And today we learn that the News of the World is to close after 168 years. It seems that Rupert Murdoch is so keen to retain Rebekah Brooks and the BSkyB deal that he's prepared to close his Sunday tabloid – the intended perception is that News International have done the honourable thing and fallen on their swords, but naturally they'll simply relaunch a similar title under a new name or stretch The Sun to run on the Sabbath. It is of course a clever and characteristically ruthless PR exercise. Having been seen to take ostensibly drastic (but ultimately toothless) action, News International can perhaps limit the damage and still get their paws on BSkyB. In reality, Murdoch has simply punished the existing NOTW staff for the sins of their forebears, as most of those responsible are long gone from the paper. This is obviously unfair, though bear in mind that the current staff are still servants of Murdoch, so my sympathy is limited.
Though it has been upsetting and deeply angering to learn that Milly Dowler and the bereaved families of soldiers (amongst many others) were phone hacking targets, I have to admit to a sense of schadenfreude at the hourly kickings dispensed to Murdoch's feculent rag, corporation and reputation of late.
This has been a long time coming. Over the years, I've often been saddened to realise that friends and acquaintances read The Sun and/or NOTW, the excuse being that they just read it for the football/can't be bothered with a broadsheet/couldn't care less that the hugely-influential mass-media they fund is written to suit the business interests of one nefarious individual etc. These latest revelations however, seem to be finally stirring principles and social consciences, as evidenced by the public backlash, refusal of some newsagents to stock the paper and withdrawal of advertisers.
I am of course typing with bated breath, but dare we dream that The Sun could be next? It is heartening that the NOTW's sister paper is still boycotted on Merseyside after their deeply offensive coverage of the Hillsborough disaster, though I have long wondered why only those in the Liverpool area were offended by The Sun's reporting. Why wasn't the paper boycotted nationally? Surely any right-thinking individual should have been offended by the Hillsborough coverage, not just those directly involved? Sadly not, but we can still hope that The Sun suffers some collateral damage from this episode.
However, it has been heartening to find people at least making a moral stand against the NOTW, particularly in these times of diminished ideologies. There is much to be angry about, so make your voices heard, protest against the BSkyB deal and boycott all News International outlets (The Sun, The Times, Sky etc.) The closure of the NOTW is a drastic measure and a tacit admission of guilt – perhaps a little more pressure applied in the right places could make Murdoch loosen his stranglehold on the UK's media.
