Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation

Re: America is letting the world down

The following are the figures from the Information commission report into the illegal activities of ONE private investigator used by various newspapers back in 2006. It lists the publication, the number of separate 'transactions' carried out by the PI and and number of journalists involved he worked for at that publication.

Publication - transactions - journalists

Daily Mail - 952 - 58
Sunday People - 802 - 50
Daily Mirror - 681 - 45
Mail on Sunday - 266 - 33
News of the World - 228 - 23

As you can see the News Of The Screws is only at number FIVE in the list.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/current_topics/what_price_privacy_now.aspx

I think you'll find it depends on the structure of the companies, whether any transactions are 'arms length' and all that. Academic in this case though, as you say.

Yeah, journalisms one of the few professions where it's possible to start at the bottom and go DOWN... LOL

I loved that argument he and Steve Coogan got into. Coogan called him 'risible' and 'a walking PR disaster for the tabloids'. If anything he was sugar-coating it

What I particularly loved was that this moron called falling back on the idea that his stories were 'the truth', like THAT was the only that mattered. he seemed to have missed the obvious point... that if we asked HIM who he thought about when he was jerking off in the shower in the morning and he told us 'the truth', that wouldn't make it 'news'. It doesn't matter HOW accurate something is, the fact it's accurate doesn't mean it should be put in a fecking newspaper.

It's a bit like saying that Shakespeare shouldn't have expressed human weakness and frailty by writing about Banquo's ghost appearing only to Macbeth or Lady Macbeth trying to wash the blood from her hands. Instead, (according to THIS numbskull), the bard could have simply shown Macbeth taking a dump because 'it's true'... Macbeth probably DID take a dump a couple of times a day.

Er... well, he was fictional wasn't he, but y'know what I mean

When you say 'some guy from', I believe you're referring to Roger Alton, the joint executive editor of The Times.

 

Re: America is letting the world down

The Grauniad's 'Rubbisher' (Alan Rusbridger), holds forth with an overview of what's happened.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2011/jul/09/phone-hacking-alan-rusbridger-video

 

Re: America is letting the world down

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/08/james-murdoch-criminal-charges-phone-hacking

James Murdoch could face criminal charges on both sides of the Atlantic

James Murdoch and News Corp could face corporate legal battles on both sides of the Atlantic that involve criminal charges, fines and forfeiture of assets as the escalating phone-hacking scandal risks damaging his chances of taking control of Rupert Murdoch's US-based media empire.

As deputy chief operating officer of News Corp – the US-listed company that is the ultimate owner of News International (NI), which in turn owns the News of the World, the Times, the Sunday Times and the Sun – the younger Murdoch has admitted he misled parliament over phone hacking, although he has stated he did not have the complete picture at the time. There have also been reports that employees routinely made payments to police officers, believed to total more than £100,000, in return for information.

The payments could leave News Corp – and possibly James Murdoch himself – facing the possibility of prosecution in the US under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) – legislation designed to stamp out bad corporate behaviour that carries severe penalties for anyone found guilty of breaching it – and in the UK under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 which outlaws the interception of communications.

Tony Woodcock, a partner at the City law firm Stephenson Harwood, said section 79 of the 2000 Act enabled criminal proceedings to be brought against not only a company, but also a director or similar officer where the offence was committed with their "consent or connivance" or was "attributable to any neglect on their part". Woodcock said: "This could embrace a wide number of people at the highest level within an organisation, such as a chief executive – not just the individual who 'pushed the button' allowing the intercept to take place or someone (perhaps less senior) who encouraged or was otherwise an accessory to the offence, such as an editor."

While the UK phone-hacking scandal has been met with outrage in the US, the hacking itself is unlikely to prompt Washington officials into action. But because NI is a subsidiary of the US company, any payments to UK police officers could trigger a justice department inquiry under the FCPA.

The 1977 Act generally prohibits American companies and citizens from corruptly paying – or offering to pay – foreign officials to obtain or retain business.

 

Re: America is letting the world down

He's well known for more than just the rubbish the NOTW used to print.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F2LfRgJfYE"]YouTube - ‪PAUL AND PAULINE CALF'S CHEESE AND HAM SANDWICH - STEVE COOGAN‬‏[/ame]

 

Re: America is letting the world down

Not to mention his young son who's suffering from cystic fibrosis. He might be a politician but what public interest is there in the illness of a small child?

Of course, that story wasn't in the News of The Screws but in The Sun.

It helps when the cops don't have guns I guess

John Finnemore's view on the matter on 'The Now Show'.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izd-BYuDIcU"]YouTube - ‪John Finnemore destroys News International and News of the World. From BBC Radio 4's Now Show.‬‏[/ame]

And another piece regarding Jonathan Rees who Coulson hired the day he left prison after a lengthy sentence for 'fitting up' someone. Of course, Rees is also the one who got The News of the World to nobble the police investigation into the murder of Daniel Morgan, his ex, (and late), business partner, (a crime for which he was the chief murder suspect), as the case that collapsed due to... er... police corruption.

Hmmm... let me think... how does this al connect together

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/jonathan-rees-private-investigator-tabloid

Rebecca Brooks has said, 'there's worse to come'. What's the betting it's got something to do with this.

 

Re: America is letting the world down

"Hugh Grant is now Britain's moral compass" LOL

Good stuff

The position has moved forward today with the commons select committee interviews of the various policemen involved. That yielded some enlightening, amusing and shocking moments.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14126442

Sue Akers, Met deputy assistant commissioner:

"There are nearly 4,000 names in the original Glenn Mulcaire documentation. We have undertaken to go and visit each one of these people... There are 5,000 landline telephone numbers about and another 4,000 mobile numbers.

"So we have started - and again we had to prioritise the people who had written in as well as other high profile people we have seen. Sorry to refer to the person that is dealing with this, but he tells me 170 people have been informed [so far].

So that's 170 people out of the 4000 people hacked, that have been contacted. Looks like we could be here for some time fellas...

But Hayman was the real 'star', (if that's the word), of the show.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jul/12/andy-hayman-phone-hacking-committee

Mr Vaz asked about the fact that he had taken a job as a columnist with News International, the very firm he had been investigating. "That is a private matter for me and the Times," said Hayman primly, to startled surprise.

They asked about his private life. Was it true he'd been hacked over that? "'Aven't got a clue," he replied. It turned out this was one of his catchphrases, along with "dunno", "can't remember", "can't recall" and "that was four or five years ago!"

"All this sounds more like Clouseau than Columbo," said Vaz, in what may have been a microwaved soundbite.

Mark Reckless pointed out that both he and the former DPP were now working for News International. "Do you wonder how that looks to the public?"

Hayman: "It could look bad."

Vaz: "We all think it looks bad."

Julian Huppert, a Lib Dem, said that some of what he said was "quite incredible". Mr Hayman snapped into "who, me? I swear on my baby's life …" mode.

"OK," he said, "beat me up for being upfront and honest!"

The Tory Mark Ellis, his voice swooping up and down with astonishment, said: "You made a judgment call to accept hospitality from the people you were investigating?"

Hayman: "Yeah." (Mocking laughter) He added: "Not having the dinner would have been potentially more suspicious than to have it." (Louder laughter.)

"I dunno why you're laughing … we would never, ever have a dinner that would compromise the investigation."

(I wonder what would have happened if he had troughed with a top stolen car dealer. "I do hope you find the lobster Newburg and foie gras to your taste, Basher.")

Nicola Blackwood, a Tory, looked faint. "I feel I've fallen through a rabbit hole," she breathed.

Stephen McCabe, Labour, wanted to know why Hayman had ridiculed John Prescott when he said his phone had been hacked. Vaz: "You said he was ranting and there was no evidence. You said that if he was right, you would eat your words."

The bolded part in that section was one of the funniest things I've seen in a LOOOOONG time, although that probably wasn't the desired result. I suspect the 'not taking the bung/gift/hospitality would have looked more dodgy than taking it', line will be reflected, (in various formats), in comedy shows for years to come.

By the time we'd got to the last part we'd moved beyond humour, (unintentional or otherwise), and into a whole new category of lunacy.

Lorraine Fullbrook, another Tory, asked outright if he had ever accepted money from NI.

You would have thought she'd accused him of being a predatory paedophile, not someone who had conducted a hopelessly inadequate inquiry into a firm which had wined and dined him, and then given him a well-paid job.

"Good god!" he exploded. "Absolutely not, I can't believe you suggested that! That is a real attack on my integrity!"

Keith Vaz concluded: "Normally I would sum up the evidence, but on this occasion, it speaks for itself." And he didn't mean it in a kind way.

 

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

I'll tell yer the daft thing about all this. Well, among the MANY daft things about the matter. That article was dated March this year but this was pretty much known for YEARS.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/mar/11/news-of-the-world-police-corruption?intcmp=239

The guy was found with an axe embedded in his skull in a pub car park in south-east London. Even for THAT area, (I was born about 3-4 miles away), that kind of incident is, shall we say, 'noteworthy'. Let's put it like this... even the south-east London coppers suspected foul play

Yet Cameron employs the guy who gave him a job straight of prison... DESPITE warnings from various journalists, other politicians, (including some from his own party), and the great and the good. Didn't he have the guy vetted AT ALL????

It's almost unbelievable, tbh

 

Re: NI/NOTW phone hacking scandal

And if you've been following my posts which provide some background you'll realise the truth is actually WORSE than they made it sound.

Of course, what the furore is rather missing is that the same sorts of techniques, (using private investigators who probably do things in a rather underhand manner and getting people to break confidences, often with financial implications), is almost certainly what the Grauniad has done to break the story open itself. In fact it's how many journalists work, both in the UK, the US and elsewhere.

That's another daft thing about all this. What's difficult for outsiders to grasp is that we've got some of the finest newspapers in the English language AND some of the worst. Well, more accurately, (as my old man said to me years ago), they're not newspapers... they're comics for adults.

Another slightly sad aspect to all this is that the 'News of The Screws', as it was, (not so), affectionately called, was one of the papers, (together with The Times, not then connected to NI of course), that broke parts of the met police corruption scandal back in the late 60's/early 70's which resulted in the major clear-out by Robert Mark and then 'operation countryman'.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/o...thless-in-rooting-out-corruption-2097551.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Countryman

It's ironic that it ended up giving policemen bungs itself.

Ya think?

 

Re: America is letting the world down

Yep! This shits bee going on for YEARS. It didn't just start with Rupert Murdoch.