News of the Word says goodbye

News of the World tabloid scandal looks as if it was taken from its main pages, with titles in capital letters and five columns. It could have been one of its “juicy” stories that its nearly three million readers, hunger for morbid news, used to flip though. Corruption, phone hacking, politics cornered by the press, “dangerous liaisons”... what a great story. But it couldn’t be. This time, News of the World has been making headlines in other newspapers and, such is the scandal that, after 168 year in the market, the tabloid has been closed.

The crisis in the tycoon Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid started in 2005, when it was published an article about a knee injury of Prince William. After suspecting that the royal family was victim of phone hacking, a police investigation was carried out and it was revealed not only phone hacking, as well bribing police officers for information. Two years later, the royal family correspondent of the newspaper and a detective who collaborated to get information illegally, were imprisoned. The editor of News of the World, Andy Coulson, assumed his resignation.

Keep your enemies close

Not much time later, Coulson was hired as press secretary of the Conservative Party led by James Cameron. Surprise? Not at all, is better to keep your enemies close. That’s why James Cameron and Gordon Brown didn't miss Rebekah Brooks’ weeding –the former editor of News of the World and The Sun- the same year in which she became director of News International, the British division of the media empire News Corporation which operates under the direction of its founder, Rupert Murdoch.

Once in the power, Cameron was photographed with his wife, going to a Christmas intimate dinner at Rebekah Brooks’ home. If the recent scandal wasn’t come out, for sure the British Prime Minister would attend the traditional summer party organized by News International. Signs of friendship were obvious, as also is evident the interests between politic power (Cameron) and the press (Brooks). In fact, Murdoch’s tabloids in the UK –the now-shuttered

News of the World and The Sun- not only provide juicy gossip and rumours, also act as genuine political campaigns for the candidate that best meets the interests of the media empire. A clear example of this was the campaign launched by The Sun against the Labour’s Neil Kinnock in 1992, loosing against all the odds in favour to the conservatives.

The beginning of the end of News of the World

After the imprisonments and resignations in 2005, calm seemed to have returned. But two years later, the newspaper The Guardian return to the fray and revealed which politicians and celebrities were victims of illegal phone hacking when Coulson was editor of News of the World. These disclosures didn’t shock the British, after all these people are public figures and it’s increasingly difficult to distinguish between their public and private sphere.

The British Parliament was less permissive than the public and in September last year, police was pressured to initiate an investigation on phone hacking by News of the World. Prime minister’s secretary press Coulson couldn’t cope with the pressures and he had no choice but resign. Besides, a high-ranking position in the newspaper was fired in an attempt of clean up the image of the Murdoch’s empire British tabloid.

However, the bomb that blew up News of the Wold into a thousand pieces came this month when The Guardian revealed that Milly Dowler, a 13 years-old girl who was kidnapped in 2002 and killed on the same dates the tabloid spied the voicemail from her mobile phone. The paper not only spied the voicemail illegally, but also erased some of the messages to ensure new entries which, on the one hand, gave false hope to the family of Milly who was killed by that time and, on the other hand, involved the destruction of evidences that could have been vital to the police.

The publication of this information would mean the beginning of the end of News of the World. Its readership wouldn’t forgive the lack of scruples showed in the newspaper so it lost credibility and advertising, the foundations of journalism and journalistic enterprise, respectively. There was a drop in the value of News Corporation shares and a withdrawal of 33 important advertisers from the newspaper. The ship was sinking. On top of that, the takeover bid for full control of British Sky Broadcasting by News Corporation (it currently holds a 39% stake) was in danger due to the scandal broke. What to do?

Well, to shutter the tabloid has been the fastest solution. And emotional front page –“Thanks and goodbye”- and a print-run of nearly 5 million copies which revenues –of course- have gone for charity, would complete the move.

The “Three Musketeers” of the empire News Corporation –Murdoch himself, his son and future successor James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks- have given evidence in the phone hacking investigation. In their statement, their statements, their strategy is to deny any knowledge of what happened in the newspaper until proven guilty. Apart from Rebekah Brooks’ resignation as a News International director and the withdrawal of the takeover bid to control BSkyB, it seems that the earthquake that shook Murdoch’s News of the World is not going to collapse his media empire. Not to be surprised, “citizen” Murdoch is the media tycoon most powerful in the world.