Demise of the NoTW

[Yorkshire Blue]

Well, they probably weren't ideally placed to run stories on phone-tapping. Glass houses and all that...

You're also being too sentimental about the red-tops' role in life. The Mirror did exactly what you suggest - Piers Morgan very deliberately chose to ran a more "serious" editorial line than most of his counterparts, and ran far more stories about serious topics like the war in Iraq, MP corruption and so on. And the Mirror's circulation nose-dived.

The Red Tops have to tread a delicate line between sufficient tittle-tattle (for circulation purposes) and serious journalism. The Screws trod that line better than most of its other competitors (Sun - certainly an internal competitor - People, Mirror and Star).

If you're looking for damning indictments, look no further than the British public, which saw the Star's circulation almost double after Desmond chose a deliberate editorial policy to dumb down, go for more stories about t*ts, Jordan, and Big Brother, and who aimed squarely for the market that lay between the Daily Sport and The Sun (and who knew that such a market existed?!).

Incidentally, the Rooney/hookers story is absolutely news-worthy, whilst he and his wife continue to attempt to trade on - and make money out of - their supposed wholesome family image. Ditto Giggs. The story about Haton was, perhaps, less news-worthy, given that I'm not sure that Ricky has ever pretended (not that he had any obligation to) or sought to make money out of a particular public image.

Does Rooney really trade on his wholesome family image, or does he trade on being a fantastic footballer? Ditto Giggs?

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

Does Rooney really trade on his wholesome family image, or does he trade on being a fantastic footballer? Ditto Giggs?

Rooney may not, but his wife sure does.

Giggs's quornburger ads were full of him sitting down for meals with kids, ruffling their hair. It had the smack of "wholesome" about them.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Rooney may not, but his wife sure does.

It wasn't his wife who those stories were about, it was about him.

Giggs's quornburger ads were full of him sitting down for meals with kids, ruffling their hair. It had the smack of "wholesome" about them.

Hold the front pages: man in ad 15 years ago has affair!

The hypocrisy would have been linking "wholesome" to ****ing veggie burgers.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

Now the Sun & Sunday Times are being implicated of hacking Gordon Brown's legal, medical & bank records :stunned: (allegedly)

Is Murdoch going to have any newspapers left?

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

Isn't this story becoming FAR bigger than the mere demise of of one newspaper? The more I read about it the more frightening becomes the hold that Murdoch seems to have, not only over the British press but over British political life itself. This is not a question of left or right, both Labour and Conservatives have profited and suffered from the power that he chooses to wield. Like a cancer this man has implanted himself in the core of British society and appears to have taken over control of the body politic.
Rather like an 'end of career' J Edgar Hoover, who supposedly held files on the US elite, Murdoch seems to hold an unhealthy degree of power and influence over British life. If the NOTW story has done anything, it may persuade and give the opportunity to the powers that be to start operating in order to extract, or at least, severely reduce the threat of this cancer to British society.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Now the Sun & Sunday Times are being implicated of hacking Gordon Brown's legal, medical & bank records :stunned: (allegedly)

Is Murdoch going to have any newspapers left?

Not to mention his son's medical records when he was diagnosed with Cystic Fybrosis. How long can Murdoch, Brooks and co sink?

 

[osymandus]

I believe Vince Cable appears to be a very dangerous man to try and stitch up . Amsuing speculation but wouldnt it be funny of Cable had manipulating this in the background and helping the iformation come out ;)

YEs I agree with Yogi this is far larger and Murdoch was way to many enemies for them not to pounce on this .

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

It wasn't his wife who those stories were about, it was about him.

True - but his wife's image is entirely predictated on being Mrs. Rooney. If the marriage is a sham because of her husband's antics, that is possibly fair game from a reporting perspective.

Hold the front pages: man in ad 15 years ago has affair! The hypocrisy would have been linking "wholesome" to ****ing veggie burgers.

LOL. You may have me there.

Still, my original point remains - the NoW did conduct some decent journalism amidst the dross, and that will be missed. Fleet St is diminished by its demise.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Still, my original point remains - the NoW did conduct some decent journalism amidst the dross, and that will be missed. Fleet St is diminished by its demise.

Don't worry, a rescue package is being put together to relaunch it.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/plan-emerges-to-re-launch-news-of-the-world.html

This country sometimes. :nope:

 

[pickledseal]

Jon Stewart's take:

http://gawker.com/5820243/jon-stewart-tackles-the-news-of-the-world-scandal

V good.

 

[Pubey]

Nonsense. The Pakistani cricket betting scandal was one of the biggest stories of last summer - on the front and back pages - and was broken entirely by the NoW. NoW and their Fake Sheikh (aka Maz Mahmood) got some pretty darn good stories.

It is a loss to Fleet St, and no mistake.

Why is it a loss to Fleet Street? the domain names www.thesundaysun.com and www.thesundaysun.co.uk were registered last week...

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

True - but his wife's image is entirely predictated on being Mrs. Rooney. If the marriage is a sham because of her husband's antics, that is possibly fair game from a reporting perspective.

Still, my original point remains - the NoW did conduct some decent journalism amidst the dross, and that will be missed. Fleet St is diminished by its demise.

I think she can still be a devoted wife if he's a cheating husband.

Of course much of the footballers as celebrities is driven by Murdoch's cross-selling. When the Sun features Rooney on the front page, who benefits Rooney or BSkyB whose TV empire is based upon Premier$hite football?

Why is it a loss to Fleet Street? the domain names www.thesundaysun.com and www.thesundaysun.co.uk were registered last week...

They announced 2 weeks ago that they were moving to a 7 day working week to aid efficiencies....

 

[Thorpe Groyney]

Explosive start to the Commons Select Committee investigation. Just been sat, watching BBC News, gripped by it.

The Met Police Assistant Commissioner Yates has been absolutely trashed.

He refused to apologise for police actions, saying it was the actions of News International that is being investigated and that he shouldn't apologise for their actions. Even though he said it was "highly probable" corrupt police officers were bribed.

"You just don't sound like the dogged determined sleuth we would expect" came the withering reply.

Yates also said the public should be "rest assured" that the police will now fully investigate the evidence.

Then committe then countered with "Your evidence is unconvincing. You may be called again."

 

[osymandus]

Oh this is going to be so much fun to watch so many people all across teh political spectrum , greedy , controlling individuals being made to be very uncomfortable :D

 

[maninasuitcase]

Explosive start to the Commons Select Committee investigation. Just been sat, watching BBC News, gripped by it.

The Met Police Assistant Commissioner Yates has been absolutely trashed.

He refused to apologise for police actions, saying it was the actions of News International that is being investigated and that he shouldn't apologise for their actions. Even though he said it was "highly probable" corrupt police officers were bribed.

"You just don't sound like the dogged determined sleuth we would expect" came the withering reply.

Yates also said the public should be "rest assured" that the police will now fully investigate the evidence.

Then committe then countered with "Your evidence is unconvincing. You may be called again."

Yes, Yates seemed quite surprised that News International employed expensive lawyers and that they were uncooperative. It is easy to say in hindsight, but surely as an experienced police officer that should have set off the alarm bells and encouraged him to carry on his investigation.

 

[milhouse]

I think that this whole affair has established something beyond doubt that was probably pretty clear anyway.

Murdoch is a total ****.

Did you say those pictures of him and his red top smiling away after sacking 200 people? They obviously went to the Lee Bowyer school of contrition. Grinning and then out on the **** and for a slap up meal on sacking 200 to save his adopted daughter.

 

[MK Shrimper]

NI withdraw bid to take full control of BSkyB. :hilarious:

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

NI withdraw bid to take full control of BSkyB. :hilarious:

It just gets better and better.:happy:

 

[canveyshrimper]

Just to put a different spin on this, and in no way is this in defence of NI as they no doubt deserve all they get. I'm taken by the hypocrisy of in particular the Grauniad, a month or two ago they were trumpeting Wikileaks and Assange, how did Assange & co come by their information?

 

[osymandus]

Just to put a different spin on this, and in no way is this in defence of NI as they no doubt deserve all they get. I'm taken by the hypocrisy of in particular the Grauniad, a month or two ago they were trumpeting Wikileaks and Assange, how did Assange & co come by their information?

Thats the trick of this debate , when the means are used that produced and affect beneficial to all , can the method employed be "wrong " ? In no way has anything NI performed been in the public interest , however it can be argued that some of the wikileakes have improved lives or been in the "public " interest .

And of course any regulation to come in willl this curb investigative journalism as a whole ?

Also we can be too ready to regard those who to attempt to change things as hypocrites for past actions , wpuld we ignore a known theif who was pointing out a robbery that we could stop ?