I have found a really good source of info from the live blog at the Guardian newspaper, it has a live blog going, it's not to be missed if you are following the crumbling Murdoch firewall of his media empire.
Others and the live blog tell the story in great detail, I only want to get us pointed at this Guardian site, and share a bit about why..and yeah they are a competitor, but it's a huge story...
The 168 year old newspaper News of the World is shutting down, a senior management person is being arrested, another to be arrested in a few days, there have been earlier arrests in the phone hacking scandal.
Two junior police officers are definitely spotlighted, others have been named.
Scotland Yard has found many public figures have been hacked, even, big surprise, the Royals, but also political figures and media and sports stars.
This is a really big deal in the UK, people are being sacked at the NoTW who were innocent employees, long time management personality Rebekah Brooks resigned twice, but the resignations were rejected. (Newsroom editors bitterly piped up they would gladly accept it ...)
A huge drop in advertising is quoted as 'The' Cause, that and the sad and bad happenings and all and so forth.....son-of-Rupert James Murdoch gave his press release mea culpa and apologized as he made the announcement about the closing.
The details are streaming, there's a live blog at the Guardian that really details everything.
A big question for me under the general topic of Murdoch's US empire, is this:
1. is this going to be found in the US as well
2. is the shutting down of the NoTW a ploy to send the whole pile to the knackers giving them a legal and plausible way to bury and shred evidence?
An attorney in the UK thinks that may be the case.
Flippity flop...
He says about 10:20 pm GMT:
10.20pm: The closure of the News of the World could be a cunning ploy to legally shred any incriminating evidence linked to the phone hacking scandal, according to a prominent media lawyer.
Mark Stephens, head of media with Finers Stephens Innocent lawyer, said under British law the paper "may not be obliged to retain documents that could be relevant to civil and criminal claims against the newspaper—even in cases that are already underway."
If News of the World is to be liquidated, Stephens told Reuters, it "is a stroke of genius—perhaps evil genius."
All of the assets of the shuttered newspaper, including its records, will be transferred to a professional liquidator (such as a global accounting firm). The liquidator's obligation is to maximize the estate's assets and minimize its liabilities. So the liquidator could be well within its discretion to decide News of the World would be best served by defaulting on pending claims rather than defending them. That way, the paper could simply destroy its documents to avoid the cost of warehousing them—and to preclude any other time bombs contained in News of the World's records from exploding.
10.34pm: The Guardian's editor-in-chief, Alan Rusbridger, has told Newsnight that Murdoch's closure of the News of the World was "baffling"...
An ex-Director of communication
• Andy Coulson has been told by police that he will be arrested this morning over suspicions that he knew about, or had direct involvement in, the hacking of mobile phones during his editorship of the paper. The arrest of Coulson, who resigned as David Cameron's director of communications in January, is likely to raise further questions about the prime minister's judgement and his relationship with the Murdoch empire.
• Rebekah Brook, who edited the Sunday tabloid at the time journalists ordered the hacking of murdered teenager Milly Dowler's mobile phone, remains in place as News International's chief executive. News of the World staff say she offered her resignation but it was refused. News International denies that claim.
• Labour leader Ed Miliband said the paper's closure failed to resolve the "real issues" raised by the scandal and repeated his calls for Brooks to go.
• The closure was announced by Murdoch's son James, who runs his UK titles. He said in a statement: "The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself."
other bits I took away:
• The News of the World paid bribes worth over £100,000 to Metropolitan police officers it has emerged. Investigators at Scotland Yard are now trying to identify up to five officers who received the cash payments between them. Documents relating to the bribes were sent to police by News International. The documents did not name those involved, but did contain pseudonyms.
and
• Sue Akers, the Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner who is in charge of Operation Weeting, the police investigation into the phone hacking allegations, has said investigators are going through approximately 11,000 pages of material containing almost 4,000 names and have been contacted by hundreds of people who think they may have been affected.
Oh, there's soooo much more.....
The Dkos tags are at the bottom, the main diary here has been Brit's How-People-Power-Shook-Murdoch :
but it's getting unwieldy, while excellent...and I found the Guardian live Blog, it is rich with detail including quotes, interviews, James Murdoch's statement, analysis of it by many who should be heard, pictures of Rupert dodging reporters at a resort in Idaho, an interview with Nick Davies the reporter who broke the phone hacking scandal, and so much more...
The first Guardian blog thread
The second Guardian blog thread
as of 1:00am london time...
I was impressed with the smooth and sincere statement by James Murdoch, he's good at it. And I'm easily impressed...(Even Harry Shearer will be hard pressed to make it funny...'Apologies of the Week')
4.52pm: Here's the full statement 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: .......(go to the link or go to 4:52pm in the first live blog at the Guardian.) (lots of subquotes and analysis afterwards by people that are quoted in the live blog)
Whether this is a ploy to bury the evidence as well as appear contrite and slow the avalanche of advertisers pulling out I can't say, I have tried to follow it as best I can with the diaries here found in the tags, the best being Brit's How-People-Power-Shook-Murdoch I mentioned up top. (and a fine job of work Brit)
Stay tuned, this could be the first serious hit Murdoch has taken in a long time. Any US campaigns to reduce advertisers had better ramp up, I don't know of any, maybe you do?
Media Matters would be good to look at right now, but I'm going down fast...I won't be back til morning sometime...hit and run, sorry.
I may get some details wrong here, I'm sore and tired and posting this because the live blog at the Guardian seemed to wide and deep and up to the second: real journalism IMO.
Nite all...