This is a follow up blog post written quickly to bring you the latest on developments in Britain...
It's the biggest selling Sunday newspaper in the world and is owned by Rupert Murdoch's 'News International' - The 'News of the World' has been in publication for over 168 years - and this Sunday it will close, forever.
I'm delighted to report that the scumbags who posed as journalists, editors etc at the News of the World, will most likely be going to prison for a very long time. Finally, they have been found out. We all knew corruption and 'black arts' lay at the heart of this newspaper as Murdoch's minions would stop at nothing to 'get that story'. Hacking the telephone of a missing (and sadly murdered) thirteen year old girl, and then deleting her voicemail messages when her inbox filled up just so that they could 'hear more' - gave her family and the Police false hope that she was still alive. Add to this the alleged hacking of the telephones of servicemen and women who had fallen in the line of duty just so they could grab a scoop and hacking the phones of relatives of the two little girls who were murdered in Soham - it repulses me just typing their deeds up. It's so immoral as to beggar belief.
The original Police inquiry in 2006 found two 'rogue' employees responsible for hacking the telephones of 'two or three' Royal Household staff and they were duly imprisoned - we now know that a conservative estimate of people who have had their telephone messages, e-mails etc intercepted is a minimum of 4,000. We also now know that the new, second Police Investigation "Operation Weeting' has discovered that the newspaper were paying corrupt Police Officers for information - which begs the question why the first inquiry closed down so quickly with such a small return?
This behaviour is shameful, indefensible by any claim to 'Public interest'.
As repulsive as their actions were - there's a good chance that Murdoch's minions would have brazened it out, weathered the storm - if it hadn't been for you and people like you. How so?
If you look at my recent 'Tweets' you will see names like 'Ford', 'Mitsubishi', 'Easy Jet' and even 'Weight Watchers' in them - people were so outraged by what this newspaper had been doing they bombarded its advertisers with tweets demanding they remove their advertising or face the consequences - the little people spoke up by using the medium of the internet. It worked. It wasn't an organised 'political' event - it was just ordinary people getting together and saying 'enough' to corporate powers and organising themselves effectively.
You know, the 'rogue' investigator who was jailed for this some time ago is now 'out' - Journalists and TV crews have been surrounding his home for days. Without a trace of irony he stood on his doorstep yesterday and said 'I have nothing further to add to the matter - now could you please respect my privacy?'
For those News of the World employees engaged in these horrifying practices - there will be no privacy - ever. Except when the heavy steel door closes behind them.
It's only one finger on the long arm and hand of Rupert Murdoch's News International - but it has been decisively chopped off.
Now what's this I hear about Fox News? :)
(I'd like to thank Laura for all her efforts and outrage over the last few days which was turned to good effect - and Annie Oatcake for waking me with the best news I've heard in years).
Rory.
They're goin down, they're goin down, down, thy're goin down, they're goin down down...;)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know what to believe anymore isn't it? The media is so corrupt. The truth....it's out there somewhere; but where, and whose truth is it?
ReplyDeleteI'm with MBJ.
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting development but I would imagine that as soon as they capture 100% ownership of BSKYB then the Sun on Sunday will appear.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Craig. Cameron, who's up to his eyeballs in this, is trying to hold back a complete public enquiry, stating that they have to wait until the police investigation has been completed (the police are also to investigate themselves for having taken bribes!)Murdoch knows that the big money is in TV and new media, so losing the News of the World is no big deal + thesunonsunday.com was registered a few days ago. The police investigation could take months or even years (there are over 4,000 hacking cases to be investigated + the police bribary allegations.) He thinks he'll get away with it by playing the long game.
ReplyDeleteWhy Rebecca Wade has not been sacked is a complete mystery - unless she knows too much and has to be kept on side!