Media coverage in conjunction with the news media phone hacking scandal unaware of phone hacking. The newspaper was encouraged earlier that year by "The Guardian" to investigate and report on phone hacking. The NY Times reported the disclosures made by "The Guardian" regarding Milly Dowler's hacked phone on the same day "The Guardian" article appeared. The Independent; (5 July 2011) "The Independent" covered "The Guardian's" story about Milly Dowler the same day. The newspaper also followed up with investigative reporting and published an article 22 September 2011 reporting that, within weeks of the arrests of Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire in August 2006, "a senior police officer" advised Rebekah Brooks there
Metropolitan Police role in the news media phone hacking scandal that others, including Andy Coulson, were aware of Goodman's hacking or engaged in hacking themselves. H&L also served as counsel to the royal family at the time. On 29 May 2007, H&L's Lawrence Abramson sent the final draft of a letter whose text had negotiated between the law firm and its client to News International, stating that the review of the e-mails had found no such evidence. In his testimony to the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 19 July 2011, News International's James Murdoch claimed to have relied on this letter containing "outside legal advice from senior counsel”