Hacking up the truth. Hacking! NBN! An irresistible combination, apparently, for most of the mainstream media this morning after the arrest of a Cowra truck driver and “self-taught hacker” (presumably he couldn’t afford to enrol in a blackhat cracking course at his local tech) who is alleged to have been involved in cracking a number of sites, including the University of Sydney and wholesale internet provider Platform Networks.

Platform Networks was one of the first wholesale participants in trials of the NBN on the mainland and journalists from News Limited, Fairfax and particularly the ABC immediately linked the NBN to the suspect, who used the imaginative name of “Evil”. As late as 12.30pm today, the ABC was still headlining its story “Self-taught hacker charged over NBN attack”, despite the AFP making it clear the attacks were unrelated to the NBN and NBN Co issuing a statement declaring the NBN “was not affected by this incident. The company said to be involved is not yet offering services over the NBN.”

The ABC recently seems to have picked up News Ltd’s long-running campaign against the NBN. Its “Online Investigative Unit” produced a story earlier this month in which it was claimed the NBN would “widen the gap between remote indigenous communities and the broader community” because remote communities would only receive 12Mbps while metropolitan and major regional centres would have access to speeds up to, eventually, 1Gbps and beyond. — Bernard Keane

The Oz v the Greens (cont). For the record, from The Australian‘s editorial page today …

“Deputy Greens leader Christine Milne, an equal-opportunity hater who shares out her grudges between coalminers, loggers and News Limited journalists, accused The Australian of opposing action on climate change. We won’t waste space here correcting her, since we know Green MPs do not read The Australian‘s editorials, including several in recent weeks welcoming Labor’s carbon pricing scheme. It is fair to say we did not endorse everything in the package and that, curiously, most of its less redeeming features bore the fingerprints of Senator Milne and her colleagues. Nevertheless, when it comes to action on climate change we’re right on board, and Senator Milne’s groundless claim that we print endless columns by so-called climate change sceptics says more about her bias than ours.”

Chatting with the Chancellor. A glimpse at political life is provided by the list made available yesterday of the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer’s meetings with newspaper executives since the election of May 2010 …

— Read the full document at The Stump

Boland sticks with Seven. Despite it oft-rumoured that former Sunrise EP Adam Boland was attempting to get out of his contract at Seven in a bid to set up a breakfast show at Ten, yesterday came the news that Boland has dropped his legal action against Seven and taken on the position of Channel Seven’s Director of Social Media and Strategy. Boland will also develop some pilot programs for Seven.

It will be interesting to see where his role as Director of Social Media and Strategy takes him. With TV consumption already being driven by so much of the audience already, this is a role that will only grow in importance. It’s actually refreshing to see that Seven has identified the value in deploying resources to engage with and evolve within this space. — Read more from Dan Barrett at White Noise

Front page of the day. The clock is ticking on a crucial debt deal in the US …

Phone hacking Mirror turns to NotW rival

“Trinity Mirror has ordered an inquiry into whether its journalists were involved in phone hacking after a sharp fall in the company’s share price was prompted by claims from former journalists that the practice had been rife at the Mirror titles.” — The Independent

Blogger ‘has proof’ of Piers Morgan knowledge of hacking

“CNN host Piers Morgan was editor of a British tabloid, the Daily Mirror, at a time when many British tabloid reporters were committing illegal hacking of voicemails. Morgan has vociferously denied personal involvement in or knowledge of anything like that under his watch — but a prominent political blogger claims to have a recording that proves otherwise.” — Forbes

Phone hacking aside, James could get pay rise

“James Murdoch could soon earn a cash bonus of up to $12m (£7.3m) from News Corporation on top of his $3m salary even though the part of the company he has run has been mired in the phone-hacking scandal, shut one of its flagship British newspapers and been forced to abandon the bid for BSkyB in the wake of cross-party hostility in the UK.” — The Guardian

Alan Jones hits out at his ‘nasty’ critics

“2GB presenter Alan Jones has labelled his critics as ‘losers’ and ‘nasty, small minded people on the ABC’ in a strident defence of his broadcasting style. Speaking in a rare interview to mark the one year point from the beginning of the Olympics — for which 2GB is Australia’s official commercial radio broadcaster — Jones told Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes that his listeners realise he is expressing his opinions and that he does not set out to be a journalist.” — Mumbrella

Optus examined over catch-up TV service

“The blurred lines between content makers and distributors in a digital world could be tested once again with the free-to-air networks and the AFL contemplating legal action against Optus’s new catch-up television services. It is understood industry body Free TV Australia has engaged law firm Freehills to examine whether the Optus TV Now service has breached copyright laws.” — The Australian