Hacking Scandal
On July 27, 2011, News of the World ceased publication. News of the World as a popular newspaper owned by News International. News International was part of a newspaper group owned by Rupert Murdoch. Following more revelations of a phone hacking scandal, News of the World final edition was produced.
The ramifications of the phone hacking threatens to reduce public trust in journalists, police officers, and government officials.
The phone hacking scandal has already prevented its owner Rupert Murdoch from acquiring full control of British television broadcaster BSkyB.
Allegations
Hired private investigator Glen Mulcaire who intercepted the voice-mail of missing British teenager Milly Dowler. Ms Dowler’s voice mails were deleted by journalists so that space could be freed for new messages. These actions misled Ms Dowler’s friends and family into thinking that she was alive.
Reporters used private investigators to illegally gain access to voice-mail accounts of various people of interest. Features editor Paul McMullan admitted to using material obtained from a corrupt police officer.
Ramifications
Royal correspondent Clive Goodman plead guilty to illegal interception of personal communication. Editor and Prime Minister David Cameron spokesman Andy Coulson resigned. Journalists Ian Edmondson, Neville Thurlbeck, and James Weatherup arrested.
Editors Neil Wallis and Rebekah Brooks arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.
Journalist Integrity
Do high quality journalist standards exists? More importantly, are they every followed? Some people will dismiss News of the World as a tabloid and not be surprised by its actions.
People sometimes forget that private news media exists only to be entertaining in order to either serve one political goal or more commonly to be profitable. Standards are not considered in the pursuit of one or two goals.
The concentration of the media into a few media conglomerates means less journalist integrity. It also means less independence and pressure to conform in the pursuit of profit or political ideology. It is interesting how no journalists from News of the World spoke out even when they no longer worked at the newspaper.
Conclusion:
Do not blindly trust everything you see or hear in the news. The news you consumes is filtered in order to not offend anyone especially the owners and their friends. This is not the first or last time a news organization has violated the privacy of citizens in order to get a story.
The hacking scandal shows how unscrupulous the staff behaved at News of the World. The newspaper only apologized after being caught. If Rupert Murdoch had not bid for a controlling interest in BSkyB, News of the World would still be operating today.
- Recommendations:
- Do not believe everything presented to you as news.
- Get your news from different sources such as online sources.
- The internet allows anyone to post comments and give actual live commentary.