UK 'News Of The World' Last Edition

[Archived_Member16]

July 7, 2011

'News Of The World' Last Edition: James Murdoch Says It's Over


First Posted: 7/07/11 16:43 GMT Updated: 7/07/11 17:05 GMT

News of the World will publish its last edition on Sunday according to a statement by James Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corporation, Europe and Asia.

In a statement Murdoch said: "Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper. This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World."

He said the newspaper would not run any adverts this weekend, adding the advertising space would be donated to causes and charities.

On the job losses that will follow the decision Murdoch said: "I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company... You may see these changes as a price loyal staff at the News of the World are paying for the transgressions of others. So please hear me when I say that your good work is a credit to journalism. I do not want the legitimacy of what you do to be compromised by acts of others. I want all journalism at News International to be beyond reproach."

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/07/07/news-of-the-world-last-ed_n_892241.html?ir=Canada

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

News of the World journalist 'was asked to tap phones'- Video:
http://mediacenter.dw-world.de/english/video/#!/179457/British_phone_hacking_scandal_widens

Murdoch stuns critics, shuts down scandal-hit paper
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/07/us-newscorp-hacking-idUSTRE7641IO20110707

 

[spnadmin]

There seems to be a fair amount of breast beating in the comments that follow the article on Huffington Post. And mention that The Guardian exposed News of the World...for something (?). One person commented that this is a brilliant PR move.

What is this about? What wrong-doing?

I supposed this clears it up somewhat, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/07/news-of-the-world-closing_n_892239.html

News of the World Closing: James Murdoch says phone-hacking tabloid will shut down on Sunday

By Kate Holton

(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation will close its tabloid News of the World after this Sunday's edition, as a result of an escalating phone hacking scandal, James Murdoch said on Thursday.

"The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account," the deputy chief operating officer of News Corporation told staff of the 168-year-old newspaper.

"It failed when it came to itself.

"The good things the News of the World does ... have been sullied by behavior that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company."

News Corporation has been rocked in the last week by claims that its best-selling Sunday tabloid hacked in to the phones of relatives of British soldiers killed in action, of missing children and those caught up in the July 2005 London bombings.

Steven Barnett, professor of communications at Westminster University, said he was "gob-smacked" by the announcement.

"Talk about a nuclear option," he told Reuters. "It will certainly take some of the heat off immediate allegations about journalistic behavior and phone hacking."

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger has issued the following statement

"James Murdoch's statement describes the crisis at the News of the World as eloquently as anything that has been written in the Guardian. He admits - as we have been reporting for two years - that the paper has been "sullied by by behaviour that was wrong...and inhuman." He concedes - as we reported - that the paper has misled parliament and that he was wrong personally to make the out of court settlements which the Guardian revealed in July 2009.

Mr Murdoch blames "wrongdoers" who "turned a good newsroom bad." He does not say who these wrongdoers were - and that is the crucial question people will be asking, including those who are paying with their jobs and who are angry about the loss of a 168-year old newspaper title.

There are numerous outstanding unanswered questions - over the behaviour of the police and the complete failure of the current News International management to uncover what had gone on inside the company. We welcome Mr Murdoch's belated statement of regret. If he and Rebekah Brooks had taken the Guardian's accusations seriously two years ago it is doubtful whether the News of the World would now be closing.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Murdoch's words will be matched by a genuine attempt to get to the truth."

 

[findingmyway]

This news is about phone hacking. It has been hot news in the UK for weeks. I'll sum up the basics and will try and find you some links which go into the issues further.

For years News of the world has been hacking phones and using the private information for sensational news stories. The journalists involved had the support of management according to the reports. A few years ago the press complaints commission investigated the illegal phone hacking and found no wrongdoing so they are currently in the firing line too. A police enquiry earlier this year found them guilty so a lot of people were awarded compensation. Initially all the victims were public figures-politicians, celebrities and people related to royalty so there was not mass public opinion against the paper. Recently it has been revealed that private investigators hired by the News of the world hacked the phone of missing schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002. Messages from her voicemail were deleted allegedly to make space and this gave hope to her relatives she was alive as well as disrupting the police investigation and potentially destroying evidence. This caused public opinion to go against the paper and advertisers withdrew. It has also sparked huge debate about the press and government is now involved too. That's a whistle stop tour of the issues!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/07/press-complaints-commission-ed-miliband
http://wsws.org/articles/2011/jul2011/murd-j07.shtml
http://www.scotsman.com/uk/News-of-the-World-the.6797916.jp
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/868704-...acking-arrogant-rebekah-brooks-under-pressure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_of_the_World_phone_hacking_affair
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadca...n-milly-dowler-phone-hacking-allegations.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...orld-phone-hacking-July-7-as-it-happened.html