According to David Folkenflik of NPR: In total, British prosecutors alleging a conspiracy going to paper’s top levels to hack into mobile voicemail of 600+ people over 6 years.
Brooks remains defiant. In a statement: “I am not guilty of these charges. I did not authorise, nor was I aware of, phone hacking under my editorship.”
More on the “willful blindness” thing: From The New Statesman’s David Allen Green. It’s fascinating that James Murdoch was so lost on this question. It’s a moment that will stand out in the coverage.
More on Rupert Murdoch possibly stepping down: The CEO of News Corp. may leave his post based on his performance tomorrow in front of the British Parliament. Chase Carey, above (impressive ‘stache, eh?), would be his likely replacement. This would be a slight to Murdoch’s own son James, by the way. It would be a staggering fall for the self-made media mogul, to put it lightly. (EDIT: There are conflicting reports.)
I have acted with complete integrity and my conscience is clear. I look forward to the future Judge-led inquiry where my role will be examined in a proper and calmer environment and where my actions will be judged on the evidence rather than on innuendo and speculation as they are at present.Now-resigned Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates • In selected text from his resignation letter. Yates had become embroiled, as a staggering number of people have been, in the phone hacking scandals currently rocking the Murdoch news empire and British civil society. Yates was responsible for declining further investigation into a 2005 phone hacking case, back in 2009. Yates has called that choice a “pretty crap one,” but in his resignation, far less contrition is to be found. His final wish, though, will almost certainly be granted — we reckon the legal end of this scandal will be no less engrossing than the rest of it. source (via • follow)
So what to do? Cut your losses. Fold the paper. Wash your hands of the whole ordeal. You can expect News Corp’s rhetoric about ‘moving on’ to start today. And that’s how you get out of a scandal with all the top executives’ jobs intact.Hamilton Nolan, editor at Gawker • speaking brilliantly about the end of the News of the World. Basically, they were going downhill fast because of their hacking scandal. Instead of actually working through it, it seems like Rupert Murdoch’s son, the owner of the paper, took the easy way out and just shut the paper down. That way, they don’t have to worry about advertising, or damage control, or anything else that goes on with a scandal like this. Ultimately, News Corp. is a business that focuses on making money on top of its journalism. And it didn’t look like NOTW would be making any money for a long, long time. So they picked their best option. source (via • follow)
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