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Media brief

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Torin Douglas Torin Douglas | 09:48 UK time, Monday, 14 March 2011

I'm the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s media correspondent and this is my brief selection of what's going on

The a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Panorama programme tonight will name "the sixth and most senior journalist yet to be implicated in illegal newsgathering" in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. It says an executive "commissioned a specialist snooper who illegally intercepted email messages from a target's computer".

´óÏó´«Ã½ News reports that a senior News of the World executive obtained e-mails hacked into by a private detective, Panorama has found. Then Irish edition editor Alex Marunchak was sent ex-British intelligence officer Ian Hurst's private e-mails in 2006, it found. The paper's owner News International said it would act if shown new evidence of wrong-doing. Mr Marunchak denied involvement.

Today's the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is re-editing its flagship science series, Wonders of the Universe, presented by Professor Brian Cox, after bowing to viewer complaints about the show's incessant background music. It quotes the producer: "I think we clearly have made an error of judgment...so we are remixing the sound for all the films."

The the ´óÏó´«Ã½ will retaliate against cuts in its budget this week by claiming that its contribution to Britain's economy grew 5.6% to top £8bn last year. A Deloitte analysis says it delivers well over £2 of value for every pound in fees from TV licences.

Saturday's "´óÏó´«Ã½ bosses have identified abandoning coverage of Formula One and Wimbledon as one way of saving money". It quotes a ´óÏó´«Ã½ insider: "Wimbledon costs tens of millions, is a very expensive contract, and costly to cover. No one is saying, definitely exit, but it is being looked at. Or perhaps....this is a contract that could be shared with another broadcaster".

On Saturday, Lord Patten's appointment as the chairman of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust was approved by a Commons committee, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ reports. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he welcomed the MPs' conclusion and would now recommend Lord Patten for the job. My analysis: "Many will applaud Lord Patten's championing of cultured and civilised values. But the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust represents all licence-payers, including the millions who prefer EastEnders and the celebrities he says he's never heard of."

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the future of ´óÏó´«Ã½ local radio, saying it was "unbelievably important", the ´óÏó´«Ã½ reports. He was responding to reports that local radio programming could be cut back as part of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s cost-saving.

As events in Japan continue to grip the world after the earthquake, the Financial Times says the country is fighting to contain a rapidly escalating nuclear emergency, as featured in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ newspapers review. "After the wave, the grief" is the headline in the Guardian, whose reporters are watching the search for bodies in the ruins of Sintona. The Japanese people are bracing themselves for their most brutal ordeal since WWII, according to the Times.

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