Former federal minister turned lobbyist Graham Richardson has attacked Fairfax Media over its role in the McGurk corruption inquiry.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption investigation was sparked, in part, by two Sydney Morning Herald journalists who spoke to Mr McGurk regarding corruption allegations said to be contained on a secret tape recording he made seven months before his murder.
The newspaper subsequently ran stories about the allegations.
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Speaking outside the hearing on Wednesday after giving evidence, Mr Richardson said the whole ICAC investigation had been a waste of public money.
He accused the Herald of running a "long, hard campaign" on the issue and of lacking credible evidence for the allegations.
"You've got ask yourself why," Mr Richardson told reporters.
"It's a big question.
"Journalism I'm told is about a search for the truth. In this case the truth simply didn't count. It was only a search for a story."
He said stories run by the Herald were partly based on flimsy evidence provided by a prisoner jailed for fraud.
The prisoner's name has been suppressed by ICAC.
Counsel assisting the ICAC inquiry, Jeremy Gormly, said on Monday that there was no evidence to support any of the allegations of corruption involving senior public servants and ministers.
