Murdoch pulls the plug on paper after phone-hacking scandal

[Watser?]

This Sunday's edition of The News of the World will be its last, News International chairman James Murdoch has said, after days of increasingly damaging allegations against the paper.

The weekly tabloid is accused of hacking into the mobile phones of crime victims, celebrities and politicians.

On Thursday, the Met Police said it was seeking to contact 4,000 possible targets named in seized documents.

The UK's biggest selling paper has been in circulation for 168 years.

The News of the World, which sells about 2.8million copies a week, is famed for its celebrity scoops and sex scandals, earning it the nickname, the News of the Screws.

BBC News - News of the World to close amid hacking scandal

It has been known for some time that reporters hacked celebrities' and politicians' phones in order to get gossip, but this week it turned out that a private investigater working for the newspaper hacked the phone of a missing schoolgirl who was later found dead.

[lisarea]

The worst part about the schoolgirl incident was that her family noticed messages being deleted from her account, and they thought it meant she was still alive out there somewhere.

[Watser?]

Yeah, it's pretty fucked up all over. Plus I think I read yesterday they also hacked the phones of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

[Leesifer]

Yep, the whole thing is disgusting.

They [allegedly] hacked the phones of more families with missing/murdered children, apart from Milly Dowler's phone.

[Kyuss Apollo]

Murdoch closes the News of the World.

This article on Milly Dowler made my skin crawl. Rupert Fucking Murdoch is a reptile.

[The Man]

The Spectator has a good piece detailing how a large portion of the British press may have done similar things to the News of the World. Meanwhile, it turns out that servicemen's accounts had been hacked as well.

This whole thing is disgusting and I hope it (a) leads to a sea change in the way journalism is handled and (b) leads to a precipitous decline in the profitability of all news outlets owned by Rupert Murdoch. I hope, but I don't expect.

[The Lone Ranger]

Originally Posted by Kyuss Apollo

Rupert Fucking Murdoch is a reptile.

That's totally unfair.


I like reptiles. They're beautiful and fascinating creatures. Murdoch, by contrast, is an ugly [metaphorically, if not literally] and disgusting creature.

[Qingdai]

Yikes. That's more than just hacking, deleting messages?

"The Guardian reported on 4 July 2011 that Scotland Yard had discovered Milly Dowler's voicemail had been hacked by journalists working for the News of the World and the newspaper's private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.[43] During their ongoing investigation into that newspaper's phone hacking activities, police detectives discovered that journalists had deleted some messages - potential evidence - in Milly's voicemail box because it was full; that freed up space for new messages, which they could listen to. The deletions misled family and friends into thinking that Milly was still alive.[44] Dowler's parents announced via their solicitor that they would pursue a claim for damages against the News of the World.[45]"

[Watser?]

And now PM Cameron could be in trouble too:

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson has been arrested by police investigating phone hacking and corruption allegations.

...

It came as Prime Minister David Cameron defended his decision to employ Mr Coulson and announced two inquiries - one led by a judge - into the scandal.

Mr Coulson has denied any knowledge of phone hacking while he was NoW editor.

...

He was employed as Mr Cameron's director of communications in 2007 but Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger claims he warned Mr Cameron's team not to employ Mr Coulson.

The prime minister said he did not remember receiving "any specific action or information about Andy Coulson" but would check with his officials.

BBC News - Phone hacking probe: Ex-News of the World editor Coulson arrested

[ceptimus]

Now we wait for Murdoch to relaunch exactly the same paper, using the same team, but with a new name.

At the moment, the News International tabloid for Monday to Saturday is 'The Sun' and, up until the last issue this coming weekend, their Sunday offering is 'The News of the World'.

Everyone expects 'The Sun on Sunday' or similar for the replacement. Murdoch will get loads of free publicity for the relaunch, and will most likely make some cost savings too.

[Qingdai]

I would fully expect Murdoch to use anything to get rid of unprofitable labor. Nothing like firing everyone and hiring at lower wages.

Here there used to be rules about who could own what types of media, and how many, which Murdoch has lobbied successfully against.

[Leesifer]

Apparently thesunonsunday.com was registered as early as Tuesday this week - before the News of the World was cancelled.

[Kyuss Apollo]

Originally Posted by The Lone Ranger

That's totally unfair.


I like reptiles. They're beautiful and fascinating creatures. Murdoch, by contrast, is an ugly [metaphorically, if not literally] and disgusting creature.

Of course, sorry--I intended no insult to actual living (or extinct) reptiles anywhere by my comment...much like how calling George W. Bush an asshole is actually an insult to assholes the world over. (Sorry, assholes.)

[Watser?]

The Sunday Times is alleged to have illegally targeted the personal information of Gordon Brown when he was chancellor, the BBC has found.

Documents and a phone recording suggest "blagging" was used to obtain private financial and property details.

The Browns also fear medical records relating to their son Fraser, whom the Sun revealed in 2006 had cystic fibrosis, may have been obtained.

BBC News - Gordon Brown 'targeted by Sunday Times'

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by Kyuss Apollo

Of course, sorry--I intended no insult to actual living (or extinct) reptiles anywhere by my comment...much like how calling George W. Bush an asshole is actually an insult to assholes the world over. (Sorry, assholes.)

It's okay.

[lisarea]

In case youse guys are missing this story, it's pretty hilarious:

More on the 'Most Incredible' Fox News Travesty - James Fallows - National - The Atlantic

[Ensign Steve]

I liked this take on the contrition and whatnot:

Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: Running Interference

Rupert Murdoch has been trying hard to be the picture of contrition (see photo above), surely unfamiliar territory for the notorious tyrant. If you want to see News Corp.'s official attitude, however, look no further than this morning's editorial in the Wall Street Journal, which vacillates between "everybody does it" and "this all happened years ago" and "it's all a plot by our liberal rivals anyway." Check out the opening disclosure statement, which was surely crafted by about three thousand lawyers:

When News Corp. and CEO Rupert Murdoch secured enough shares to buy Dow Jones & Co. four years ago, these columns welcomed our new owner and promised to stand by the same standards and principles we always had. That promise is worth repeating now that politicians and our competitors are using the phone-hacking years ago at a British corner of News Corp. to assail the Journal, and perhaps injure press freedom in general.

That doesn't sound too contrite to me! Read the whole thing and you'll see Murdoch's real attitude: this isn't fair, waaah. And anybody following the scandal can clearly see that this is hardly just a matter of a teensy tiny "British corner of News Corp." as the fiasco engulfs Downing Street, Scotland Yard, etc.

[Kyuss Apollo]

Originally Posted by lisarea

More on the 'Most Incredible' Fox News Travesty - James Fallows - National - The Atlantic

Just when I thought the stupid couldn't burn any hotter.

[Adam]

LulzSec Defaces Murdoch Paper With Mogul’s Fake Death Notice | Threat Level | Wired.com

Those wacky LulzSec scamps. I like the cut of their jib.

[Qingdai]

Yah, see Hackers are the problem, not the people who pay for them to hack. Nothing to see here!

:

[LadyShea]

I said it before, I say it again with my face: it's the hackers and info leakers that have the best chance of making a difference. Which is cool.

[viscousmemories]

Originally Posted by lisarea

In case youse guys are missing this story, it's pretty hilarious:

More on the 'Most Incredible' Fox News Travesty - James Fallows - National - The Atlantic

Colbert also illuminated this on his show last night. They're just shameless.

[Watser?]

Fauxsclusive, Late Edition! If the New York Post Were Covering the News Corp. Scandal the Way it Covers Every Other Scandal | VF Daily | Vanity Fair

[Stormlight]

Stay classy, Rupert.

[Angakuk]

This whole hacking scandal is just like some chick complaining about some innocent guy's inoffensive behavior in an elevator while muslim girls are having their genitals mutilated. Does Dawkins work for Murdoch's public relations firm?