Spy games: Phone hacking caused “News of the World” closure (VIDEO)
Elena Vnorovscaia / Chişinău / Moldova.ORG / -- Britain's biggest-selling newspaper featuring the best news, showbiz and sport exclusives, updated 24/7, the News of the World, is closing up.
Rupert Murdoch's “News of the World” had nothing else to do, because of the almost hourly revelations of wrong-doing by the paper. Next Sunday’s edition will be the last one, as James Murdoch, son of the chairman of News Corp, said.
The newspaper admits that the paper's staff had been guilty of unethical behavior, including phone hacking, voicemail interception and lies told to parliament.
The time to nail the truth has come.
The closure of the newspaper was caused long ago. Police launched a special investigation into the allegations of phone hacking on behalf of the newspaper in January of this year. It was the second police probe into the issue. The authorities launched the new investigation this year in response to widespread complaints from high-profile figures that fear they may have been targets.
On Thursday, shortly before James Murdoch's announcement, the police said they have identified the names of nearly 4,000 potential victims.
But the revelation this week that victims may have included the murdered girl, the families of terror victims and of British troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq raised the scandal to a new level.
News of the World was the first British Fleet Street newspaper Rupert Murdoch bought, in 1969, as he began to propel himself from Australian newspaper proprietor to international media magnate.
His corporation also owns the Sun, the Times and the Sunday Times in Britain. Murdoch's News Corp. also encompasses Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and Harper Collins publishers.
In his press release the head of the News of the World’s parent company News International, among everything said were the next words:
“You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain’s largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.
The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.
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. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.
We have welcomed broad public inquiries into press standards and police practices and will cooperate with them fully.
So, just as I acknowledge we have made mistakes, I hope you and everyone inside and outside the Company will acknowledge that we are doing our utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.
Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.
Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.
We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers.
These are strong measures. They are made humbly and out of respect. I am convinced they are the right thing to do.
I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company. Of course, we will communicate next steps in detail and begin appropriate consultations.
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. I insist that this organisation lives up to the standard of behaviour we expect of others. And, finally, I want you all to know that it is critical that the integrity of every journalist who has played fairly is restored.
Thank you for listening.”
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