Saturday 9 July 2011

The three amigos who dragged international jouralism ethics through the lowest of noisome gutters




The two editors and owner of Britain's 168 year-old News of the World online and print newspaper Andy Coulsen (top left)Rebekah Brooks (top right) Rupert Murdoch (centre) in church in 2005 - during a period in which they allegedly oversaw sytematic unlawful hacking of the phones of public figures and ordinary people, as well as alleged suspect payments to police, and who between them managed to close the 168 year-old Sunday tabloid this month as the scandal broadens and more arrests are expected.
If old Sir Keith were still alive even he would probably give his son a right-old bollocking.
Thank heavens Rupert renounced his Australian citizenship - officially he's not our blacksheep now!


http://youtu.be/v1AJjnl2y8U

And then there's young James.......
From Granny Herald on 8th July in "The wrong redtop goes"
"There were a few noble politicians prepared to go where others would not and criticise the News of the World despite the likelihood of offending Britain’s most powerful media companies.
But there are plenty of villains. Andy Coulson, who replaced Brooks as editor and was there when the paper appears to have been its most hack-happy; after resigning twice over the affair, once from the Prime Minister's office, he is reportedly close to being arrested. Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who did much of the hacking and served time in jail for it. The many others who surely knew what was going on, sanctioned it and so far have gone unpunished.
And there is still Rebekah Brooks. As then editor and now chief executive, the buck stops with her. As long she keeps her job, her immediate boss, James Murdoch, is a villain too. Without her departure, he will be the man who sacked scores who had no responsibility, and saved the neck of one who did."


UPDATE:
The Guardian UK Friday 8 July 2011 13.16 BST
Andy Coulson arrested over phone-hacking allegations
"Andy Coulson, the prime minister's former press spokesman, has been arrested and is being held in custody at a police station in south London.
Scotland Yard said that at 10.30am on Friday officers from Operation Weeting – the phone-hacking inquiry – and a team investigating illegal payments to police officers within the Metropolitan force arrested a 43-year-old man who had arrived by appointment.
Scotland Yard said he was being held in custody and would be questioned in connection with allegations of corruption and phone hacking.
The arrest came after Operation Weeting officers were handed further information from News International three weeks ago which detailed allegedly illegal payments to a handful of officers at the Yard.
It is understood Coulson, a former editor of the News of the World, will be held for several hours for questioning. Officers will take him through documentation, much of it handed over by his former employer News International.
He will be questioned on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section 1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977 and "on suspicion of corruption allegations" contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906."

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