In the wake of a serious phone-hacking scandal, media baron Rupert Murdoch-controlled weekly tabloid News of The World (NoTW) is set to be shut down with the last edition of this 168-year-old paper to be printed this Sunday.
James Murdoch, head of News Corporation, the tabloid’s parent company, and son of Rupert Murdoch, in a candid statement issued to the employees of the world’s largest read English weekly tabloid today said, “Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper. This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World.”
Despite issuing a 940-word statement repeatedly apologising for the transgressions committed by some of the paper’s employees, Murdoch Jr is yet to make any firm commitment on the future of the employees of the paper. The other papers in the group that might possibly absorb some of the employees are daily tabloid The Sun, daily broadsheet The Times and the weekly Sunday Times. Neither Murdoch nor the Group have given any statement to this effect.
The phone-hacking cases, due to which NoTW will be shut down, dates back to certain murder cases in 2002 and the London terror bombing on July 7, 2005, in which the paper’s employees have allegedly tapped into the victims’ phone to get news reports. There have also been charges against employees in this paper who have allegedly bribed police officers for exclusive information.
Even before the announcement of closure was made, major advertisers of the papers taking a moral and ethical stand on the phone hacking scandal, had started withdrawing their support.
Murdoch further said, “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. The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.”
He said that the paper and its owner News International wrongly maintained that these hacking issue was confined to one reporter as it believed earlier. “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.”
He further said that the paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. “This was wrong,” he said.
The paper's current editor Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.
In a final act of good gesture, possibly to salvage to group’s name, the paper's management has decided that all of the News of the World's revenue this weekend will go to good causes.
“While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations - many of whom are long-term friends and partners - that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.”
The paper also decided that it will not run 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.
There will be atleast two separate enquiries into the phone hacking scandal, one by the police and second a public inquiry as promised by Prime Minister David Cameron in the House of Commons yesterday.
