News Corp. pays off phone-hacking scandal victim’s family

$3.2 million the settlement headed to Milly Dowler’s family, via News Corp.
$1.6 million the settlement headed to a charity of the Dowler family’s choosing source

» The scandal that killed a newspaper: With the News of the World scandal a bit of a low point for the company this year, it’s understandable that they might want to get this dealt with. But the Dowler family has made sure it was to their liking: “Nothing that has been agreed will ever bring back Milly or undo the traumas of her disappearance and the horrendous murder trial earlier this year,” they said. “The only way that a fitting tribute could be agreed was to ensure that a very substantial donation to charity was made in Milly’s memory. We hope that projects will be undertaken so that some good can come from this.” Meanwhile, News Corp. now has a second scandal under its large journalistic umbrella, though this one (the WSJ’s circulation scandal) is fortunately more business-oriented and less invasive on another person’s life.

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

» The negotiations aren’t final just yet: A News International spokeswoman confirmed that the company is negotiating a multi-million dollar settlement (about three million pounds) with the family of slain child Milly Dowler, who’s voicemail was hacked by the Murdoch-owned media giant following her abduction in 2002. This is a good example of the disparity of financial power between normal people and giant companies, and the problems that can lie therein; this sum, though it would be the company’s biggest ever payout, is in no way a prohibitive cost for a media empire like Murdoch’s.

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

I just felt stunned and horrified. I find it hard to believe someone could be so wicked and so evil, and that someone could work for an organization that even today is trying to defend what they see as normal practices.
Graham Foulkes, father of a 2005 London bombing victim • Reacting after learning that he was on a possible list of people whose phones have been hacked by News of the World. As you might imagine, it’s not the kind of news one takes well, and in the case of Foulkes, who will mourn the sixth anniversary of his son’s death later this week, it only makes things more difficult. Foulkes wants leadership at News Corp. to change, starting with Rebekah Brooks, the chief of News International who once edited News of the World, but denies she knew what was going on. “She’s gotta go,” he said. “She cannot say, oops, sorry, we’ve been caught out. Of course she’s responsible for the ethos and practices of her department. Her position is untenable.” Do you agree? source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

Surely now we should hear from David Cameron and Ed Miliband. It’s utterly disgraceful that they’ve let this scandal run on for as long as it has. No more cowardice — we want action.
Labour parliament member Tom Watson • Reacting to the news that “News of the World,” the U.K. tabloid publication, hacked into teenager Milly Dowler’s voicemail after she went missing in 2002. But it gets worse — apparently, after Dowler’s voicemail got full, they deleted messages in hopes of receiving more of them. But the end result was that it gave her family false hope, because it made them think she deleted the messages. In reality, Dowler was murdered, but News of the World crossed a very strong ethical line in hopes of getting a story. It’s one they’ve crossed before, by the way. source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Oct 2011 11:05