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11 Jul 2011 14:22

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World: News Corp. hacking scandal spreads to second paper

  • worse Shareholders owning stock in News Corp have sued the company in the wake of the shutdown of News of the World. The shareholders own less than 1 percent of the company combined. They’re also suing because News Corp took over Shine Group, Ltd., a company owned by Rupert Murdoch’s daughter.
  • worser Another News Corp. paper, The Sunday Times, has been accused of using identity theft (“blagging”) to steal personal information from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, including information on Brown’s son — possibly leading to their early reporting on his cystic fibrosis. That means TWO papers are now implicated. source

10 Jul 2011 11:28

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World: Readers react to the death of News of the World

  • I think it’s a shame because they’ve done a lot of good, they’ve riddled out a lot of, let’s say, nasty people. It’s unfortunate that a few people have brought it down. But they have got no choice because they condemned others so they have got to show they are accountable.
  • Newspaper vendor Jean Natella • Offering her take on the closing of News of the World. Say what you will about the paper’s tactics, but they have shown results in the past, though the problem the paper has faced has been one of culture. As another reader, Michael Mitchell, puts it: “I don’t think it should close; I think the people responsible should not be there. They have, I feel, overstepped the mark. Or they’ve been found out, because if this paper is doing it you can bet the majority of them are doing it as well.” We can get behind that. source

09 Jul 2011 11:56

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World: Rupert Murdoch’s son James liable in News of The World hack?

You would not believe the kind of migraine a long-term phone-hacking scandal causes. The younger Murdoch could face charges in both the U.S. and UK over the allegations. source

06 Jul 2011 10:13

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World: News of the World scandal: A father’s reaction to being hacked

  • 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

05 Jul 2011 10:22

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World: News of the World opens up new realm of unethical journalism

  • 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

08 Apr 2011 12:10

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World: News of the World hacks their way into journalism scandal history

  • You know, bad journalism is bad journalism. But occasionally, someone manages to open up a new tier of bad journalism, one that not even Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass could even imagine. Such is the case of News of the World, Rupert Murdoch’s downmarket British tabloid, best-known in the States for revealing that Michael Phelps likes doing bong hits at college parties. The paper just admitted, after days of denials, that it is responsible for a scheme wher a bunch of its reporters hacked the mobile phones of many potential sources — including members of the Royal Family, actresses, politicians and sports stars. The scandal has already cost a member of David Cameron’s staff his job, and now News of the World is finally admitting their reporters screwed up. Stephen Glass looks professional in comparison. source

30 Mar 2011 20:26

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Biz: James Murdoch being prepped for News Corp. takeover?

James Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch, has been promoted to Deputy COO of News Corp. This move is widely considered a step towards his eventual takeover of the company. source
 

03 Feb 2011 02:15

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Tech: Review: The Daily makes an awful solid argument for 99¢ a week

  • Have to say… we just checked out The Daily. Honestly didn’t expect to be as impressed with it as we were. Visually, it’s stunning … some rough edges, but it makes the Wired app look like last year’s model. The modular masthead on the front page is creative. And the sheer density of the content is just insane. There is enough here to keep you reading for an hour. The editorial sensibility is very New York Post, though with a much softer and more beautiful edge. The Post snarkiness shows up in the briefs and the gossip page more than the main stories. It’s definitely a Murdoch pub. One feature of note: There’s a “By The Numbers” page that kinda reminds us of this site a little. The daily furniture is beautiful. There are share functions so it’s not closed off to the web. But more than anything, you get the overwhelming feeling of disbelief that you get all this stuff for 99 cents a week – and that’s a feeling that’s been missing from a lot of journalism lately. Will be interesting to see how others respond. source

12 Nov 2010 11:09

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Politics: LOL: Media Matters wins lunch with Rupert Murdoch in auction

  • $86,000 to ruin some rich guy’s meal source

12 Nov 2010 11:00

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Biz: News Corp. dude complains about mobile “cannibalizing” sales

  • The problem with the apps is that they are much more directly cannibalistic of the print products than the website. People interact with it much more like they do with the traditional product.
  • News Corp. Europe and Asia head (and Rupert’s kid) James Murdoch • Explaining why mobile apps are a danger to his company’s business model. Sorry James, but if you don’t like it, deal with it. The two papers that you’ve put behind paywalls so far have lost most of their readership, so clearly you understand your market. Oh, who are we kidding? You have no clue about the online or mobile spaces. source