News International and Phone Hacking

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Heard a big army charity was pulling it's support from News of the World. It does feel like the News of the World is getting the blame for this (ie not The Sun and News International), and will probably go down the pan. But it feels like it will be a small part blamed, with blame shifted from the rest of the network, when this feels like a much bigger environmental issue withing News International.

[Anthony Williams]

they use young women prominently in photographs on one page while railing against paedophiles on the other

You mean like when they were ranting about Brass Eye's Paedophile episode, with a photo of a 15 year old Charlotte Church on the page next to it, while going on and on about her breasts.

[Philipnet]

News of the World to close

"The News of the World is to publish its last edition on Sunday, News International announces, as the phone-hacking scandal escalates"

Read more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14070733

[Si Hunt]

Great but.... BUT.

Don't want to seem ungrateful, but it's only the weekend edition of The Sun. Shouldn't that close as well given that it's run by the same people?

In a few months will we get a new "Sunday" edition of the Sun? i.e won't they just relaunch it under another name?

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

In a few months will we get a new "Sunday" edition of the Sun? i.e won't they just relaunch it under another name?

I actually came on to say something just as cynical!

[Jon Masters]

I actually came on to say something just as cynical!

I've already said something just as cynical on Facebook !

Oh, how untrusting and downright pessimistic we are

[Lissa]

I'm sure they will but to kill off a brand like the News of the World - which most of its readers must buy out of habit rather than making a choice each Sunday morning - so suddenly is a massive decision. They must rate Rebekah Brooks very highly indeed to sacrifice the entire paper just to prevent her having to resign.

[Junkyard]

In spite of everything, I'm surprised it's closing.

[SiHart]

Blimey. Good news, but it feels like the least they could do after these allegations.

It's more than likely a bit of sleight of hand by the Murdochs... do something noble, but not the noblest thing you can do...

[Alex]

You mean like when they were ranting about Brass Eye's Paedophile episode, with a photo of a 15 year old Charlotte Church on the page next to it, while going on and on about her breasts.

That was actually the Daily Star (I've still got my copy from that day!) but I know what you mean, and that paper, if anything is even worse than the NotW - the blatant racism that the Star publishes is quite shocking...

Apparently www.thesunonsunday.co.uk and www.thesunonsunday.com were bought by persons unknown on July 5th. But I think we can all guess who the owner is...

[SiHart]

Yes it's me. I'll be quids in by the end of the week!

[Anthony Williams]

That was actually the Daily Star

Well, I believe Steve was railing against NOTW "and other tabloids"

Apparently www.thesunonsunday.co.uk and www.thesunonsunday.com were bought by persons unknown on July 5th. But I think we can all guess who the owner is...

I saw that too. Unsurprising, given that NOTW was essentially The Sun on Sunday anyway. I can't imagine News International would be happy not having a tabloid to publish on Sundays...

[Dino]

So we can all see through the smoke screen right?
I don't know what dirt RebeKKKah has on Rupert, but it must be pretty strong if she's being kept on!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Yeah it sounds like they're going to get rid of a token part of the company, wring their hands a bit, then return to business as usual everywhere else.

And given how vindictive Murdoch can be ... heaven help some people.

Isn't it time he took a nice long cruise on a yacht?

[Si Hunt]

George Michael knew.

http://m.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/ne...orruption.html

[Si Hunt]

I don't like any of this. But just about the only thing I'm unsurprised or unshocked by is the thing that everyone else seems up in arms about - the hacking thing.

Surely we know what the papers, particuarly Murdoch's, are like? As I mentioned before, the journalists ruin lives. Is is REALLY a surprise that people who hound people who are dying, who chase Princess Diana until she crashes and dies, is it any genuine surprise that these people bribe and eavesdrop on phone calls? It's entirely in character to me, which is why this is not, sadly, what depresses me about all this.

What depresses me is everything else. The fact that the British Public bought the News of the World all these years, even after Diana, even after all the money paid to people who sleep with footballers, journos who pay people with no shame to ruin peoples lives, even after everything else, the PUBLIC kept buying the paper. If you buy or bought it, don't you think YOU should feel responsible? You can't honestly say you didn't know what they were like? What depresses me is that people keep ON buying "The Sun" which is essentially the same paper, unless there are stories about dipping publication figures that I haven't seen.

What depresses me slightly, but not too much, is that all this must have been known about for some time, or else it's a mighty coincidence it all broke on the exact week that Jeremy Hunt was due to green light the buying of 61% of BSkyB by Murdoch. So there's an uncomfortable feeling that we've had a few more weeks, maybe months, maybe years, of corruption in Parliment, police taking money to leak stories etc. so the right time can be chosen for this to leak. If it meant it delayed Murdoch gaining even more power then it's sort of like one evil to stop another, but it's still a bit dubious.

I'm most depressed about the way Murdoch is emerging, despite all this scandal, rosily clean. It's like he has his claws dug TOO far into the establishment that this whole thing is like taking away a small town from someone who owns four countries. Before the NOTW closure was announced, Murdoch was already calmly planning its replacement paper. So what was the point? Why isn't the Sun being shut down as well? It's like we're saying what Murdoch has done is APPALLING but at the same time we're all still buying his other paper and allowing it to go on! How can we be so two faced?

And now this has come to light, hacking of phones, invasions of privacy, Police and Government corruption, why hasn't the BSB takeover just out of the question?! Analysts reckon it will still go ahead! Just delayed. Is that going to harm Murdoch AT ALL?! How can we let this man have more power when he's just been shown as having corrupted the entire system? Apparently Jeremy Hunt is legally not permitted to allow "moral" arguments (i.e this scandal) to influence his decision. So, officially, corruption doesn't matter when it comes to giving someone power over our media.

I can't help but reserve the LEAST of my distaste for Murdoch and his empire in all of this, because frankly that's what they are always like. It's the public's fault for keeping buying the papers, and our spineless Government's fault for allowing him even more power, which they will do very shortly when they've managed to tart back up their public image.

Corruption is here to stay.

Si.

[Larry]

Great but.... BUT.

Don't want to seem ungrateful, but it's only the weekend edition of The Sun. Shouldn't that close as well given that it's run by the same people?

In a few months will we get a new "Sunday" edition of the Sun? i.e won't they just relaunch it under another name?

Si.

agreed, the closure of the NOW, is all a token gesture as there is no way some one like Murdoch, is going to close a proffit making paper without replacing it with some thing and I'd give it a few months untill the dust settles but I reckon before the end of the year The Sun, will appear on Sundays which will be the NOW, in all but name.

What depresses me is everything else. The fact that the British Public bought the News of the World all these years, even after Diana, even after all the money paid to people who sleep with footballers, journos who pay people with no shame to ruin peoples lives, even after everything else, the PUBLIC kept buying the paper. If you buy or bought it, don't you think YOU should feel responsible? You can't honestly say you didn't know what they were like? What depresses me is that people keep ON buying "The Sun" which is essentially the same paper, unless there are stories about dipping publication figures that I haven't seen.

Si, the sad fact is papers like The Sun and the N,O.W, are popular because people like and want to read about the Royals and celebreties private lives. These papers take a great delight in building people on tv or sport up in to heros then take an even greater delight in bringing them down. I remember a few years ago Frank Bruno, who is one of the most popular British sportsman of the last 30 years was suffering from personal and emotional problems yet The Sun, in a complete lack of compasion or understanding had "Big Frank in Mental Home". splashed across itr's front page. The person who wrote that did it without stopping to think how upsetting it would be for Frank's daughters seeing those things written about their dad, but that is just typical of the trash these papers write.

[Si Hunt]

I can sympathise with that. I know it's irresistable. If there's a paper on the seat with a story about a celebrity's affair, I will pick it up and read it. It's human nature, the compulsion to read about other people.

The difference is in the moment you hand your cash over for it. The bottom line is that most people in this country care more about having something to flick through than funding an industry that wrecks lives.

THAT's the truth.

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Surely we know what the papers, particuarly Murdoch's, are like? As I mentioned before, the journalists ruin lives. Is is REALLY a surprise that people who hound people who are dying, who chase Princess Diana until she crashes and dies, is it any genuine surprise that these people bribe and eavesdrop on phone calls? It's entirely in character to me, which is why this is not, sadly, what depresses me about all this.

You're quite right of course, and the older people among us who were around when Spitting Image was running, will remember how Sun journalists were always portrayed as actual pigs.

The NOTW may in fact have still been profitable, but we all know that print "news"papers are in terminal decline, so sacrificing it to help facilitate a hugely powerful move into television media is as far away from being noble as possible...

[Si Hunt]

I read that axeing the NOTW will simply allow Murdoch to cut costs. So he can stop paying all the journos working on it, and will apparently get the weekday staff working on the Sun to work an extra day to get the Sunday paper moving.

It's like Morgus in "Androzani". If course the irony is that most of the people who were working for you before, now will be doing so again... but for no extra money...

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Indeed. I just heard on BBC London 94.9, that apparently they registered the name 'The Sun on Sunday' (or whatever they're going to call it) THREE WEEKS AGO!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

It would be really disappointing to think just by calling it "The Sun on Sunday" people will be bamboozled like that - are they really that dumb? Surely sponsors would realise that?

But I kind of think people will be suckered in like that.

[Si Hunt]

Yes they will! Because PEOPLE ARE STUPID!

That's why they sit on the train reading Heat and going "Aw, poor Cheryl" without once considering or caring that their pound has paid for a man to go and sit outside her house and make her life miserable.

Si.

[Perry Vale]

Sadly true.

It's like the 'outcry' about Murdoch taking over BSkyB. Can no-one stop him, they cry? Yes, actually, you can. By cancelling your Sky subscription.

[Rob McCow]

Unfortunately Sky provide an excellent service, with a diverse range of programming. If there were a decent rival, then we would probably switch. But I'm not changing to Virgin no matter how much junk mail they send me.