Thursday, July 07, 2011
End of the affair? No, it’s just the end of the beginning.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2011/jul/07/newsoftheworld-jamesmurdoch
So, News Corporation is so disgusted with what went on at The News of the World that’s it’s closing it. That’ll be an end to it then.
Well, no, far from it.
There are simply too many unanswered questions left. So as a damage limitation exercise this is not going to work.
Lots more ‘sorrys’ have to be said and guilty secrets revealed and punished before this is over. More heads also have to roll. Anyone connected with all this has to go.
Perhaps it’s a more a commercial realization that as a brand its toxicity is beyond cleansing. Advertisers seem to see it that way. How long might the ‘fade factor’ need to wash away the memory of this? Clearly they feel too long.
Is it a cynical attempt to implement the seven-day restructure they were possibly planning? Perhaps. If a Sun on Sunday emerges soon it could look that way.
One certainty is it will reduce NI’s share of the readership and advertising markets, which will help the bid for BSkyB control in avoiding concerns over media plurality. That will, surely, have been considered.
As for politicians who are rejoicing as if the wicked witch is dead and they can now speak freely, I’d say don’t judge too soon.
Murdoch’s influence and power comes from the readership his titles enjoy. That’s now less, but it’s still a significant percentage of UK media. And his titles will still report on politics and politicians and give their strong views. Ignore them at your peril.
While the long investigation into all this drags on, he and his papers will be meeker than normal, but once it’s over it’ll be back to normal business. So don’t kick the old man while he’s down to impress the voters — he may get his own back one day.
Labels: hacking, News of the World
