Managing editors

Stuart Kuttner was managing editor of The News of The World from 1987 to 2009.  He may or may not still have a contract with them, working on "Sarah's Law".  Things seemed to be heading in his direction during Rebekah Brooks' evidence to the Culture Select Committee yesterday.


Q429 Mr Watson: So it’s fair to say that you were aware of, and approved payments to, private detectives.
Rebekah Brooks: I was aware that News of the World used private detectives under my editorship, yes.
Q430 Mr Watson: So you would have approved payments to them.
Rebekah Brooks: That’s not how it works, but I was aware that we used them.
Q431 Mr Watson: Who would have approved the payments?
Rebekah Brooks: The payments system in a newspaper—this has been discussed at length—is simply that the editor’s job is to acquire the overall budget for the paper from the senior management. Once that budget is acquired, it is given to the managing editor to allocate to different departments. Each person in that department has a different level of authorisation, but the final payments are authorised by the managing editor, unless there is a particularly big item such as a set of photographs or something that needs to be discussed on a wider level, and then the editor will be brought in.
Q432 Mr Watson: So Stuart Kuttner would have discussed some payments to private detectives with you?
Rebekah Brooks: Not necessarily, no. We are talking about 11 years ago. He may have discussed payments with me, but I don’t particularly remember any incidents.
Q433 Mr Watson: You don’t remember whether you would have discussed any payments at all?
Rebekah Brooks: I didn’t say that; I said in relation to private detectives. I was aware that the News of the World used private detectives, as every paper in Fleet Street did.
Q434 Mr Watson: So you don’t recall whether you authorised payments or talked with Stuart Kuttner?
Rebekah Brooks: The payments of private detectives would have gone through the managing editor’s office.
Q435 Mr Watson: You can’t remember whether Kuttner ever discussed it with you?
Rebekah Brooks: Sorry. What?
Q436 Mr Watson: You can’t remember whether Kuttner ever discussed it with you.
Rebekah Brooks: I can’t remember if we ever discussed an individual payment, no. 

This line of questioning may, however, prove circular.  I commend full reading of Stuart Kuttner's evidence to the same committee in July 2009; Benedict Brogan described him as "running interference" for Andy Coulson, who was grilled at the same time. At times, Mr Kuttner seems to be channelling a mixture of Sir Humphrey and Lou Costello.  Here's a selection of the exchanges...

Q1579 Philip Davies: Have you made any payments to either Glenn Mulcaire or Clive Goodman since they were convicted of their offence?
Mr Kuttner: So far as I know agreements were made with them. I have no details at all of the substance of those agreements and so I cannot go beyond that.
Q1580 Philip Davies: Could you tell us who can because when I asked Mr Crone the same question he seemed to think that you were the person to ask.
Mr Kuttner: Well, in which case that is simply not so.
Q1581 Philip Davies: I am asking the question as to who would know if a payment had been made for any particular reason to Mr Mulcaire or Mr Goodman since they were convicted. Mr Crone said he did not know and could not be expected to know. You seem to be saying that you do not know. Who at News International would know?
Mr Kuttner: There is no point in me speculating on what I do not know. What I do know is some kind of agreements or arrangements were made, I think individually, in fact I am sure individually, with both persons. As to who would know I can make enquiries about that.
Q1582 Philip Davies: So you have no idea who would know at the moment? Whether payments have been made to one of your journalists and his accomplice who have been convicted and sent to prison, you are trying to tell me that you have no idea who in News International might or might not know that?
Mr Kuttner: No, I did not say anything of the sort. I said I do not know and I can make enquiries about it.
Q1583 Philip Davies: So you do not know who at News International would authorise that payment? You must know who would authorise such payments, surely?
Mr Kuttner: Mr Davies, it is quite a large company and I have given the answer I have given.
Q1584 Philip Davies: But you will find out who has?
Mr Kuttner: I said that I can make enquiries.

Q1599 Janet Anderson: Could you explain for us the chain of command when it comes to authorising payments by the News of the World from the bottom to the top.
Mr Kuttner: Okay, let us take a for instance. A news reporter gets to hear of a possible story and in that case there may be a demand from an informant or from a freelance agency for a payment. That journalist will speak to the department head, who could be the features editor or the deputy features editor, and agree a sum payable on publication of the story, and then in due course, either on a screen or in paper, the documentation for that story would come to me. I would check it against what had been reported previously, so if a features editor had said to me, "Look story X will cost £3,000 for example," and along comes a payment for £3,000, that is fine. If along comes a payment for £4,000 that is not fine, and that is batted back.
Q1600 Janet Anderson: So you would generally be aware of all the payments that were made. Can you describe circumstances in which you might not be aware?
Mr Kuttner: In which I might not be aware? If I dealt with them personally I would be aware of them.
Q1601 Janet Anderson: But in what kind of situation would you not deal with them personally?
Mr Kuttner: Only if for example I was away and my deputy dealt with them.
Q1602 Janet Anderson: So otherwise everything would pass across your desk?
Mr Kuttner: Much of it would pass across my desk, yes.


Q1663 Mr Farrelly: Can I just ask you about Clive Goodman. You say you were deceived. How was Clive Goodman able to pay £12,300 to Glenn Mulcaire? Was it actually in readies or did it go through the accounts department in a masked way?
Mr Kuttner: I think the answer to the first part is it was in cash, it was a cash payment. The answer to the second part is that it was all accounted for in the documentation and that is the material that either directly on their own account to the investigating police team, or through Burton Copeland, the solicitor who was looking into these things at News International, was all disclosed.
Q1664 Mr Farrelly: And over what period was the £12,300?
Mr Kuttner: I would have to refresh my memory. I think it covered quite an extensive period but I would need to do a document search for that. But I think it was over quite a long time.
Q1665 Mr Farrelly: It would be very interesting because £12,300 in cash, it is a question of—
Mr Kuttner: That imagery is misleading. I do not know what £12,000 looks like, unfortunately, but it was spread over quite a time period. I could look into that and I am not unhappy to do so.


Q1763 Mr Hall: Who signs the cheques?
Mr Kuttner: They go through a process through our accounts department in Peterborough.
Q1764 Mr Hall: And bank transfers are authorised by?
Mr Kuttner: Quite often they would be authorised by me.
Q1765 Mr Hall: By you?
Mr Kuttner: Yes.
Q1766 Mr Hall: And any cash payments that were made they would actually be signed for as well, would they?
Mr Kuttner: Yes.

Q1780 Mr Hall: I think you have been asked this question before. Is it a widespread practice on pseudonyms and payments with the newspaper or not?
Mr Kuttner: No.
Q1781 Mr Hall: And I assume there is an audit trail to that particular answer that you can say you double-checked?
Mr Kuttner: Well, if there were such payments insofar as one could divine them then it would be possible to produce the information.