Kiwi talks of naive celebrities

The Kiwi former News of the World showbiz editor talked about the naivety of top movie stars like Hugh Grant when he appeared before an inquiry into British press standards this week.

The Leveson Inquiry was sparked by the UK phone hacking scandal and in its 40th day, former Dominion Post columnist Dan Wootton, 28, took the stand.

The Lower Hutt native responded to claims from A-list actor Grant that his privacy had been breached numerous times by the feasting British press.

"I was very concerned and disappointed when I heard one aspect of Hugh Grant's evidence," Wootton was reported to have said by the Guardian.

He said it was "naive" to say you could be a Hollywood celebrity and bemoan the press attention that came with the role. He said it appeared Grant's publicists in the US had a policy of not speaking to British tabloids and described that as "frustrating" when a journalist was attempting to give right of reply. "I definitely think there needs to be a two-way street."

But Wootton said with the type of gossip he used to write, Grant did not feature often because "he didn't seem to enjoy being a celebrity". Stars were entitled to privacy.

Wootton now writes a column and does celebrity interviews and features for the Daily Mail, has a segment on breakfast television and writes for a weekly magazine.

But he had three years with the News of the World, closed down last year in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.

Talking to the Herald on Sunday after his appearance, he said he had felt comfortable. "There was a clear understanding on behalf of the QC who was questioning me, as I wasn't at the paper at the time when a lot of the alleged activities were going on and even if they had of been, that was completely not the sort of journalism that I did."

He was asked on the stand about the New Zealand press regulatory system.

He said there had been few complaints about his work on News of the World. "The sort of journalism I did, nine times out of 10 I was dealing with people who wanted to be written about and to some degree at the very least had an understanding of the press."