World

Murdoch shuts down scandal-hit weekly

Phone hacking allegations alienated readers and sent advertisers packing.

Agencies July 07, 2011

LONDON:

In a breathtaking response to a scandal engulfing his media empire, Rupert Murdoch moved on Thursday to close down theNews of the World, Britain’s biggest selling Sunday newspaper.

As allegations mounted this week that its journalists had hacked the voicemails of thousands of people, from child murder victims to the families of Britain’s war dead, the tabloid had haemorrhaged advertising and alienated millions of readers.

Yet no one, least of all the 168-year-old paper’s staff, was prepared for the drama of a single sentence that will surely go down as one of the most startling turns in the 80-year-old Australian-born press baron’s long and controversial career.

Hailing a fine muck-raking tradition at the paper, which his father bought in 1969, James Murdoch told its staff that the latest explosion of a long-running scandal over phone hacking had made the future of the title untenable:

“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 News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself,”

UK govt calls for justice

All those responsible for wrongdoing at the News of the Worldnewspaper should be brought to justice, a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said after Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation announced it would close the tabloid.

“The prime minister has made clear, he is committed to establishing rigorous public inquiries to make sure this never happens in our country again,” the spokesman said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (3)

Adnan | 13 years ago | Reply So the News of The World will fall back into the gutter from whence it came. Good riddance! This is a corrupt, scandal-ridden newspaper that built its reputation on so-called 'investigative journalism', another name for dirty, under-hand tactics aimed at extracting the news to make sensationalist headlines and sell more newspapers. Trash breeds trash and this was undobtedly the trashiest newspaper of them all. So what now of the so-called 'expose' of corruption in cricket and 'spot-fixing'? The whole thing was at best an elaborate scam and publicity stunt- to sell more newspapers- and at worst plain and simple entrapment. Is anything NOWT have alleged now even worth the paper it was printed on? The PCB needs to re-open the case with a view to having the charges against our cricketers dismissed on the basis of tainted evidence. And as for those bufoons in the ICC, notably Lorgat and Beloff who were quick to pass judgement even before the evidence had been heard, well what can one say? True to form for the ICC, which can count this as yet another ballz up! Imagine taking evidence from these thieves and then making trumped up charges against Asif, Butt and Mohd Amir. This is like taking Jack The Ripper's evidence in a murder case! As for that citadel of virtue and great 'investigative journalist' Mazher Mahmood, he could always get a job in the city as a private dick (no pun intended) tailing errant husbands and/or their mistresses. That would be a good use of his snooping talents! Pakistan High Commission take note: this man (alongwith his other NOWT buddies) is a criminal and should be denied visa entry to Pakistan.

Moise | 13 years ago | Reply What will be their new name?

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