Earlier this month the News of the World suspended its news editor, Ian Edmondson, over allegations of phone hacking in 2005-6, thought to involve the actress Sienna Miller.
There is of course an uncomfortable feedback loop from the latest disclosures of alleged hacking to the prime minister - in that the deputy editor of the News of the World in 2002 was Andy Coulson, who became editor of the News of the World in 2003, and who also served as Mr Cameron's communications director until he resigned in January.
The court set the trial date for Sept. 9, 2013, during a hearing Wednesday attended by former News of the World editor Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of News Corp.
Prosecutors this month announced charges against six people, including Rebekah Brooks, a former News of the World and Sun editor who later became chief executive of News International, the British newspaper publishing arm of Murdoch's News Corp.
The committee also said former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks must "accept responsibility" for presiding over a culture at the News of the World that led to journalists impersonating members of Milly Dowler's family and hacking the teenager's phone.
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Three days ago, Rebekah Brooks, the controversial former News of the World editor at the center of the phone hacking scandal, was still enjoying the support of News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch.
Mr Coulson was editor of the News of the World in 2007 when its royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed for conspiracy to access phone messages.
Mr Coulson resigned as editor of the News of the World in 2007 when its royal editor, Clive Goodman, was jailed for conspiracy to access phone messages.
BBC: Andy Coulson finishes Downing Street communications job
News of the World editor Colin Myler stood up to address reporters for the last time.
Former Downing Street communications chief Andy Coulson quit as News of the World editor following Goodman's conviction.
The former News of the World editor finished on Monday, having handed in his resignation 11 days ago.
BBC: Andy Coulson finishes Downing Street communications job
He and former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman were jailed over royal phone tapping in 2007.
He "seldom" speaks to the News of the World editor, and perhaps once or twice a month to the Sun editor.
He said he had not granted an application by former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks for core participant status.
Cameron's judgment in hiring former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as his communications director has also been called into question.
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Mr Coulson, a former News of the World editor, has blamed the phone-hacking scandal at the paper for making it hard to focus on his government role.
BBC: Andy Coulson finishes Downing Street communications job
Mrs Brooks, a former News of the World editor, insisted she was innocent in a statement issued last week when the CPS announced it was bringing charges.
Editors speaking include James Harding of The Times, Alan Rusbridger of the Guardian, Chris Blackhurst of the Independent, and the former News of the World editor Colin Myler.
The hearing was the first time Mr Coulson, who was News of the World editor from 2003 to 2007, has been questioned about people's mobile phone voicemail being hacked into.
News of the World editor Colin Myler said the paper was pleased at the lack of punitive damages, but added that "our press is less free today after another judgement based on privacy laws emanating from Europe".
Mr. Murdoch received the email chain in June 2008 from News of the World editor Colin Myler containing comments from the paper's lawyers about a lawsuit U.K. soccer union boss Gordon Taylor had brought against the tabloid for hacking.
Earlier in the day, Cameron defended his decision to appoint former News of the World editor Andy Coulson as director of communications for the Conservative Party and then in Downing Street, saying he was the best person for the job.
The former News of the World editor is accused, along with ex-NoW royal correspondent Clive Goodman, 55, from Surrey, of requesting and authorising payments to public officials in exchange for information, including a royal phone directory known as the Green Book.
Former News of the World executive editor Neil Wallis told the BBC that before the Leveson Inquiry he would have published the pictures because it was in the public interest, but the inquiry had had an adverse effect on the press.
Lord Prescott claimed he had written to Mr Cameron two years ago to argue that former News of the World editor Mr Coulson, the press adviser to Mr Cameron as leader of the opposition, was not fit to become Downing Street director of communications.
It therefore suggested that News International's official position at the time, to the effect that hacking was confined to the activities of one reporter, Clive Goodman - the former News of the World royal editor, jailed for hacking in 2007 - may not have been true.
But when it looked as if Gordon Brown was about to call an election that he might win in 2007, Mr Eustice was elbowed aside in favour of former News of the World editor Andy Coulson - seen as a tougher and more experienced operator, in the Alastair Campbell mould.
In particular, letters from Crone and former News of the World editor Colin Myer undermine an assertion by the younger Murdoch that the decision to pay a seven-figure settlement to soccer executive Gordon Taylor was made strictly on its own merits and was not an attempt to keep other hacking incidents from going public.
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Mr. Coulson, News of the World's editor at the time, resigned from his post in 2007, saying he took responsibility for the hacking that occurred on his watch but stating that he didn't know about it.
Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International and a former News of the World and Sun editor, admitted to a parliamentary committee in 2003 that papers had paid the police for information, though she now says she does not know details of any payments.
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