Press must change

Chris Blackhurst ( Leveson is 'loading a gun' in report, says Independent editor , August 30) must be the only person around who is surprised that Lord Justice Leveson has many criticisms to make of the press. After phone hacking (exposed so valiantly by the Guardian), after the McCann and Jefferies affairs, after Motorman, and after the sinister collective cover-ups by most national titles of all these scandals, the judge was hardly likely to declare the national press in rude health. It is time that editors and proprietors recognised that their industry is like the banks: it has disgraced itself and it certainly can't be trusted to fix things on its own. Mr Blackhurst should also note that the same article brought the depressing news of the arrest of two more journalists. In the interests of good journalism there needs to be change in the way papers relate to the public – and that change should come soon. Brian Cathcart Director, Hacked Off