This is a chronological list of key newspaper articles that made significant new public disclosures about the illegal acquisition of confidential information by news media companies.

20 September 2002; The Guardian published a lengthy expose by Graeme McLagan regarding Jonathan Rees involvement with corrupt police officers and the illegal acquisition of confidential information for News of the World and other newspapers. 8 & 9 July 2009; The Guardian published three articles authored by Nick Davies and Vikram Dodd, the newspaper’s crime correspondent, titled 1) "Murdoch papers paid £1m to gag phone-hacking victims," 2) "Trail of hacking and deceit under nose of Tory PR chief," and 3) "Ex-Murdoch editor Andrew Neil: News of the World revelations one of most significant media stories of our time." These articles alleged that Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) entered into large settlement agreements with hacking victims that included gagging provisions, which prevented the public from learning the Metropolitan Police Service held evidence that NGN journalists repeatedly used criminal methods to get stories. The articles also alleged that many people at News of the World, including then editor Andy Coulson were aware of widespread phone hacking and that the public and Parliament had been misled about its scope. As a result of these articles, assistant police commissioner John Yates was asked to take a fresh look at the Met's previous investigations into phone hacking. Days after this became public, Max Clifford announced his intentions to sue and ultimately settled for £1,000,000. 1 September 2010; The New York Times published an article authored by Don Van Natta Jr., Jo Becker, and Grahm Bowley titled "Tabloid Hack Attack on Royals, and Beyond." The article claimed the Metropolitan Police Service "failed to follow-up on clear leads" and "declined to pursue other evidence of criminality by others." The article also contridicted testimony by former News of the World editor Andy Coulson to Parliament that he was unaware of phone hacking. 15 December 2010- The Guardian published an article authored by Nick Davies titled "Phone hacking approved by top News of the World executive – new files." The article disclosed that documents seized from the home of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire by Metropolitan Police Service in 2006 and only recently made available to the public by court action imply that News of the World editor Ian Edmondson specifically instructed Mulcaire to intercept voice messages of Sienna Miller, Jude Law, and several others. The documents also imply Mulcaire was engaged by others at News of the World, including chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck and assistant editor Greg Miskiw, who then worked directly for Andy Coulson. This contradicted testimony to the Commons Culture, Media, and Sport Committee by newspaper executives and senior Met officials that Mulcaire acted on his own and that there was no evidence of hacking by other than him and a single "rogue reporter," namely Clive Goodman. Five weeks after the Guardian article appeared, the Met renewed its investigation into phone hacking, something it had declined to do since 2007. 4 July 2011; The Guardian published an article authored by Nick Davies and Amelia Hill titled "Missing Milly Dowler's voicemail was hacked by News of the World." This article disclosed that voicemail messages from Milly Dowler's phone had been hacked back in 2002 by an agent of News of the World looking for a story. This disclosure inflamed public opinion and led to the closure of News of the World and resignations of senior newspaper executives and police officials. The Metropolitan Police Service later attempted to use the Official Secrets Act to find the Guardian's sources for this story. 22 September 2011; The Independent published an article authored by James Cusick and Cahal Milmo reporting that, within weeks of the arrests of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire in August 2006, "a senior police officer" advised Rebekah Brooks there was substantial "circumstantial evidence" in the documents seized from Mulcaire that News of the World journalists in addition to Goodman were implicated in phone hacking. It also reported that in early autumn 2006, Tom Crone, legal manager for News International, contacted several other executives, including then News of the World editor Andy Coulson, informing them of what the Met told Brooks. News International executives, including Crone, maintained they were not aware of such evidence until almost two years later, in May 2008, when they received a copy of the "Transcript for Neville" in conjunction with Gordon Taylor's law suit.

Press releases

This is a chronological list of press releases issued by various organizations regarding the illegal acquisition of confidential information by news media employees and their agents in conjunction with the phone hacking scandal. Dates indicate when each release first appeared.

Daily Mail: (2006) [rejects the accusations in the ICO report, What Price Privacy?]. Press Complaints Commission: (23 August 2006) "Phone message tapping, the PCC and the Editors' Code of Practice". Press Complaints Commission: (1 February 2007) "PCC action following Clive Goodman case". Press Complaints Commission: (18 May 2007) "PCC publishes new guidelines on subterfuge and newsgathering". Press Complaints Commission: (9 July 2009) "PCC statement on phone message tapping claims". Press Complaints Commission: (9 November 2009) "PCC report on phone message tapping allegations published". Press Complaints Commission: (15 November 2009) "Statement by Baroness Buscombe on new evidence in the phone message hacking episode- Statement by Baroness Buscombe, Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission". Press Complaints Commission: (21 September 2010) "PCC letter to Alan Rusbridger" ["allegedly criminal behavior involving News of the World"] Press Complaints Commission: (31 January 2011) "PCC statement on phone hacking". Press Complaints Commission: (8 April 2011) "Statement from the PCC's Phone Hacking Review Committee ". News Corp: (8 April 2011) "News International Statement with Regard to Voicemail Interception at the News of the World During 2004-2006". Press Complaints Commission: (14 April 2011) "Text of PCC letter to Mark Lewis ". News Corp: (16 June 2011) "Sir Charles Gray Agrees to Act as the Independent Adjudicator for Compensation Scheme" [liability in a number of civil cases involving the newspaper] Press Complaints Commission: (5 July 2011) "PCC statement on latest phone hacking allegations". News Corp: (6 July 2011) "News International Statement" [Metropolitan Police Service opening a new investigation into police payments] News Corp: (6 July 2011) "Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, News Corporation" [recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police] Metropolitan Police: (6 July 2011) "On 20 June 2011 the MPS was handed a number of documents by News International, through their barrister, Lord Macdonald QC. Our initial assessment shows that these documents include information relating to alleged inappropriate payments to a small number of MPS officers." Press Complaints Commission: (6 July 2011) "Statement from the PCC on phone hacking following meeting today". News Corp: (7 July 2011) "James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation, and Chairman, News International Statement on News of the World" Press Complaints Commission: (8 July 2011) "The Press Complaints Commission responds to today's speech by Ed Miliband." Press Complaints Commission: (8 July 2011) "PCC response to the Prime Minister." Press Complaints Commission: (8 July 2011) "PCC public members: our work goes on." News Corp: (10 July 2011) "News International Statement on Guardian Article - 7/10/2009." Metropolitan Police: (11 July 2011) "Three bailed following Operation Weeting and Elveden arrests" Strathclyde Police: (July 2011) "Operation Rubicon: Phone Hacking and Perjury Enquiry: Press Complaints Commission: (13 July 2011) "The PCC today welcomes the announcement of the terms of the inquiry into media ethics (13 July 2011) ." News Corp: (15 July 2011) "News Corporation names Tom Mockridge Chief Executive Officer of News International" [replaces Rebekah Brooks] News Corp: (15 July 2011) "A Message from James Murdoch on Issues at News International" [relating to News of the World] News Corp: (18 July 2011) "Grabiner Named as New Independent Chairman of Management and Standards Committee" News Corp: (19 July 2011) "Statement Prepared by Rupert Murdoch for the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee." News Corp: (20 July 2011) "Statement from Viet Dinh on Behalf of the Independent Directors of News Corporation" [committed to doing the right thing] News Corp: (20 July 2011) "Statement from the Management and Standards Committee" [authorized Harbottle & Lewis to answer questions] News Corp: (21 July 2011) "Statement from the Management and Standards Committee" [dismissed Nixson] News Corp: (21 July 2011) "Statement from the Management and Standards Committee" [discontinued financial arrangements with Glenn Mulcaire] News Corp: (21 July 2011) "Statement from James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Chairman and CEO, International News Corporation" [stands behind testimony] Press Complaints Commission: (29 July 2011) "Baroness Buscombe announces end of term as Chairman of the PCC News Corp: (16 August 2011) "Statement from the Management and Standards Committee" [evidence from the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee]". News Corp: (6 September 2011) "News International Statement regarding testimony before Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee" [response by James Murdoch to testimony by Colin Myler and Tom Crone] Metropolitan Police: (12 September 2011) "New Commissioner named." Leveson Inquiry: (14 September 2011) "Ruling on Core Participants" [issued by The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Leveson] Metropolitan Police: (19 September 2011) "MPS applies for production order" Metropolitan Police: (19 September 2011) "MPS responds to production order reporting". Metropolitan Police: (20 September 2011) "Update on DPS investigation into leaks from Operation Weeting" Metropolitan Police: (20 September 2011) "Former MPS contractor charged" Crown Prosecution Service: (24 July 2012) "Alison Levitt QC's announcement on charges arising from Operation Weeting"

Media coverage

These are a chronological lists of news articles, editorials, and other statements by news media organizations reflecting varying levels of aggressiveness and defensiveness in reporting the phone hacking scandal.

The scandal generated broad interest worldwide shortly after The Guardian reported on 4 July 2011 that murdered teenager Milly Dower's phone had been hacked into by agents of News of the World and after Rupert Murdoch announced that the 168-year-old newspaper would be closed as a consequence. Many contemporary commentators noted that the amount, aggressiveness, and focus of early media coverage of the scandal by news organizations varied widely, ostensibly reflecting the tension between journalistic integrity and the vested interests of the ultimate owners of those organizations.

Included below are samples of media coverage immediately after The Guardian reported the hacking of Milly Dowlers phone. The samples are grouped by whether the reporting was by independent news organizations or organizations owned by News Corporation, the ultimate parent of News of the World. Also included are media coverage analyses completed at the time.

Reporting by independent news organizations