I doubt anyone here has been following the phone-hacking scandal, so a brief explanation:
The "phone-hacking scandal" is the ongoing and expanding list of people who had their phones illegally hacked into by The News of the World (owner: Rupert Murdoch) over at least the last nine years, to gain exclusive scoops on stories and including politicians, celebrities and those unfortunate enough to end up in the press by other means. Said hacking was undertaken by "private investigators", which is to say, former police officers (almost to a man canned from the force during their periodic anti-corruption campaigns) but was also, it seems, increasingly aided and abetted by the Metropolitan Police, who dragged their feet over investigating incidents of phone-hacking by the News of the World to such an extent that worried celebrities such as Hugh Grant went out and investigated the claims themselves.
This is a very big story, because, as it turns out, not only was Murdoch minion and former NotW editor Andy Coulson made Director of Communications (ie Chief Spin-Doctor) at 10 Downing Street (he later resigned, to "spend more time with his family") but Rebekah Brooks, former editor of the Sun and News of the World and now Chief Executive of News International, is a very close friend of David Cameron. As in, she has dinner with the Cameron family and Cameron refuses to divulge what they talk about on the basis of "constituent-MP privacy" close. Murdoch himself has backed Brooks to the hilt. The Sun and News of the World backed Cameron in his campaign for Prime Minister, incidentally, switching their alleigance from Labour.
Also, Murdoch is in negotiations with the government if his News International can go ahead and buy-out bSkyb - a move which would cement his hold over the UK media. Vince Cable was originally in charge of deciding whether or not to allow this deal, until it was found out he did not like Murdoch and so was sacked, with the more Tory and pro-Murdoch Jeremy Hunt, Minister for Culture, Media and Other Crap the Rest of Parliament Don't Want to Deal With being tasked with it. So there are some huge business stakes here, in addition to the political ones.
Anyway, it turns the News of the World allegedly hired a private investigator to hack into the phone of Milly Dowler, a 13 year old girl who was abducted and murdered several years ago. Her body was not discovered for 6 months after her disappearance. Not only did this investigator listen in on the private messages and pleas from the family for Milly to get in touch and let her know she was OK, he deleted messages. This deletion was not only to make room for more messages, but also to create the impression that Milly Dowler may have been alive. This can be seen from how the News of the World did a brutally cynical interview at the time they were doing this, toying with the family over the possibility she may still be alive because someone is deleting the messages. They then made a profit off of this.
It also turns out the phones of family members of the victims of the Soham murders, two 10 year old girls (if I recall right) had their phones hacked. Several others will also no doubt be named in the coming weeks.
Murdoch's minions have crossed a line. While the Guardian readers may be cheering for his downfall regardless of circumstance, the Daily Mail, Express and Telegraph crowd couldn't really give a fuck. Until now. Now, though....well, those papers are mawkish and emotional at the best of times with stories like these, and finding out their commercial rival was involved in such cynical manipulation, they're going to hit him with this as hard as possible.
Fucking hell...
Saw this the other day. So fucked up.
Holy shit. That's evil.
Wow.
i saw some blurbs in the news pages about it, but then on the commute home yesterday NPR had a piece on it that i heard.
really sickening.
EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT
News International ditches the News of the World. Sunday's issue will be the last and the proceeds will go to good causes.
The advertisers have been leaving in droves; the market demanded this
press:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/jul/07/news-of-the-world-phone-hacking-live-coverage
from James Murdoch:
News International today announces that this Sunday, 10 July 2011, will be the last issue of the News of the World.
Making the announcement to staff, James Murdoch, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, News Corporation, and Chairman, News International said:
"I have important things to say about the News of the World and the steps we are taking to address the very serious problems that have occurred.
It is only right that you as colleagues at News International are first to hear what I have to say and that you hear it directly from me. So thank you very much for coming here and listening.
You do not need to be told that The News of the World is 168 years old. That it is read by more people than any other English language newspaper. That it has enjoyed support from Britain's largest advertisers. And that it has a proud history of fighting crime, exposing wrong-doing and regularly setting the news agenda for the nation.
When I tell people why I am proud to be part of News Corporation, I say that our commitment to journalism and a free press is one of the things that sets us apart. Your work is a credit to this.
The good things the News of the World does, however, have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong. Indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our Company.
The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.
In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose.
Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.
As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter. We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences.
This was not the only fault.
The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong.
The Company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.
Currently, there are two major and ongoing police investigations. We are cooperating fully and actively with both. You know that it was News International who voluntarily brought evidence that led to opening Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden. This full cooperation will continue until the Police's work is done.
We have also admitted liability in civil cases. Already, we have settled a number of prominent cases and set up a Compensation Scheme, with cases to be adjudicated by former High Court judge Sir Charles Gray. Apologising and making amends is the right thing to do.
Inside the Company, we set up a Management and Standards Committee that is working on these issues and that has hired Olswang to examine past failings and recommend systems and practices that over time should become standards for the industry. We have committed to publishing Olswang's terms of reference and eventual recommendations in a way that is open and transparent. We have welcomed broad public inquiries into press standards and police practices and will cooperate with them fully.
So, just as I acknowledge we have made mistakes, I hope you and everyone inside and outside the Company will acknowledge that we are doing our utmost to fix them, atone for them, and make sure they never happen again.
Having consulted senior colleagues, I have decided that we must take further decisive action with respect to the paper.
This Sunday will be the last issue of the News of the World.
Colin Myler will edit the final edition of the paper.
In addition, I have decided that all of the News of the World's revenue this weekend will go to good causes.
While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organisations – many of whom are long-term friends and partners – that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity.
We will run no commercial advertisements this weekend. Any advertising space in this last edition will be donated to causes and charities that wish to expose their good works to our millions of readers.
These are strong measures. They are made humbly and out of respect. I am convinced they are the right thing to do.
Many of you, if not the vast majority of you, are either new to the Company or have had no connection to the News of the World during the years when egregious behaviour occurred.
I can understand how unfair these decisions may feel. Particularly, for colleagues who will leave the Company. Of course, we will communicate next steps in detail and begin appropriate consultations.
You may see these changes as a price loyal staff at the News of the World are paying for the transgressions of others. So please hear me when I say that your good work is a credit to journalism. I do not want the legitimacy of what you do to be compromised by acts of others. I want all journalism at News International to be beyond reproach. I insist that this organisation lives up to the standard of behaviour we expect of others. And, finally, I want you all to know that it is critical that the integrity of every journalist who has played fairly is restored.
Thank you for listening.
That was refreshingly unexpected...
Awesome.
Now we need to destroy the Sun.
The Murdoch Empire will survive. You know the drill ; "Too big to fail" aka bigger than the damn government and more powerful to boot. That exculpatory statement by James Murdoch was neither refreshing nor really unexpected. The really interesting bit is the alacrity with which their advertisers have jumped ship. Maybe that does signify something "refreshingly unexpected".
edit to tighten
True. But getting rid of The Sun would be a very good thing, even with Murdoch retaining his hold over Sky News, The Times etc
Also, the bSkyb deal is now a poison chalice. Either Vince Cable played the greatest Xanatos Gambit of the last decade of British history, or he got very lucky. Either way, the government is now between a rock and a hard place.
Plus, sooner or later, I'm sure it is going to turn out that "special advisors" to high ranking Tories were using the phone hacking to gather political intelligence on Labour (and, in the earlier years, vice-versa), in which case this whole thing goes highly toxic.
This is the guy that runs Fox news too isn't it?
Quote from: BabylonHoruv on July 07, 2011, 05:48:44 PM
This is the guy that runs Fox news too isn't it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_International
Yes, welcome to the News World Order
Quote from: Cain on July 07, 2011, 05:12:26 PM
Awesome.
Now we need to destroy the Sun.
(http://www.thelmagazine.com/images/blogimages/2010/03/16/1268750813-simpsons_sun-jj-001.jpg)
(http://www.noiselabs.com/blog/images/mrburns.gif)
Quote from: Risus on July 07, 2011, 06:06:32 PM
Quote from: Cain on July 07, 2011, 05:12:26 PM
Awesome.
Now we need to destroy the Sun.
(http://www.thelmagazine.com/images/blogimages/2010/03/16/1268750813-simpsons_sun-jj-001.jpg)
Dammit, I was looking for that. I bow before your google-fu.
Quote from: BabylonHoruv on July 07, 2011, 05:48:44 PM
This is the guy that runs Fox news too isn't it?
Not exactly. Rupert Murdoch owns News Corp, which is the parent company of Fox News, but he's been almost completely hands-off at Fox News since it started. That's Roger Ailes's baby, which makes total sense for anyone who knows anything about Roger Ailes.
Indeed. While Murdoch is fairly right-wing in his own views, he is not consistently so (see: support for Obama in 2008) and while allying his media enterprises to economically right-wing parties, as a rule, he has no qualms about stabbing them in the back if a good enough story allows him to do so (see: various Times stories embarrassing Thatcher's government).
Ailes is an interesting case, because it is actually one of the few areas where the traditional Top-Down Editorial Control conspiracy theory of media actually works. Gawker had a good piece on a document from Ailes' time working for Nixon, where he mused on the need for a "GOP News network" to "get the message to heartland voters". Nick Davies, an investigative journalist, gives persuasive reasons why editorial control is not the cause of political bias in reporting, in most cases, but with FOX it is certainly true.
Anyway, other interesting facets of the case:
- 500 gigabytes of emails have vanished from News of the World's internal archive, and that they were deleted twice by a "senior executive".
- A police surveillance team were following the News of the World private detectives, who were following Detective Inspector David Cook, who was investigating the News of the World. The film of this is going to be awesome.
- Andy Coulson was vetted by a "private company", according to the PM. Which firm is he talking about? Was Coulson ever vetted by the DVA, and if so, did their report contradict or provide additional informational this "private company" missed?
- We still don't know how the hacks actually happened, in the technical sense. Call centres are being floated as a possibility, I'm inclined to agree, given past practices.
Also, now families of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are now being mentioned as possibly being hacked. Given the Murdoch backed "Help for Heroes" campaign heavily via the Sun and News of the World, on top of cheerleading for those conflicts, this is going to look especially bad.
You know, even now, I get the names Rupert Murdoch, and Robert Maxwell mixed up in my head momentarily. Seems they were both cut from the same cloth.
That statement from James Maxwe Murdoch is just fucking crass beyond belief. The Son Sun Daily Newspaper was already secretly marked to go Sundays only months ago too, so it looks like they've been expecting the shit to hit the fan for some time. The really telling part of all this is the level of Police and Government complicity right down the line. They've been right up each other arses since at least as far back as the Miner's Strike in the mid 80's, and now their positions are so entrenched, it's going to be obvious to everyone. But hey, nothing will happen beyond a few Editors getting the sack, maybe a couple of bent Ex-Pigs will get token Prison terms in Ford open Prison. The Sun will take the place o the NOTW, The Murdoch Empire will continue to spew it's horribly fascist bile upon a world already hopelessly infected with NewSpeak, and things will carry on pretty much as they have been. And the other News Agencies will squawk and point fingers, but only up to a point, because you can be sure that Murdoch isn't the only one guilty of using these Orwellian tactics to generate the "right" kind of News. The only Western News source that's got any ethical credibility now at all is fucking Wikileaks, and I can't see them stepping into the sewer of the Fourth Estate anytime soon.
The problems are spreading like the plague, from NOTW to other News International publications
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14112097
QuoteThe Sunday Times is alleged to have targeted the personal information of the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown at the time he was chancellor, a BBC investigation has found.
Documents and a phone recording suggest "blagging" was used to obtain private financial and property details.
The Browns also fear medical records relating to their son Fraser, whom the Sun revealed in 2006 had cystic fibrosis, may have been obtained.
They can argue public interest in the case of the Robert Maxwell flat, but nothing justifies going after Fraser Brown.
Kinda wondering if it might be easier to start counting the things NOT hacked/stolen by News International papers, to be honest.
The most disappointing thing about this scandal is that
a) we have not yet seen "UR MOM HACKED BY NOTW, HUR HUR HUR" as a headline, and
b) Mock the Week and HIGNFY both were unable to cover the unfolding story, for various reasons
Turns out Andy Coulson was given a top level security clearance by the DVA
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/09/phone-hacking-andy-coulson-paddy-ashdown
QuoteCoulson, arrested by police on Friday over his role in the scandal, went on to be cleared by the security vetting team at Downing Street after three in-depth interviews about his professional and personal life. He was given "strap one" status, which allowed him the highest access to top-secret material.
More on Fraser Brown
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/11/phone-hacking-news-international-gordon-brown
QuoteConfidential health records for Brown's family have reached the media on two different occasions. In October 2006, the then editor of the Sun, Rebekah Brooks, contacted the Browns to tell them that they had obtained details from the medical file of their four-month-old son, Fraser, which revealed that the boy was suffering from cystic fibrosis. This appears to have been a clear breach of the Data Protection Act, which would allow such a disclosure only if it was in the public interest. Friends of the Browns say the call caused them immense distress, since they were only coming to terms with the diagnosis, which had not been confirmed. The Sun published the story.
As links from Wikipedia show, his diagnosis wasn't confirmed until
November 2006.
That is SO fucked up.
No-one likes Gordon Brown, not even his own family.
The NOTW, in their own twisted way, have actually made sympathy for Brown possible. It's like feeling sorry for Aspergers Dick Cheney.
Looks like Parliament is going to unite and vote for a motion for Murdoch to drop his bid for bSkyb.
Not legally binding, of course, but still very damaging, if he continues on with it, and the government lets it pass.
The US Senate, meanwhile, is going to look into whether News International employees in the US have been hacking phones as well, and Murdoch's campaign contributions in Australia are being scrutinized.
All in all, this has been an excellent week.
Two questions spring immediately to mind
1) Could this damage Rupert Moloch's media oligarchy?
2) If so, who's most likely to step in and fill the vacuum?
I'm thinking that a replacement with less of a politically mercenary attitude, y'know, someone with principles that transcend simple accumulation of wealth might turn out to be even fucking worse :x
BBC just confirmed Murdoch has formally abandoned his bid to take over bSkyb.
VICTORY!
But srsly, next stop is boycotting the Sun. And getting Rebekah Brooks arrested.
Quote from: Cain on July 13, 2011, 02:33:51 PM
But srsly, next stop is boycotting the Sun.
(http://i.imgur.com/U0cEU.jpg)
(sorry it keeps cracking me up)
Quote from: Cain on July 13, 2011, 12:08:18 PM
Looks like Parliament is going to unite and vote for a motion for Murdoch to drop his bid for bSkyb.
Not legally binding, of course, but still very damaging, if he continues on with it, and the government lets it pass.
The US Senate, meanwhile, is going to look into whether News International employees in the US have been hacking phones as well, and Murdoch's campaign contributions in Australia are being scrutinized.
All in all, this has been an excellent week.
Um, latest update I just saw said the deal is dead.
Yep, News Corp dropped the bid, presumably just to avoid any MORE parliamentary confrontation.
Thing is...they can reapply in 6 months.
Speculation is Murdoch may sell the Sun and London Times to show his goodwill. On the one hand, I would very much like to see the Times restored to its former glory, on the other hand I'm not sure handing over control of all non-digital channels to Murdoch for it is necessarily a fair payoff.
There are people trying to push for an investigation, here:
http://thinkprogress.org/murdoch-petition
Rumors are starting that the phones of 911 families were hacked.
Quote from: Luna on July 14, 2011, 07:06:13 PM
Rumors are starting that the phones of 911 families were hacked.
The hyenas are circling :lulz:
FBI has just announced that it has probable cause to warrant a full investigation on the 911 hacked calls.
That was fast.
:popcorn:
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 14, 2011, 08:07:57 PM
FBI has just announced that it has probable cause to warrant a full investigation on the 911 hacked calls.
That was fast.
This should be good.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 14, 2011, 08:07:57 PM
FBI has just announced that it has probable cause to warrant a full investigation on the 911 hacked calls.
That was fast.
Jay Rockerfeller is apparently the political pressure behind this. So, what did Murdoch do to piss in Jay's wheaties?
Quote from: Cain on July 15, 2011, 09:10:57 AM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 14, 2011, 08:07:57 PM
FBI has just announced that it has probable cause to warrant a full investigation on the 911 hacked calls.
That was fast.
Jay Rockerfeller is apparently the political pressure behind this. So, what did Murdoch do to piss in Jay's wheaties?
Makes me wonder if News International might be using hacked phone shit for other reasons, over and above front page news. There's scope for blackmail scenarios. Maybe not out and out "gimme cash or I'll run the story" stuff but if you have the dirt on high ranking officials and they know you do, that's powerful leverage right there. Maybe JR has some friends in this position?
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 15, 2011, 09:23:17 AM
Quote from: Cain on July 15, 2011, 09:10:57 AM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 14, 2011, 08:07:57 PM
FBI has just announced that it has probable cause to warrant a full investigation on the 911 hacked calls.
That was fast.
Jay Rockerfeller is apparently the political pressure behind this. So, what did Murdoch do to piss in Jay's wheaties?
Makes me wonder if News International might be using hacked phone shit for other reasons, over and above front page news. There's scope for blackmail scenarios. Maybe not out and out "gimme cash or I'll run the story" stuff but if you have the dirt on high ranking officials and they know you do, that's powerful leverage right there. Maybe JR has some friends in this position?
Very possible. I wondered about that, with the UK election. Murdoch threw his hat in with the Tories - did Coulson and Brooks act to gather political intelligence on Cameron's behalf? No-one has mentioned even the possibility of this so far, which makes me think there could be something to it.
I know Rockerfeller tends to be business friendly, so I wonder if maybe some of his backers are worried that valuable industrial secrets or similar fell into the hands of News International? Ironically, he also tends to be a vocal backer of the expansion of the US surveillance state, so perhaps he is just annoyed at having competition? I think blackmail and industrial secrets could be closer to the mark, though.
Rebekah Brooks, odious little shit that she is, resigned from her post as Chief Executive of News International yesterday. Also, it was revealed the PM met with News International executives 26 times in the last 15 months. He is coming under fire for it and, predictably, is trying to arrange cover by having other members of the Cabinet less tainted by the Murdoch brand sing his praises (unfortunately, William Hague is a poor singer).
Quote from: Cain on July 13, 2011, 02:33:51 PM
BBC just confirmed Murdoch has formally abandoned his bid to take over bSkyb.
VICTORY!
But srsly, next stop is boycotting the Sun. And getting Rebekah Brooks arrested.
and yet again Cain calls it
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/17/rebekah-brooks-arrested-phone-hacking-allegations
Was just coming to post about that.
Investigation in the US seems to be centering on Hinton, the Wall Street Journal editor who previously worked at News of the World during the hacking scandal phase.
Boingboing pointed out that this may make her unavailable to attend her scheduled public grilling in parliament.
Which is convenient, I suppose.
The rats leaving Murdoch's sinking fleet may drown in money . . .
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2015435/Rebekah-Brooks-resigns-line-3-5m-payout-News-International.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
. . . and another one bites the dust
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14180043
QuoteMetropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned following the phone hacking scandal.
Quote from: Igor on July 17, 2011, 04:21:42 PM
Boingboing pointed out that this may make her unavailable to attend her scheduled public grilling in parliament.
Which is convenient, I suppose.
It is. The role of the police in this whole thing is highly suspect, to say the least. It really depends who arrested her, which is a massive indictment of the Met alone, that we now have to fact-check which officers are ordering the arrests to see if there is a political-corporate agenda at play here.
All I hope is that the police properly investigating this can find just one corporate exec from News International with insider info and no way to pass the buck. All it takes is to get one to squeal, and the whole thing turns to courts and trials and prison sentences very quickly.
Equally, if some pressure were put on the Competition Commission, we could see Murdoch's media empire broken up (along with a couple of others I could name...) and some actual independent journalism in this country.
One less squealer:
News of the World phone-hacking whistleblower found dead (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare)
Death of Sean Hoare – who was first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson knew of hacking – not being treated as suspicious
Sean Hoare, the former News of the World showbiz reporter who was the first named journalist to allege Andy Coulson was aware of phone hacking by his staff, has been found dead, the Guardian has learned.
Hoare, who worked on the Sun and the News of the World with Coulson before being dismissed for drink and drugs problems, is said to have been found dead at his Watford home.
Hertfordshire police would not confirm his identity, but the force said in a statement: "At 10.40am today [Monday 18 July] police were called to Langley Road, Watford, following the concerns for the welfare of a man who lives at an address on the street. Upon police and ambulance arrival at a property, the body of a man was found. The man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious. Police investigations into this incident are ongoing."
Hoare first made his claims in a New York Times investigation into the phone-hacking allegations at the News of the World.
He told the newspaper that not only did Coulson know of the phone hacking, but that he actively encouraged his staff to intercept the phone calls of celebrities in the pursuit of exclusives.
In a subsequent interview with the BBC he alleged that he was personally asked by his then-editor, Coulson, to tap into phones. In an interview with the PM programme he said Coulson's insistence that he didn't know about the practice was "a lie, it is simply a lie".
At the time a Downing Street spokeswoman said Coulson totally and utterly denied the allegations and said he had "never condoned the use of phone hacking and nor do I have any recollection of incidences where phone hacking took place".
Sean Hoare, a one-time close friend of Coulson's, told the New York Times the two men first worked together at the Sun, where, Hoare said, he played tape recordings of hacked messages for Coulson. At the News of the World, Hoare said he continued to inform Coulson of his activities. Coulson "actively encouraged me to do it", Hoare said.
In September last year, he was interviewed under caution by police over his claims that the former Tory communications chief asked him to hack into phones when he was editor of the paper, but declined to make any comment.
Hoare returned to the spotlight last week, after he told the New York Times that reporters at the News of the World were able to use police technology to locate people using their mobile phone signals in exchange for payments to police officers.
He said journalists were able to use a technique called "pinging" which measured the distance between mobile handsets and a number of phone masts to pinpoint its location.
Hoare gave further details about the use of "pinging" to the Guardian last week. He described how reporters would ask a news desk executive to obtain the location of a target: "Within 15 to 30 minutes someone on the news desk would come back and say 'right that's where they are.'"
He said: "You'd just go to the news desk and they'd just come back to you. You don't ask any questions. You'd consider it a job done. The chain of command is one of absolute discipline and that's why I never bought into it, like with Andy saying he wasn't aware of it and all that. That's bollocks."
He said he would stand by everything he had told the New York Times about "pinging". "I don't know how often it happened. That would be wrong of me. But if I had access as a humble reporter ... "
He admitted he had had problems with drink and drugs and had been in rehab. "But that's irrelevant," he said. "There's more to come. This is not going to go away."
Hoare named a private investigator who he said had links with the News of the World, adding: "He may want to talk now because I think what you'll find now is a lot of people are going to want to cover their arse."
Speaking to another Guardian journalist last week, Hoare repeatedly expressed the hope that the hacking scandal would lead to journalism in general being cleaned up and said he had decided to blow the whistle on the activities of some of his former News of the World colleagues with that aim in mind.
He also said he had been injured the previous weekend while taking down a marquee erected for a children's party. He said he had broken his nose and badly injured his foot when a relative accidentally struck him with a heavy pole from the marquee.
Hoare also emphasised that he was not making any money from telling his story. Hoare, who has been treated for drug and alcohol problems, reminisced about partying with former pop stars and said he missed the days when he was able to go out on the town.
I find nothing suspicious about this assassination death :|
Yeah. I mean, the Met said it doesn't seem suspicious, and it's not like the Met are up to their neck in News International-related corruption and so may have a conflict of interest or anything...
The movie of this is going to be fucking brilliant!
If the guy was having drugs and alcohol problems, it's not too difficult to make something look like an "accident" ...
But they haven't mentioned anything anywhere about the cause of death, have they? I mean you should be able to tell something whether it's stabbing, gunshots, head trauma, heart failure, brain explody or eaten by a sickened, sensitive shadow writhing in hands that are not hands, and whirled blindly past ghastly midnights of rotting creation, corpses of dead worlds with sores that were cities, charnel winds that brush the pallid stars and make them flicker low. Beyond the worlds vague ghosts of monstrous things; half-seen columns of unsanctified temples that rest on nameless rocks beneath space and reach up to dizzy vacua above the spheres of light and darkness. And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled, maddening beating of drums, and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes from inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond Time; the detestable pounding and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic, tenebrous ultimate gods — the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles whose soul is Nyarlathotep.
Quote from: Triple Zero on July 19, 2011, 09:33:53 AM
If the guy was having drugs and alcohol problems, it's not too difficult to make something look like an "accident" ...
But they haven't mentioned anything anywhere about the cause of death, have they? I mean you should be able to tell something whether it's stabbing, gunshots, head trauma, heart failure, brain explody or eaten by a sickened, sensitive shadow writhing in hands that are not hands, and whirled blindly past ghastly midnights of rotting creation, corpses of dead worlds with sores that were cities, charnel winds that brush the pallid stars and make them flicker low. Beyond the worlds vague ghosts of monstrous things; half-seen columns of unsanctified temples that rest on nameless rocks beneath space and reach up to dizzy vacua above the spheres of light and darkness. And through this revolting graveyard of the universe the muffled, maddening beating of drums, and thin, monotonous whine of blasphemous flutes from inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond Time; the detestable pounding and piping whereunto dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic, tenebrous ultimate gods — the blind, voiceless, mindless gargoyles whose soul is Nyarlathotep.
:spittake:
Anonymous/lulzsec/antisec/whoever are on it. If they actually got an email dump [and not just passwords to email accounts that are probably being wiped right now], that might be very interesting.
@anonymouSabu (http://twitter.com/#!/anonymouSabu)
Sun/News of the world OWNED. We're sitting on their emails. Press release tomorrow. In the meantime check: new-times.co.uk/sun/ #antisec
http://twitter.com/#!/anonymouSabu/status/93062692327264256
:popcorn:
This whole thing is just going to be a gigantic clusterfuck. This guy will not be the last to have a "little accident"!!
So Rebekah Brooks got a 3mil pacifier. Best case scenario - she ends up looking at serious time 5-10 years and blows off the money to turn snitch on the promise of a reduced sentence. Front page news the next day: She commits suicide by shooting herself in the back of the head, from a distance, whilst in police custody.
The met say the death is not being treated as suspicious :lulz:
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 19, 2011, 04:29:58 PM
So Rebekah Brooks got a 3mil pacifier. Best case scenario - she ends up looking at serious time 5-10 years and blows off the money to turn snitch on the promise of a reduced sentence. Front page news the next day: She commits suicide by shooting herself in the back of the head, from a distance, whilst in police custody.
The met say the death is not being treated as suspicious :lulz:
Hey now, somebody paid damn good money for them to say that!!! :lulz:
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 19, 2011, 04:29:58 PM
The met say the death is not being treated as suspicious
Reporters just sort of cut & paste the above in every day, don't they?
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 19, 2011, 04:35:29 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 19, 2011, 04:29:58 PM
The met say the death is not being treated as suspicious
Reporters just sort of cut & paste the above in every day, don't they?
SSSHHHH they're too busy hacking shit to actually write something...... :wink:
What is it with whistle blowers in England coming to sudden, untimely ends?
Expect a Radiohead song about it soon.
Someone just hit Murdoch in the face with a plate of foam.
:lulz:
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 19, 2011, 05:23:55 PM
Someone just hit Murdoch in the face with a plate of foam.
:lulz:
:?
Quote from: Nigel on July 19, 2011, 05:30:57 PM
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 19, 2011, 05:23:55 PM
Someone just hit Murdoch in the face with a plate of foam.
:lulz:
:?
I'm sure there are plenty of people who will think the guy is some sort of hero for the stunt but it's not very productive.
Funny though.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/07/19/phone-hacking-hearings.html
QuoteA U.K. parliamentary committee looking into the phone hacking scandal was briefly suspended Tuesday after someone tried to attack News Corp. chief executive Rupert Murdoch with what appeared to be a plate of shaving foam.
Murdoch had been testifying at the hearing when a protester who had been sitting in the audience lunged toward Murdoch.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson reported that Murdoch was apparently hit with a plate of shaving foam by a man shouting: "Greedy." The protester was then struck by Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, who jumped up to defend her husband.
Police in the back of the committee room were holding an apparently handcuffed man with white foam covering his face and shirt. The foam also appeared to have spattered Murdoch.
The hearing resumed after a few minutes.
How the hell do you smuggle a plate of foam?
It was probably an inside job.
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 19, 2011, 05:38:28 PM
I'm sure there are plenty of people who will think the guy is some sort of hero for the stunt but it's not very productive.
maybe not productive in the traditional sense, but we did just witness a powerful memetic event
People like Murdoch are untouchable. He's an archon, removed from everyday life, insulated against the teeming masses. All information he receives comes through a series of filters.
This shaving cream incident was probably his first unscreened contact with the public in ten+ years.
While the event itself didn't accomplish anything concrete, it gave us a wonderful image - of this ultra-powerful media mogul (arguably one of the 10 most powerful people in the world) with pie on his face. It's a bit inspirational - fatcats like murdoch are shmucks who fuck up just like any of us. And it's important to remember that as you go about your day. The argument for the status quo is "Things are like this
for a reason." Seeing Murdoch all pie faced is a reminder that "sometimes the reasons are
stupid."
I dig your way of breaking shit down Cram. Hadn't thought of it that way.
If it makes me laugh then I like it. The story made me laugh. That's about as deeply as I went into it.
Rebekah Brooks' husband was found throwing a laptop out of his house into a bin. The police seized it. He asked for it back. They said "hahahahaha no".
I think the police investigating Brooks are legit. And are going to find some mighty interesting things on that hard drive.
Also, NotW cleared their email archive. Twice. I expect nothing of interest from the Anonymous hack.
The stupid bastard threw a laptop where??? Doesn't he know how reporters work? If the coppers hadn't intercepted it how likely did he think it is that the contents wouldn't be splattered over the front page before the dustmen arrived to empty it?
(http://i.imgur.com/oFaWP.jpg)
YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH
The guy who did that also has a theory that the "deranged hoaxer" reported upon by the police investigating the Milly Dowler case was, in fact, Rebekah Brooks (possibly)
http://www.bloggerheads.com/archives/2011/07/notw-milly-dowler/
QuoteWhile it has already been reported that staff from News of the World told Surrey Police about the illegal method(s) used to obtain the material that led to this article (link), it is not until you read a key revelation in that recent report and the article itself that you are likely to realise how much police contributed to the article, and judge how much this action might be interpreted as tacit approval of the methods of the tabloid staff who had broken the law in pursuit of this lead:
It was Surrey detectives who established that the call was not intended for Milly Dowler. – Guardian, 4 July 2011
QuotePolice believe the sick hoaxer called into a recruitment agency... It is thought the hoaxer even gave the agency Milly's real phone number. Police believe she may have got it by gaining the trust of people who knew the schoolgirl... The twisted creature also contacted TV's Crimewatch programme, claiming to be Milly. Police say the hoaxer has hampered the investigation and previous high-profile enquiries... A senior officer involved in the hunt said last night: "Our inquiries and those of other forces have been plagued by a professional hoaxer who has much experience of the practices of police and investigation methods. The chances are extremely high that the individual concerned is a rather disturbed lady who needs care. – News of the World, 14 April 2002
I'm sensing some past history here, and some frustration that more couldn't be done to control this reckless fantasist (hey, I can relate). That might explain some of this content offered up by police. Then again, perhaps it was more a case of police deciding to address matters with a coded message to the editor of News of the World or (more likely, in my view) much of the lecture above was aimed at the unnamed hoaxer and Rebekah Wade, and only half of it made it to print in the form of an attack on the hoaxer. (This is what tabloid scum do; they selectively edit reality, attempting to shape it to their will, and act in monstrous ways while screaming; "Look out! Behind you! MONSTER!!!!")
Good catch, eh?
Quote from: Cain on July 20, 2011, 01:38:18 AM
http://i.imgur.com/oFaWP.jpg
Oh my god by the third panel I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for it and then I :lulz:
Apparently, the news is trying to make Murdoch's Asian wife some sort of ninja hero for blocking the pie.
Yup. She also clobbered the woman sitting between her and the pie-thrower.
And the pie-thrower made sure most of the news concentrated on him, rather than why Murdoch was being questioned and what was actually being asked.
taking the spotlight off of Murdoch and making his wife out to be some sort of hero is what I meant by not productive. Counter productive would probably be more appropriate.
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 20, 2011, 03:22:43 PM
taking the spotlight off of Murdoch and making his wife out to be some sort of hero is what I meant by not productive. Counter productive would probably be more appropriate.
If it was counter productive for the prosecution, then wasn't it also productive for the defense?
I have been wondering if it wasn't all "just for show".
Agreed Pickles. While I see what Cram is saying, the French activists who pioneered this method meant for it to be used on the puffed up and self-regarding. They were French, after all, the tactic was for those kind of politicians who think they are intellectual giants, or those kind of intellectual giants who think they are statesmen (Bernard Henri-Levy comes to mind). Murdoch doesn't strike me as a man with many pretensions. Plus he's a fairly vulnerable looking, 80 year old man.
James Murdoch, on the other hand, is a jumped up little shit, so it may have worked on him.
Quote from: Khara on July 20, 2011, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 20, 2011, 03:22:43 PM
taking the spotlight off of Murdoch and making his wife out to be some sort of hero is what I meant by not productive. Counter productive would probably be more appropriate.
If it was counter productive for the prosecution, then wasn't it also productive for the defense?
I have been wondering if it wasn't all "just for show".
This wasn't an official hearing or anything. With legal power to investigate and prosecute, at least. It's more like a Senate Committee hearing.
It was interesting to note that, in a Parliament full of solicitors and people experienced at cross-examining witnesses, those who sat on the Committee were, by profession, two marketing types; one accountant; one former SpAd; a soldier; a novelist; an insurance salesman and a trade unionist.
Also the Justice Committee may have been more appropriate, given the police angle to all of this.
Quote from: Khara on July 20, 2011, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 20, 2011, 03:22:43 PM
taking the spotlight off of Murdoch and making his wife out to be some sort of hero is what I meant by not productive. Counter productive would probably be more appropriate.
If it was counter productive for the prosecution, then wasn't it also productive for the defense?
I have been wondering if it wasn't all "just for show".
If it was a trial, sure. You would never want any reason to build sympathy for a defendant as a prosecutor. From what I understand these are more along the lines of the Congressional hearings we have here. Inquiries and answers under oath in order to determine what, if any, charges should be brought and against whom. It's the public opinion and sympathy brought by the pie that's counter productive.
Cain's better equipped to confirm that as my knowledge of England's Parliament is limited.
Quote from: Cain on July 20, 2011, 03:27:20 PM
Agreed Pickles. While I see what Cram is saying, the French activists who pioneered this method meant for it to be used on the puffed up and self-regarding. They were French, after all, the tactic was for those kind of politicians who think they are intellectual giants, or those kind of intellectual giants who think they are statesmen (Bernard Henri-Levy comes to mind). Murdoch doesn't strike me as a man with many pretensions. Plus he's a fairly vulnerable looking, 80 year old man.
James Murdoch, on the other hand, is a jumped up little shit, so it may have worked on him.
yeah, I'm coming around on this... I've been watching the testimonies with great interest, it's frustrating to see all this morning's news focused on this non-issue.
BTW: Handy testimony links!
pt1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcPwwMMbx0M
pt2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJn6Hb0MPK8
pt3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC0-Kh69nj8
pt4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wACxYtwfk4g
pt5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO01Z5xc1Wc
pt6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd8_mJ96j_c
pt7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGD2-rICF4k&feature=BFa&list=ULeeVX6Qszhqo
James Murdoch - what a little shit!
Watching these proceedings is much more entertaining than American court! I like how the MPs control the conversation, they don't allow the witnesses to filibuster, etc.
I gotta say, these guys [the Murdochs] really do know how to make news. [duh] Right at the beginning, the MPs shot down their request to read an opening statement. In the next 5 minutes, both James and Rupert Murdoch tried their best to inject their emotional framing into the line of questioning. Murdoch statement "This is the most humble day of my life." was a random interjection, it wasn't connected to any rhetoric... He knows that a very short emotional sound bite like that is what the news craves. They kept playing that clip on the radio as if it means anything!
The Murdochs attitude is adequately submissive, the "I fucked up" posture. They are like, "Jesus! That was a lot of hacking! We are totally 100% with you, let's get to the bottom of this and do some JUSTICE! FUCK YEAH!" They're doing an okay job of distancing themselves from the illegal activities. They're real shrewd, I'm betting they've still got some good tricks up their sleeves. But this parliament has been lied to before about this topic already - their questions are pointed and sharp. I really am loving watching this trial.
Quote from: Cain on July 20, 2011, 03:31:12 PM
Quote from: Khara on July 20, 2011, 03:26:14 PM
Quote from: Disco Pickle on July 20, 2011, 03:22:43 PM
taking the spotlight off of Murdoch and making his wife out to be some sort of hero is what I meant by not productive. Counter productive would probably be more appropriate.
If it was counter productive for the prosecution, then wasn't it also productive for the defense?
I have been wondering if it wasn't all "just for show".
This wasn't an official hearing or anything. With legal power to investigate and prosecute, at least. It's more like a Senate Committee hearing.
It was interesting to note that, in a Parliament full of solicitors and people experienced at cross-examining witnesses, those who sat on the Committee were, by profession, two marketing types; one accountant; one former SpAd; a soldier; a novelist; an insurance salesman and a trade unionist.
Also the Justice Committee may have been more appropriate, given the police angle to all of this.
Ah see, I completely misunderstood, I was under the impression they had already brought charges against Murdoch and this was a pre-trial kind of thing. So this is to decide if they are going to do so?
The news this morning that I saw was so focused on the wife that I really found it a bit difficult to know what exactly had happened, or was happening.
They did say that the blame for the phone hacking was continuing to roll downhill. Who's at the bottom of this hill? Anyone know?
I actually feel almost the exact opposite, Cram. The questioning is weak, and they're letting Murdoch and son waffle on for too long. The only one even making an effort to hold their feet to the fire is Tom Watson. I mean, Louise Mensch is basically eye candy, Sheridan is out of his depth and Whittingdale is rumoured to be batting for Murdoch.
@LulzSec tweets (https://twitter.com/#!/LulzSec/status/94033541196824576) We're currently working with certain media outlets who have been granted exclusive access to some of the News of the World emails we have.
James Murdoch looks like he is going down.
He was informed about the phone hacking - and it looks like he paid for it to be buried. The police are investigating.
Fuck yeah!
:buttsecks:
Quote from: Cain on July 22, 2011, 10:10:57 PM
James Murdoch looks like he is going down.
He was informed about the phone hacking - and it looks like he paid for it to be buried. The police are investigating.
I wish I could say I'm shocked that he knew.
This is interesting:
QuoteThere is one fascinating subtext to the whole story: Watson's claim that Brooks has long been driven to damage him, which he says dates back to his move against Blair. "I had one particular chilling conversation in 2006," he says, "when I was told that she would never forgive me for doing what I did to 'her Tony'. When I was made an assistant whip under Brown, the Sun did a story saying it was an outrageous I'd been awarded a job. Whenever I moved, there was a dig. It's painful and it's not easy, but that's the job, and the culture we operated in. It's when it's scaled up that those attack pieces take on a greater significance."
...Of late, there have been reports that she told Labour insiders she would pursue Watson "for the rest of his life" – a story he dates to the Labour party conference of 2006. When the Red Rag story broke, he claims Brooks texted Labour cabinet ministers, demanding that he was sacked.
At one point, he says, a senior editor at the Sun made a point of sending him a message via another Labour MP: "Tell that fat bastard Watson we know about his little planning matter." This, he says, was a reference to his application to put a conservatory on his family home in the Midlands: a typical "non-newsy, low-level thing" that played its part in making him "start to think like a conspiracy theorist".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/aug/02/tom-watson-phone-hacking
from http://chaosmarxism.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-love-historical-analogies.html
QuoteIf, as previously discussed, the relationship between the ruling class and the media today is analogous to that between the feudal aristocracy and the priesthood in Europe of 1000 years ago, then Rupert Murdoch would be a Borgia pope. Alexander VI?
I can totally see it :lol:
(http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/ubisoft/assassinscreedbrotherhood/alexander610.jpg)
(http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/05/0506_murdoch.jpg)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14797365
QuoteFormer News of the World legal manager Tom Crone has told MPs he was "certain" he told James Murdoch about an email which indicated phone hacking at the paper went beyond one rogue reporter.
Mr Crone said the email was discussed and "it was the reason that we had to settle the case".
In a previous hearing, News Corp bosses Rupert and James Murdoch said they were not told of an email.
The paper's former editor Colin Myler also told MPs the email was discussed.
The Commons committee has also quizzed former legal director Jon Chapman and human resources director Daniel Cloke in a second round of questions from MPs examining phone hacking.
The discrepancy in the evidence between Mr Crone and Mr Myler and Rupert and James Murdoch hinges on a key document from April 2008 - known as the "for Neville" email.
When it was sent, the News of the World's royal editor Clive Goodman had already been jailed for hacking into phones of the royal household - a practice the paper insisted was not more widely used.
Oh yes, James Murdoch is in the shit, big-time.
:peedee:
Oh Murdoch, you so crazy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff
QuoteOne of Rupert Murdoch's most senior European executives has resigned following Guardian inquiries about a circulation scam at News Corporation's flagship newspaper, the Wall Street Journal. The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal's true circulation.
The bizarre scheme included a formal, written contract in which the Journal persuaded one company to co-operate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper's management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardising its treasured reputation for editorial quality.
Internal emails and documents suggest the scam was promoted by Andrew Langhoff, the European managing director of the Journal's parent company, Dow Jones and Co, which was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in July 2007. Langhoff resigned on Tuesday. The highly controversial activities were organised in London and focused on the Journal's European edition, which circulates in the EU, Russia, and Africa. Senior executives in New York, including Murdoch's right-hand man, Les Hinton, were alerted to the problems last year by an internal whistleblower and apparently chose to take no action. The whistleblower was then made redundant.
In what appears to have been a damage limitation exercise following the Guardian's inquiries, Langhoff resigned on Tuesday, citing only the complaints of unethical interference in editorial coverage. Neither he nor an article published last night in the Wall Street Journal made any reference to the circulation scam nor to the fact that the senior management of Dow Jones in New York failed to act when they were alerted last year.
Is there a right wing newspaper or journal out there that is actually economically viable? Seriously, I'm asking, because it seems that, the Daily Mail and Telegraph aside, almost all of them fail to have a sufficient readership to justify their continued existence. The Weekly Standard and National Review, for example, are money pits. So is Reason Magazine. And now it looks like the Wall Street Journal is too.
Quote from: Cain on October 13, 2011, 09:15:48 AM
Is there a right wing newspaper or journal out there that is actually economically viable? Seriously, I'm asking, because it seems that, the Daily Mail and Telegraph aside, almost all of them fail to have a sufficient readership to justify their continued existence. The Weekly Standard and National Review, for example, are money pits. So is Reason Magazine. And now it looks like the Wall Street Journal is too.
I know that rationality will usually win out given a long enough timeline, but this has been
way too long in coming.
Of course, this is just more proof that Murdoch's media empire is a criminal venture, also. The method used above actually artifically inflates the paper's readership, and thus its advertising revenues. They perpertuated fraud on their advertisers, and there will be hell to pay for that.
Quote from: Cain on October 13, 2011, 09:15:48 AM
Oh Murdoch, you so crazy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff
QuoteOne of Rupert Murdoch's most senior European executives has resigned following Guardian inquiries about a circulation scam at News Corporation's flagship newspaper, the Wall Street Journal. The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal's true circulation.
I've heard of this scheme used to manipulate sales numbers and best seller lists for books before. I think Thomas Frank might have mentioned it in The Wrecking Crew, but apparently my Google-fu is weak today and I can't find confirmation. This blog post was all I turned up: http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2009/09/conservative-bulk-book-buying-machine.html (http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2009/09/conservative-bulk-book-buying-machine.html)
Yeah, Regenery do that quite a lot, I believe, with groups like the Heritage Foundation putting in the big bucks to buy up copies.
IIRC, Palin pulled this stunt, using money donated to her PAC to buy a ton of her first book.
Quote from: Cain on October 13, 2011, 09:15:48 AM
Oh Murdoch, you so crazy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/oct/12/wall-street-journal-andrew-langhoff
QuoteOne of Rupert Murdoch's most senior European executives has resigned following Guardian inquiries about a circulation scam at News Corporation's flagship newspaper, the Wall Street Journal. The Guardian found evidence that the Journal had been channelling money through European companies in order to secretly buy thousands of copies of its own paper at a knock-down rate, misleading readers and advertisers about the Journal's true circulation.
The bizarre scheme included a formal, written contract in which the Journal persuaded one company to co-operate by agreeing to publish articles that promoted its activities, a move which led some staff to accuse the paper's management of violating journalistic ethics and jeopardising its treasured reputation for editorial quality.
Internal emails and documents suggest the scam was promoted by Andrew Langhoff, the European managing director of the Journal's parent company, Dow Jones and Co, which was bought by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in July 2007. Langhoff resigned on Tuesday. The highly controversial activities were organised in London and focused on the Journal's European edition, which circulates in the EU, Russia, and Africa. Senior executives in New York, including Murdoch's right-hand man, Les Hinton, were alerted to the problems last year by an internal whistleblower and apparently chose to take no action. The whistleblower was then made redundant.
In what appears to have been a damage limitation exercise following the Guardian's inquiries, Langhoff resigned on Tuesday, citing only the complaints of unethical interference in editorial coverage. Neither he nor an article published last night in the Wall Street Journal made any reference to the circulation scam nor to the fact that the senior management of Dow Jones in New York failed to act when they were alerted last year.
Is there a right wing newspaper or journal out there that is actually economically viable? Seriously, I'm asking, because it seems that, the Daily Mail and Telegraph aside, almost all of them fail to have a sufficient readership to justify their continued existence. The Weekly Standard and National Review, for example, are money pits. So is Reason Magazine. And now it looks like the Wall Street Journal is too.
They ALL seem to be the financially lucrative Western versions of Nigeria scammers.
So where is Pickle? He was espousing big name magazines a while back as purveyors of Truth and Honesty, namely Fortune 500, and isn't WSJ about the same thing, only a little different?
:lulz:
Quote from: Science me, babby on October 13, 2011, 05:20:47 PM
So where is Pickle? He was espousing big name magazines a while back as purveyors of Truth and Honesty, namely Fortune 500, and isn't WSJ about the same thing, only a little different?
:lulz:
Those who trust their masters will inevitably be betrayed.
http://m.thewrap.com/thewrap/pm_105959/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=M7uz1SDr
You can't put a price tag on this shit... but, I'm glad they're being held responsible.
Drop in the bucket for Murdoch et al...methinks he sharts $1M a day.
(http://craphound.com/images/mrwatsonplease.jpeg)
James Murdoch, "the first Mafia boss in history who didn't know he was running a criminal enterprise"
source: Cory Doctorow (http://boingboing.net/2011/11/10/james-murdoch-the-first-maf.html)
James Murdoch has been hauled back before Britain's Parliament to answer questions about what he knew and to what extent he is culpable in the News of the World/phone hacking scandal. In the BBC clip linked below, MP Tom Watson asks Murdoch if he knows what "omerta" means (Murdoch demurs). Then Murdoch embarks on a "mistakes were made" (well, "it is regrettable that things went wrong") statement that culminates with Watson asking Murdoch if he felt a comparison between News UK and the Mafia was apt. Murdoch disagrees. Watson finishes by noting that Murdoch must be "the first Mafia boss in history who didn't know he was running a criminal enterprise." To which Murdoch replies, "Mr Watson, please."
It's quite a moment.
video: http://boingboing.net/2011/11/10/james-murdoch-the-first-maf.html
Quote from: Science me, babby on October 13, 2011, 05:20:47 PM
So where is Pickle? He was espousing big name magazines a while back as purveyors of Truth and Honesty, namely Fortune 500, and isn't WSJ about the same thing, only a little different?
:lulz:
He posted in another thread that he's crazy busy with work lately, and not likely to be around very much for a while.
Quote from: Precious Moments Zalgo on November 11, 2011, 04:00:45 PM
Quote from: Science me, babby on October 13, 2011, 05:20:47 PM
So where is Pickle? He was espousing big name magazines a while back as purveyors of Truth and Honesty, namely Fortune 500, and isn't WSJ about the same thing, only a little different?
:lulz:
He posted in another thread that he's crazy busy with work lately, and not likely to be around very much for a while.
Yeah, I saw that.
The latest political twist in the Murdoch saga is the role of Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary for Culture, and the precise nature of his relationship with News International, and his willingness to back the takeover of bSkyb, which would have given News International an unshakeable foothold in British media.
This is of particular interest because, originally, it was the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who should have had the say over the merger. But Cable was interviewed by undercover reporters, and he made it clear that Murdoch wasn't going to get a thing out of this deal (Cable is a bit of a firebrand...he's known for having left-wing tendencies among the Lib Dems, but also a kind of iconoclastic attitude that rubs the Labour Party the wrong way. Just to add to the annoyance of the Tories, he is an accomplished businessman with some knowledge of economics. Making him Business Secretary, as painful as it was, was the only alternative to making him Chancellor, which could not be allowed to happen).
When this was revealed, Vince Cable was accused of being "biased" and then the decision on the merger handed over to Jeremy Hunt.
For months now, Hunt's private secretary has been unwilling to even confirm the existence of meetings between Hunt and News International executives, let alone divulge dates or records of what was discussed.
It has since been revealed that his special advisor, ironically named Adam Smith, has been in "an inappropriately close relationship with News Corporation."
The Culture Secretary and, to an extent, Cameron are now on the defensive again. Cameron is standing by Hunt for now...but he stood by Liam Fox and Andy Coulson too, and look how that worked out.
The thing that isn't being talked about here is George Osbourne and his possible role in all of this. Despite his apparent lack of skills in anything, in addition to being Chancellor, Osbourne is also the Tory chief strategist. Media relations would therefore be his purview. Furthermore, Osbourne has been noted as being a member of a "pro-Murdoch caucus" at the heart of the Cabinet (which also included Liam Fox and Michael Gove).
If anything comes out that might threaten Osbourne, Hunt will be dropped without a second thought, I am certain of this.
Hmm. That's interesting stuff, Cain. How likely do you think it is for this takeover to go through, if Hunt goes down?
Oh, the takeover is dead in the water, it has been since this all kicked off. News International formally dropped their interest in a merger, and without a substansial change in how they work, that is going to remain the status quo.
Quote from: Cain on April 29, 2012, 06:14:34 PM
Oh, the takeover is dead in the water, it has been since this all kicked off. News International formally dropped their interest in a merger, and without a substansial change in how they work, that is going to remain the status quo.
That's good news, at least. I'll be interested to see how the rest of it plays out.
Oops
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9241162/The-Murdoch-and-News-Corporation-scandal-wasnt-about-Conservative-Party-sleaze-but-it-is-now.html
QuoteA fresh embarrassment concerns Rebekah Brooks, who providentially retained the text messages she received from the Prime Minister, which I'm told could exceed a dozen a day.
This is the former NotW editor Brooks. That Cameron may have been texting her up to a dozen times a day will not exactly help his image any.
The whole article is worth reading, for those who want a handle on the more political aspects of this. It also includes wonderful sentences such as
QuoteThere have long been concerns about the Conservative members of this committee. John Whittingdale, its chairman, has links with News International going back over a number of years. One of his Tory colleagues, Louise Mensch, is an attention-seeker who last year abused parliamentary privilege to make unfounded accusations of illegal conduct involving another newspaper group, thereby widening the scandal beyond News International.