J.K. ROWLING TO TESTIFY AT U.K. MEDIA INQUIRY

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has surprisingly turned up on a list of 46 “core participants” in the upcoming judicial inquiry by Lord Justice Brian Leveson’s into the British telephone hacking scandal and other news media abuses. The list also includes a number of other politicians, sports stars, and celebrities, including actor Hugh Grant and actress Sienna Miller. A “core participant” is allowed to be accompanied by an attorney and to ask questions, including cross examining witnesses, during the inquiry. The Levesdon inquiry will initially look into press standards in general before focusing on the specific allegations of phone hacking and payments by reporters to police.