With Sunday is the last edition of the 168-year-old News of the World, the scale of the News of the World’s telephone hacking operation has triggered international disapproval as public is totally lost about the freedom of the press and to how regulate the fourth pillar of the democracy.
The paper’s closure and consequent sacking of its staff followed the announcement that more than 4000 victims may have been targeted by the paper’s alleged phone hacking.
It was also alleged earlier that News of the World journalists might have hacked into the mobile phone messages of murder victims and deceased soldiers.
The sudden closure of the News of the World shocked the British public, who never believed the tabloid, famed for its saucy scoops and exposes, would cease to exist.
The momentous decision to cut the paper followed four intense days where the hacking scandal morphed from targeting just politicians and celebrities, to families mourning their murdered children.
Rupert Murdoch, who also owns News Limited Australia, the owner of The Courier-Mail, bought the paper in 1969.
News of the World became Britain’s best selling paper with its revelations of soccer stars’ sex scandals and greedy politicians.
The paper won Scoop of the Year at the British Press Awards for lifting the lid on the Pakistani cricket match fixing.
Stunned staff gathered in their office at Wapping, East London, on Thursday was told by News International chief executive Rebekah Brooke that the paper had been cut.
About 200 are expected to be sacked, despite most not having worked on the paper during the time the alleged hacking unfolded.
The British public were disgusted by the allegations and lead a momentous social networking campaign to pressure companies to cease advertising with the paper.
News Limited chief executive John Hartigan called the alleged phone hacking a slur to the craft of journalism.
“The behaviour that has been uncovered at the News of the World is an affront to all of us who value the integrity and credibility of good journalism, the reputation of the company and our own reputations as professionals,” he said.
“I know, and I believe everyone here at News Limited knows that the events in the UK in no way reflect who we are, what we do and what we believe in as a media organisation.
“We have obligations to do the right thing by ourselves, our colleagues, our readers and advertisers, and, more broadly, to the communities we serve in an ethical and moral way.”
He said News Limited had a Code of Professional Conduct as well as adhering to the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance code of ethics.