The New York Times published this illuminating analysis piece yesterday evening.

On page three, it reveals how Rebekah Brooks reportedly tried to focus the attention of authorities at the Daily Mail too.

Over the last several months, Ms. Brooks spearheaded a strategy that seemed designed to spread the blame across Fleet Street, interviews show. Several former News of the World journalists said that she asked them to dig up evidence of hacking. One said in an interview that Ms. Brooks’s target was not her own newspapers, but her rivals.

Mr. Dacre, the editor of The Daily Mail, told his senior managers that he had received several reports from businesspeople, soccer stars and public relations agencies that two News International executives, Will Lewis and Simon Greenberg, had encouraged them to investigate whether their phones had been hacked by Daily Mail newspapers .

“They thought it was unfair that all the focus was on The News of the World,” said one News International official with knowledge of the effort. The two men have told colleagues they did not make such calls, but two company officials disputed that.

The New York Times also quotes sources from within News International saying they had also tried to shift the focus on the Andy Coulson and the Met Police, and away from News Int’l itself.

Another report at the NYT pointed out that the paper has paid out in excess of half a billion dollars in the past to “make embarrassing charges of corporate espionage and anticompetitive behavior go away”.

Reader comments

1. Liberal Conspiracy

   When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

2. A Sanguinarius

   When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

3. Eugene Henry

   When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

4. sunny hundal

   Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

5. bob woods

   RT @libcon: When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://t.co/T1J9Tb0 rebekakaka tries to spread the odium #hackgate

6. Sean Albiez

   Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

7. Richard Ratcliffe

   When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

8. Peter Morton

   When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

9. Chris

   Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

10. Tim Lennon

    NotW wants to drag the Daily Fail down with it. How much more perfect can a storm be? (via @libcon and NYT: http://t.co/eFaGpmr)

11. Bella Caledonia

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

12. Steve Hogan

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

13. Dan Smith

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

14. Paul Wood

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1

15. Gwilym Owen

    NotW wants to drag the Daily Fail down with it. How much more perfect can a storm be? (via @libcon and NYT: http://t.co/eFaGpmr)

16. sunny hundal

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

17. sunny hundal

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

18. Deborah Ffrench

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

19. Jam Gray

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

20. Brian Moylan

    RT @sunny_hundal: Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1 (from earlier)

21. Nemesis Republic

    RT @sunny_hundal: Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off #NotW? http://bit.ly/pfOZy1 (from earlier)

22. Lorraine Ash

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

23. Meg Howarth

    Who knew Rebekah Brooks tried to target the Daily Mail to take the heat off NotW? http://t.co/hmC3odh (from earlier)

24. Felix Riley

    When Rebekah Brooks tried to target Daily Mail | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/SSHT9Pm No, Mr Bond, I expect you to die!