeit August 16, 2011: News of the World Ex-Reporter accuses Coulson of complicity
  28. ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung August 16, 2011: New records in wiretapping affair: Cameron under pressure ( Memento from August 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  29. ↑ taz August 17, 2011: Because of clueless.
  30. ^ Martin Evans: Phone Hacking Trial: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson trial begins. The Daily Telegraph , October 28, 2013, accessed October 30, 2013 .
  31. ^ Judgment in the "News of the World" wiretapping scandal. Frankfurter Rundschau , June 24, 2014, accessed on June 26, 2014 .
  32. ↑ Hacking trial: Coulson guilty, Brooks cleared of charges. BBC News , June 24, 2014, accessed June 26, 2014 .
  33. ↑ Andy Coulson jailed for 18 months for conspiracy to hack phones in: The Guardian, June 4, 2015, accessed April 8, 2016
  34. ↑ Prosecutor wants to continue taking action against Coulson. Hamburger Abendblatt , July 1, 2014, accessed on July 2, 2014 .
  35. ↑ Tommy Sheridan jailed for three years for perjury in: BBC, January 28, 2011, accessed April 8, 2016
  36. ↑ Andy Coulson cleared of perjury as Scottish court case collapses in: The Guardian, June 3, 2015. Retrieved on June 3, 2015
  37. ↑ Kevin Rawlinson, Former NoW editor Andy Coulson sets up PR firm , in: The Guardian, January 21, 2016, accessed March 29, 2017
  38. ^ Roy Greenslade, Andy Coulson hired as Telegraph PR adviser , in: The Guardian, March 29, 2017, accessed March 29, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Coulson, Andy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Coulon, Andrew Edward (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British journalist and political advisor
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH at Billericay , Essex