NOTW to close

[Alcatraz]

Maybe he tried to "Silence of the Lambs" him?

What an idiot protester though. Murdochs win the PR today....

[fatyeti24]

http://twitter.com/#!/JonnieMarbles/status/93347191191646210

from UK Uncut.

[lost]

Jesus what a nob.. not only changed tomorrows headlines to "Murdoch attacked at MPs' hearing" but now uk uncut will be always be associated with assaulting 80 year old men.

[brighteyes]

Gosh, what drama! It's an outrage!

Almost made this hole saga interesting, but not quite.

[rexclark]

Well that was compelling viewing. Great seeing Murdoch looking so uncomfortable and his son had f**k all to say. Brooks just seemed like she was teflon coated, they just couldn't get anything to stick . WTF was with the Scottish MP asking constant questions about Tommy sheridan? I know they share a surname but I'm pretty sure they aren't related. He was f**king pointless.

As for Murdoch being attacked, hopefully it won't take the focus away from the main story of him basically denying all responsibility and doing a bit of grovelling. The guy who did it was clearly an attention seeking c**t, but what a punch from Murdoch's wife.

Edited July 19, 2011 by rexclark

[grumpyhack]

News Corp shares have gone up after that show so they must have impressed someone. Rupe just came over to me as a sad old man who's now past it, his son as not really on top of his brief and Rebecca as a PR Queen.

Didn't learn a lot but didn't really expect to.

I think Rupe has possibly resigned himself to retirement now his henchmen Les Hinton (who was the mastermind of the move to Wapping and breaking the print unions) and Rebecca have gone.

[Purple Monkey]

Surely they can now arrest Piers Morgan and that shit-eating face of his?

[The Nal]

Surely they can now arrest Piers Morgan and that shit-eating face of his?

[Purple Monkey]

Why?

[The Nal]

Admitting to hacking in his book.

Edited July 20, 2011 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

Admitting to hacking in his book.

it took 8 years after her admission of police corruption for Brookes to get arrested for police corruption, so I reckon Piers Moron has a bit to go yet.

[The Nal]

it took 8 years after her admission of police corruption for Brookes to get arrested for police corruption, so I reckon Piers Moron has a bit to go yet.

[eFestivals]

They'll never get him. Hes too cute. You don't become editor of the NOTW at aged 28 if you don't have you're shit together.

Hes up to his moobs in it, but they'll never get him.

in which case they'll never get Brookes or Coulson (or their predecessors or successors), who got the same position at similarly young ages.

And when it comes down to it, they probably won't. The old bill are clearly not interested in witness statements - they completely ignored Sean Hoare and the other guy (I forget his name) who have said they've witnessed those people being fully involved - and while the investigator's diaries might detail some stuff, it seems to be the case that the old bill will only take it forwards if there's also evidence from within NI that matches up. Which is a bit like catching someone with their hands in the till but only prosecuting them if they've got a diary at home which also details their wrong-doings.

==============

There's a load of stuff in this week's Private Eye ...

1. Colin Myler - the last NoW editor - knows the full score one way or another. Either he is able to admit he was involved, or can firmly point the finger at those who must of been in his place (Brookes!).

2. The Sun *did* get access to Brown's son's medical records (tho indirectly), despite their denials.

3. Even in their last edition, NoW featured their own phone hacking (in this case, John Leslie's).

4. Rupert threatened the Indie owners to drop the hacking stories. Being ex-KGB, they've had bigger threats.

5. Brokes and James M have been buying the silence of the two guys who've gone to prison.

6. Dave Moron has been to Africa to push the services of some of the UK's biggest tax avoiders.

7. The Sun hacked the phone of the BBC's PR man who was responsible for Eastenders. He proved it by setting them up with a false story of Dot Cotton leaving Eastenders, which he had a friend leave as a message on his phone.

8. Yates threatened to sue anyone who said he didn't do his job properly - tho he's just admitted that he didn't.

9. Andy Hayman & the Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald both had afffaiors that were exposed by the NoW. Both then got jobs as columnists with NoW, despite not being know for writing things.

10. former head of the JIC Sir John Scarlett is a director of The Times.

11. William Hague was employed by Coulson @ £180k a year as a columnist for NoW from 2003 to 2005.

12. Brookes had a private investigator track down who a mobile phone number belonged to.

13. Brookes phone was hacked by NoW when she was Sun editor to get an 'exclusive' story about Blunkett's affair - a story she knew of, cos Blunkett had been telling her all about it (leaving msg's on her phone). She then berated Sun staff for not getting the story.

Etc, etc, etc.

If Private Eye can get solid enough evidence to print without being successfully sued, why can't the old bill get it for convictions?

[The Nal]

in which case they'll never get Brookes or Coulson (or their predecessors or successors), who got the same position at similarly young ages.

[eFestivals]

Yet! It could happen. Hislop is the most sued man in the history of Britain!!

It won't happen. PI has the evidence, and WANTS to produce it in a court room.

There's no way on earth that NI will make the moves which will see that happen - and you can be damned sure they'll pay off any individuals they can who might try and do it independently of NI.

Despite all the current fuss, the old bill are still approaching all of this in the most gentle way it can - a manner that suits both them and NI, who would both be the losers from a proper investigation of normal standards. The old bill are currently refusing to hand over evidence of crimes to the victims of those crimes unless the victim gets a court order, and yet the old bill aren't pursuing those crimes themselves despite them having solid evidence of those crimes. It's pathetic - any 'normal criminal' would love the same kid-gloves treatment.

[Purple Monkey]

He didnt admit to that in his book. Louise Mensch was wrong to say that. His book says that someone warned him that phones could be hacked, so he changed his pin number and he describes how a phone could be hacked.

[lost]

The Daily Mirror’s scoop involving Ulrika Jonsson shagging Sven was gained via phone hacking according to the ex-show biz editor of the mirror, though trinity mirror have denied it saying he's bitter because Piers Morgan gave the story to the 3AM girls.

Piers went for broke last night on CNN stating no hacking at all happened whilst he was the mirror editor.

[eFestivals]

The Daily Mirror’s scoop involving Ulrika Jonsson shagging Sven was gained via phone hacking according to the ex-show biz editor of the mirror, though trinity mirror have denied it saying he's bitter because Piers Morgan gave the story to the 3AM girls.

Piers went for broke last night on CNN stating no hacking at all happened whilst he was the mirror editor.

this week's Private Eye has a different story for that Ulrika story.

But it points out that the Mirror published transcripts of phone calls to Angus Deaton in 2003, and a report of Rio's phone calls and texts for when Rio claimed his phone was turned off after his failure to attend the drugs test. All acquired legally, no doubt.

[eFestivals]

So NI have now said that they'll stop paying the legal fees - or hush money - to Glenn Mulcaire.

What they've not said is that they won't be giving him any money. Because they'll of course be paying him off in another way, because they can't do anything else unless they want him to grass them up.

And they're still paying the legal fees of Goodman. I wonder why?

[windy_miller]

Courtesy of b3ta

[lost]

I was listening to Neil Kinnock yesterday morning, and was baffled why Humphrys was soooo outraged at the suggestion that the press should have some kind of control over them

interview

why should it be left to do absolutely whatever it pleases?

Humphrys: "you want a balanced press??" (in absolute horror)

why not?

[lost]

I don't see how any regulation would affect something like that.

Seems to me it's the liars that would lose out most

[lost]

surely, discussion would still be allowed. It is on tv

Edited July 20, 2011 by lost

[lost]

Are you happy with the way (some of) the press works?

[eFestivals]

I think that's what people want, they want to read stuff that matches their opinion without it being challenged.

I'd say you're spot on with this.

On the illegal stuff well, the expenses scandal was broken by a newspaper using stolen documents and I do believe that was in the public interest. I wouldn't like to see regulation introduced where something like that couldn't happen again.

I agree completely. I'd say that the rules around papers are about right as they are right now, where there's a grey area (rather than 100% black-and-white rules) which is (if necessary) ruled on by a judge who looks at the particular aspects of that story to make a judgement (and where the judgement can be appealed).

Where any issue lies is with the implementation and enforcement of those rules. As things stand there's too little consequences back onto a paper for over-stepping the line, so they're happy to over-step the line.