The Official Newscorp/UK end of season finale/Rebekah Brooks did 9/11 thread

The perfect thing is that Murdoch's referenced two-thirds through!

17.24 Mark Lewis, Dowler family solicitor:

"It was a private meeting that had been called for by Rupert Murdoch and he was humbled to give a full and sincere apology to the Dowler family.

"We told him, the Dowler family told him, that his papers should lead the way to set the standard of honesty and decency in the field and not what had gone on before.

"At the end of the day actions are going to speak louder than words. Thank you."

He went on to say, when questioned over Rupert Murdoch: "I think he was very humbled, I think he was very shaken and sincere. I think it was something that has hit him on a very personal level that it shouldn't have happened.

"Yes, he did apologise, he apologised many times. I don't think somebody could have held their head in their hands so many times to say they were sorry.

"It was a heartfelt and what seemed to be a very sincere apology."

"Share values keep dropping, you have no idea how sorry I am!"

sepukku or he don't mean it imo

Probably saving that for Tuesday.

Would be interested to know the size and nature of Brooks' golden parachute.

i have just reached a point where i'm sick of hearing about this. yes please punish everyone who broke the law but i'm just never going to care about it as much as the ppl writing the newspapers obviously (and understandably) do

Actually thinking about Murdoch being all apologetic to the Dowlers makes me think about the opening of Snow Crash where it's clear the pizza mogul does not like having to go out and apologize for late delivery.

We've been caught.

The News of the World was in the business of catching other people. It failed when it came to not getting caught itself.

We are sorry we've been caught.

We are deeply sorry for the hurt we as individuals have suffered by getting caught.

We regret not acting faster to prevent ourselves being caught.

We realise that simply apologising won't change the fact we've been caught. But it might start to give the corrupt politicians and policemen we rely upon to look after us an excuse to start looking after us again.

Our business was founded on the idea that if we owned the press we would be immune from being caught. Your vindictive little country didn't live up to this.

In the coming days as we take further concrete steps to try to obscure the issues and limit the damage caused you will hear more bullshit from us.

Sincerely,

Rupert

I am honestly having a difficult time reconciling the amiable hippie I met in passing 15 years ago with modern-day CEO James Murdoch, lightning rod of scorn and hatred.

I mean it's not even like I KNOW know him or anything, just that apologetic rhetoric matches the person I met much more than the allegations swirling among his underlings does.

I kind of wish I'd made an actual connection/friendship there so I could dish more effectively about this

Well, we're talking two different Murdochs here, plus lawyers/PR people, so...

Meantime, so Jude Law is suing the Sun. Fun bits at the Telegraph:

18.59 The hunt is on for the four articles published in 2005 and 2006 that could be the source of the lawsuit. Do you know what they are?

19.01 The Sun website has quite a good search function. Get sleuthing, internet!

19.05 Hmmmm this is interesting - When you type Jude Law into The Sun's website it gives you a chronological archive going backwards. But get to the last page and the stories jump abruptly from 2007 to 2004 - cutting out the exact period covered in the lawsuit.

Could be that less was archived online back then. Could be something else...

19.11 We're working on a full archive search for the Jude Law stories and will hopefully have some results soon.

19.15 Worth remembering that it was Law's ex, Sienna Miller, who kept the issue of phone hacking in the public eye by suing the News of the World.

Fox finally covers the scandal. "You would think martians have landed in New Jersey"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qtC4gT-_Nj0#at=37

Murdoch better not wear a beige turtleneck: he will look even more like an old man's penis.

Also, FOX pundits are reacting and - surprise, surprise - they just don't get it:

On the Fox and Friends show, Fox journalist Steve Doocy wondered just what the fuss was all about: "The company has come forward and said: 'look, this happened a long time ago, at a tabloid, in London, somebody did something really bad,' and the company reacted. They closed that newspaper, all the people got fired, even though 99 percent of them had nothing to do with it."

Doocy's guest, public relations consultant Robert Dilenschneider, was in agreement:
"If I am not mistaken, Murdoch, who owns it, has apologised but for some reason, the public, the media keeps on going over this, again and again. It's a little bit too much."

"The bigger issue is hacking and how we as a public are going to protect outselves," said Dilenschneider, who earlier listed a number of US companies which had recently become the targets of hacking.

Doocy added later: "One of the things about the media, you look at some sites and you would think that martians had landed in New Jersey - again"

Holy shit, can someone confirm? Supposedly Hinton stepped down at the WSJ.

Guardian's just posted that as a red BREAKING headline.

This via the Times' assistant news editor so presumably on the level.

One of the things about the media - is that we're not it, obviously. xps

So if Hinton and Brooks are out...beginning to wonder if this is just some sort of outright coup.

Dear Rupert,

I have watched with sorrow from New York as the News of the World story has unfolded. I have seen hundreds of news reports of both actual and alleged misconduct during the time I was executive chairman of News International and responsible for the company. The pain caused to innocent people is unimaginable. That I was ignorant of what apparently happened is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of the News of the World.

When I left News International in December 2007, I believed that the rotten element at the News of the World had been eliminated; that important lessons had been learned; and that journalistic integrity was restored.

My testimonies before the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee were given honestly. When I appeared before the Committee in March 2007, I expressed the belief that Clive Goodman had acted alone, but made clear our investigation was continuing.

In September 2009, I told the Committee there had never been any evidence delivered to me that suggested the conduct had spread beyond one journalist. If others had evidence that wrongdoing went further, I was not told about it.

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to you for a wonderful working life. My admiration and respect for you are unbounded. You have built a magnificent business since I first joined 52 years ago and it has been an honor making my contribution.

With my warmest best wishes,

Les

"In sum, so long and thanks for all the fish."

I mean the wording of that basically boils down to "I didn't know about it, please don't make me testify anywhere, I'm already on the plane so I won't suffer Dominique Strauss-Kahn's fate, send severance check by carrier pigeon to the South Pacific."

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/7/13/1247477381232/Rupert-Murdoch-Les-Hinton-001.jpg

"Hmm...two down..."

TS: criminal negligence vs. actively rolling in the muck

Three down surely? xp

James Murdoch hasn't sent a grovelling resignation letter yet. But I would kill to read it.

"Dear Dad, my bad, so sad."

Extra points if he raps it.

New hot mixtape:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/7/11/1310403983937/defjames-007.jpg

xp - but that's Coulson at the back next to Brooks.

It is, isn't it. There's a general short-hair-and-glasses douchebag quality around Murdoch that seems to smooth them all out.

Here one of Murdoch's mastheads published this accusing one of its competing papers of "hacking hypocrisy". Editor-in-chief of the accused paper shot it down in flames.

Anyway, Murdoch speaks:

“Les and I have been on a remarkable journey together for more than 52 years. That this passage has come to an unexpected end, professionally, not personally, is a matter of much sadness to me,” commented Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation.

“On this difficult day we should appreciate that his extraordinary work has provided a platform for the future success of Dow Jones. And his great contribution to News Corporation over more than five decades has enhanced innumerable lives, whether those of employees hired by him or of readers better informed because of him.

"News Corporation is not Rupert Murdoch. It is the collective creativity and effort of many thousands of people around the world, and few individuals have given more to this Company than Les Hinton.”

http://image1.masterfile.com/getImage/NjAwLTAxNjQ2NDEwbi4wMDAwMDAwMA=AL18-T/600-01646410n.jpg

As the Telegraph notes, "The fact that the press release carries a nice tribute from Murdoch makes you wonder how long Hinton's resignation has been in the works."

Are these resignations orchestrated to wrap up the agenda for the week? I know Murdoch would love nothing more than to start next week with an agenda that's not about him.

(and tbh I don't believe it would work anyway)

He and his son are facing that committee on Tuesday, all of Monday will be nothing but 'what will he say?' Interspersed with announcements that the Sun has been sold to Borders for immediate liquidation, the ceremonial destruction of Wapping with the people still in the buildings and Chase Carey and Roger Ailes coming over to talk about how British people suck.

"News Corporation is not Rupert Murdoch" seems a really significant quote right now

Yeah. I don't think Murdoch has a great deal of control over this particular narrative.

xp yes it does (and a lie)

Yeah, that quote's getting a lot of immediate attention, I'm noticing.

Anyway don't forget...THE REAL POWER BEHIND THE THRONE:

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/02/09/1226002/554932-dame-elisabeth-murdoch.jpg

monty burns' mother

dear old thing

I appreciate how she is not so much cutting that cake as simply outright murdering it.

is that pic of rebekah in the now-locked cleggeron thread a current one? if so, can't believe she'd pin a sarah payne badge to her dress.....

I presume it's from when the NOTW campaigned for "Sarah's Law".

Would any of you recommend a simple explanation of what this is all about? I understand that phone hacking was involved, but why is this having such long legs politically? I just don't get this story but I want to!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjzKiEs_pHI

The short version is that a lot of people had their privacy violated, including celebrities, politicians and people with close ties to famous Britain incidents like the Tube bombing.

The outrage is due to a case involving a 12?-year-old girl who was missing for days who was later found murdered; her family kept calling her phone to find her, leaving messages that filled up her voicemail, and the hackers kept deleting them to make more space so they could get more info, leading the family to believe she was alive when she wasn't.

What he said. Further:

Guardian's overview page:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/phone-hacking

But of course there's always...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_of_the_World_phone_hacking_scandal

On top of all that, the connections/collusion between various papers, London police and the major parties of government are why this thing has major legs.

It has long legs politically because almost every politician in the country has been in thrall to Murdoch for decades and they've finally broken the spell xxp

I will never forget the giddy euphoria of June 2011.

If I had to pick one to go down it would be Coulson, so fair enough

Fuck with the Royals, down you go. Fuck with anyone else, retain the firm of the PM's brother for your defense, and off you get.

^

new season starting a bit slowly but paedophile political conspiracies definitely a promising plotline.

Putting the Great back into Brittan.

this thread reminds me i need to buy private eye this week

Geoffrey Dickens as I shall always remember him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29HX0I46sQ