THERE was already considerable public concern about the culture of telephone hacking at the News of the World when it involved celebrities and politicians.

The fact that the grieving family of a murdered schoolgirl are now caught up in the growing scandal has sent that public concern to such a new level that key advertisers were last night withdrawing their support from the Sunday paper.

If allegations that Milly Dowler’s mobile phone was hacked by a News of the World investigator are true, it will be remembered as one of the most shocking acts by a newspaper in history.

Not only will it spell commercial disaster for the News of the World, it will also tarnish the wider image of journalism in this country.

If this was going on at the News of the World, people are bound to wonder what other unacceptable practices are being employed in the race for big-selling exclusives.

A free press is central to democracy in this country, and confirmation that Milly Dowler’s phone was hacked would be a sickening abuse of that freedom – so much so that MPs must surely vote for a public inquiry when they hold an emergency debate on the issue today.

It is not as if this is an isolated breach of trust. Phone hacking has clearly been part of the culture at the News of the World – and the management of that culture leaves serious questions hanging over senior executives.