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

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

euler, i thought it was because of suggestions/rumors/evidence that the sun and perhaps other newscorp companies had been using similar, criminal techniques to shut down police investigation into them, intimidate politicians, and generally enjoy a great deal of political influence, so that the knowledge of their criminal activity in some cases has led to suspicion that they're thoroughly rotten (and can be publicly, i.e. politically, pursued for it). xxxp

Also former execs from NI being on the police payroll while the police were trying to tell the Guardian 'nothing to see here, mate'.

Yep, former NI execs on the police payroll and former police chiefs / prosecutors who were meant to be looking into the criminality on the NI payroll.

Here's a link to that: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/15/phone-hacking-met-police-guardian

aaaaaargh no Newsnight.

fuck golf

ok this helps!

the prime minister employed as communications chief the ex-editor of the 'news of the world', who had quit after two of his employees had been jailed for hacking voicemails.

the police didn't investigate the editor at the time [because of close and in common parlance corrupt links between the police and news corp/news international] but 'most people' went along with the idea that, though he was editor, he had no idea about the hacking.

the last two weeks have blown that story to smithereens and so part of the story is about the cravenness of politicians on both sides towards murdoch. cameron had been set to give murdoch an even greater share of the uk television market -- which was already controversial.

they should get Morrissey to release "Suedehead '11" for this

― she choots, she pah! (DJP), Friday, 15 July 2011 08:26 (7 hours ago) Bookmark

We had to sneak into your phone
just to hear your voicemails