:wild::timer::clapping:
News of the World is publishing its final edition Sunday
British tabloid
News of the World is publishing its final edition Sunday, James Murdoch, son of News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch, has announced.
With a circulation of 3.7 million, the 168-year-old publication is the bestselling Sunday paper in the UK, according to figures from market and media research firm TGI.
The close comes in the wake of series of phone-hacking scandals involving high-profile celebrities, including members of the Royal Family. The latest involved the phone of a missing 13-year-old British girl, later found dead.
Since the latest scandal was uncovered earlier this week, advertisers were quick to disassociate themselves from the plagued tabloid through a series of
public announcements on Twitter and elsewhere, claiming that they would no longer be advertising with the publication.
Matters grew even worse Thursday morning after
The Guardian published a
story indicating that
News of the World paid out £100,000 in bribes to police officers in the Greater London area.
In a
statement on
News of the World‘s website, Rupert Murdoch wrote that “recent allegations of phone hacking and making payments to police with respect to the
News of the World are deplorable and unacceptable. I have made clear that our company must fully and proactively cooperate with the police in all investigations and that is exactly what News International has been doing and will continue to do under Rebekah Brooks’s leadership.”
“We are committed to addressing these issues fully and have taken a number of important steps to prevent them from happening again,” he added.
It is not yet clear if News Corp intends to move
News of the World staffers to one of its other major UK newspapers, a portfolio that includes
The Sun,
The Times and
The Sunday Times.
http://mashable.com/2011/07/07/news-of-the-world-shut-down/
News of the World shut down in bid to end phone hacking scandal
Britain's biggest-selling newspaper was shut down last night by the Murdoch family in a surprise move designed to bring an end to the phone hacking scandal engulfing the News of the World.
James Murdoch, the chairman of News International, which owns the newspaper, announced that the final edition would be published this weekend, citing the “inhuman” alleged behaviour of some staff as prompting the decision.
The 168-year-old newspaper will donate all this weekend’s revenues to good causes and would not accept any paid advertising, he said.
Hundreds of staff now face an uncertain future. However, Rebekah Brooks, the chief executive of News International and former editor of the News of the World, has been allowed to keep her job despite widespread calls for her to be sacked.
Last night she faced angry scenes at the paper as she broke the news to journalists. There were reports she had to be escorted from the offices by security guards for her protection.
Rupert Murdoch and his family sacrificed the tabloid as they fought to salvage their company’s attempt to take over BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster, after the scandal resulted in growing political pressure for the Government to block the deal.
Last night politicians warned that shutting the newspaper would not shut down the scandal, which they said would only end when those responsible for the hacking were brought to justice.
The historic announcement of the closure followed several days of allegations that investigators working for the newspaper had hacked into the mobile phones of military families, the victims of the 7/7 attacks and murder victims, including the teenager Milly Dowler.
It was made hours after the Metropolitan Police disclosed that more than 4,000 people had been identified as potential victims of private detectives employed by the paper.
The News of the World, the biggest selling English-language newspaper in the world, is currently at the centre of two police investigations, one into the alleged hacking, the other into payments allegedly made to police officers.
After widespread public revulsion at the scandal and condemnation from MPs, dozens of companies had announced they were withdrawing advertising from the paper. The share price of News Corp, the parent company of New Limited, had also been badly affected.
James Murdoch last night said that the paper had lost the trust of its readers after the allegations.
He told staff: “The good things the News of the World does have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company.”
The company’s investigation into the claims had been inadequate, he said, and its insistence that hacking was confined to one rogue reporter was wrong. “The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself. Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.
“As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. 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.”
Mr Murdoch also conceded that he and other executives had made serious mistakes in their handling of the crisis. “The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong,” he said. “The company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.” In a television interview, however, he refused to apologise, simply repeating that the scandal was “regrettable”.
More than 200 staff reacted with anger at the announcement, claiming they were innocent victims of the behaviour of a previous regime. Sub editors at sister newspaper The Sun walked out in protest.
Mrs Brooks, who is said to have been in tears as she announced the paper’s closure, was faced with a “lynch mob mentality” from staff. David Wooding, the associate editor, said: “The problem is, all these decent hard-working distinguished journalists are carrying the can for the sins of the previous regime. I don’t think they could have done any more to cleanse the News of the World.” Mrs Brooks was the editor of the News of the World when some of the most controversial incidents — including the hacking of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone — took place. It was reported last night that she offered her resignation on Wednesday evening but it was rejected by the Murdoch family. Mr Murdoch last night staunchly defended Mrs Brooks, insisting that she was not culpable for the hacking allegations.
Last night, senior Labour figures demanded that she step aside and take “responsibility” for the situation. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said of the closure: “It’s a big act but I don’t think it solves the real issues. One of the people who’s remaining in her job is the chief executive of News International who was the editor at the time of the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone.” Mr Miliband said people were right to be appalled by the allegations, adding: “What I’m interested in is not closing down newspapers, I’m interested in those who were responsible being brought to justice and those who have responsibility for the running of that newspaper taking their responsibility and I don’t think those two things have happened today.”
In a statement, Downing Street said: “What matters is that all wrongdoing is exposed and those responsible for these appalling acts are brought to justice.
“As the Prime Minister has made clear, he is committed to establishing rigorous public inquiries to make sure this never happens in our country again.”
Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator used by the News of the World, said there had been a “committee” of journalists at the paper who commissioned phone hacking. The admission, made to a victim of sexual assault who was secretly filming their conversation, dispels the notion that phone hacking was encouraged by one rogue reporter. His lawyer later released a statement saying that his use of the word “committee” was a “colloquial expression and did not mean that an official committee had been set up”.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...down-in-bid-to-end-phone-hacking-scandal.html
