THROUGH the tragedy of them losing their son, I have the very great privilege and pleasure, as do many of my newsroom colleagues, of knowing Peter and Linda Thornton.

I don’t use those words lightly or for effect.

It is a great privilege and pleasure, because they are incredibly lovely people who have conducted themselves with the utmost dignity since the death of their son in Afghanistan in 2008.

To read Peter’s words today about his own perception of the importance of talking to the media, is to get to the heart of the betrayal that many people are feeling over the phone hacking scandal.

Peter, who now heads the foundation set up in Royal Marine John’s name, explains that he believed (and still does) that speaking with journalists was crucial to help raise the profile of the war, what the armed forces do and what happens when a soldier loses his life in conflict.

Although Peter has no reason to believe that his phone messages have been hacked, he is quite rightly angry - and probably hurt and bewildered on behalf of his own family and all those who have lost loved ones in this conflict and others.

I would like to think, indeed I am confident, that Peter and his family have been treated with sensitivity, care and respect at all times by representatives of this newspaper.

Journalists at a local level by and large operate in this way because they care about the communities in which they live and work. That’s not to say that collectively, we shouldn’t be ashamed at what has been done in the name of journalism. We should and we are.