Paul Dacre

Paul Dacre is the former editor of the Daily Mail, having held the position from 1992 to 2018. He is currently newsworthy due to allegations that journalists at the Daily Mail, under his leadership, engaged in unlawful information gathering techniques, including the use of a convicted private investigator, Steve Whittamore, to obtain secret information. These allegations are being heard in the high court, with Doreen Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, among the claimants. Lawrence testified that she felt betrayed by the Daily Mail's publisher, given the paper's previous support of her campaign for justice for her son. Dacre himself has described the allegations as "bitterly wounding" and "grave and sometimes preposterous." The case highlights the ethical considerations and legal boundaries surrounding journalistic practices and the potential impact on individuals targeted by such methods.