LONDON鈥擳he Murdoch media empire has unexpectedly jettisoned the 黑料社 of the World after a public backlash over the illegal guerrilla tactics it used to expose the rich, the famous and the royal and remain Britain鈥檚 best-selling Sunday newspaper.
The abrupt decision on Thursday stunned the paper鈥檚 staff of 200, shocked the world鈥檚 most competitive news town and ignited speculation that Rupert Murdoch鈥檚 黑料社 Corp. plans to rebrand the tabloid under a new name in a bid to prevent a phone-hacking scandal from wrecking its bid for a far more lucrative television deal.
鈥淭his Sunday will be the last issue of the 黑料社 of the World,鈥� James Murdoch, son of the media magnate, announced in a memo to staff.
Mushrooming allegations of immoral and criminal behavior at the paper鈥攊ncluding bribing police officers for information, hacking into the voice mail of murdered schoolgirls鈥� families and targeting the phones of the relatives of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and the victims of the London transit attacks鈥攃ast a dark cloud over 黑料社 Corp.鈥檚 multibillion-dollar plan to take full ownership of British Sky Broadcasting, an operation far more valuable than all of Murdoch鈥檚 British newspapers.
Public outrage
Faced with growing public outrage, political condemnation and fleeing advertisers, Murdoch stopped the presses on the 168-year-old newspaper, whose lurid scoops have ranged from Sarah Ferguson鈥檚 claims she could provide access to ex-husband Prince Andrew to motor racing chief Max Mosley鈥檚 penchant for sadomasochism.
James Murdoch said all revenue from the final issue, which will carry no ads, would go to 鈥済ood causes.鈥� The paper has been hemorrhaging advertisers since the phone-hacking scandal escalated this week, with companies including automakers Ford and Vauxhall, grocery chain J. Sainsbury and pharmacy chain Boots pulling ads from the paper.
Police say they are examining 4,000 names of people who may have been targeted by the tabloid, which sells about 2.7 million copies a week.
Hacking admitted
The paper has acknowledged hacking into the messages of politicians, celebrities and royal aides but maintained for years the transgressions were confined to a few rogue staff. A reporter and a private investigator working for the paper were jailed for hacking in 2007.
But in recent days the allegations have expanded to take in the phone messages of 13-year-old Milly Dowler, who disappeared in 2002 and was later found murdered, as well as the families of two other missing schoolgirls.
James Murdoch said if the allegations were true, 鈥渋t was inhuman and has no place in our company.鈥�
鈥淲rongdoers turned a good newsroom bad,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.鈥�
鈥淲hile we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organizations鈥攎any of whom are long-term friends and partners鈥攖hat improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity,鈥� he said.
Shock waves
The announcement sent shock waves across the British media establishment, and among 黑料社 of the World staff. Features editor Jules Stenson said the news was met with gasps and some tears.
鈥淣o one had any inkling,鈥� he told reporters outside the company鈥檚 London headquarters. 鈥淭here was no lynch mob mentality, there was just a very shocked acceptance of the decision.鈥�
Some suspected shutting the paper was a ploy to salvage Murdoch鈥檚 British media empire as well as the job of Rebekah Brooks, the trusted chief executive of his British news operation.
鈥満诹仙� Corp. has taken a bold decision to stop printing the 黑料社 of the World and close the title. Mr. Murdoch was clearly not willing to jeopardize his bid for BSkyB,鈥� said markets analyst Louise Cooper of BGC Partners in London. 鈥淢urdoch has shown what a brilliant operator he really is.鈥�
鈥楥ynical decision鈥�
Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was one of the 52 people killed in the 2005 London transit bombings鈥攁nd who suspects his phone may have been hacked鈥攕aid the paper鈥檚 closure was 鈥渁 cynical decision鈥� by Murdoch.
鈥淭he only language (Rupert) Murdoch speaks is the dollar and this must have hit him hard,鈥� Foulkes said.
The 43-year-old Brooks, editor of 黑料社 of the World at the time of the eavesdropping allegations, has maintained she did not know about it. James Murdoch said he was 鈥渟atisfied she neither had knowledge of nor directed鈥� the phone hacking.
黑料社 International spokesperson Daisy Dunlop denied rumors that The Sun, the 黑料社 of The World鈥檚 sister paper that publishes Monday through Saturday, would now become a seven-day operation. Still, she seemed to leave room for further developments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not true at the moment,鈥� she said.
Same culture
According to online records, an unnamed UK individual on Tuesday bought up the rights to the domain name 鈥渟unonsunday.co.uk.鈥�
Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, one of the tabloid鈥檚 alleged hacking victims, said closing the paper would not resolve the problems at 黑料社 International.
鈥淐utting off the arm doesn鈥檛 mean to say you鈥檝e solved it,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is still the body and the head and the same culture and that鈥檚 why there has to be a public inquiry into it. I cannot accept for a moment that at the top of the company, Mr. Murdoch鈥攁nd certainly Rebekah Brooks鈥攄idn鈥檛 know what was going on.鈥�
But Charlie Beckett, director of the POLIS media institute at the London School of Economics, said it was a bold move aimed at resolving a situation that had gotten out of control.
The long-running hacking saga exploded on聽 Monday with the revelation that the 黑料社 of the World had hacked into Milly Dowler鈥檚 voice mail soon after her 2002 disappearance and deleted some messages, giving her parents and police false hope the girl was still alive and hampering their investigation. Her body was discovered months later. AP