Britain’s best-selling Sunday newspaper will shut its doors on Friday. While it is the largest publication and part of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, he went into damage control mode, as reports of gross misconduct surfaced.
The scandal revealed staff members allegedly engaged in phone-hacking; listening to voicemail messages of dead soldiers and murder victims. The were also said to be involved in police payoffs, and possibly other unethical and criminal behavior. Actor Hugh Grant stepped forward to support the phone hacking allegations, saying he was outraged about the newspapers slimy tactics and someone needed to speak out. Grant also alleges his phone was tapped along with other stars, so he may be called as a witness by investigators.
Although the paper sells an astounding 2.5 million copies per week, the doors will close abruptly, to reduce pressure brought on by the public. The 200 staff members were told today, that the 168-year title purchased by Murdock in 1969, would end with Sunday’s edition of the paper. When the scandal broke, advertisers rapidly pulled out, so the last edition will not carry any commercial advertising.
It is unfortunate that staffers went this far to get dirt and graphic details for a newspaper. But with the huge number of sales each week, who is truly to blame? It is clear the public feeds off reading torrid details of others lives, or it would not have been a best-selling paper. If we are to be honest, many others should also be convicted of a crime. Feeding off the stories written in sleazy publications, makes me wonder if readers should also share in the blame. If they did not buy it, the writer’s would not write it. Hence no crime.
Reports suggest some top staffer’s and editors may be charged with several crimes as early as tomorrow. How ironic, they now will have no-one to write about their scandal.
What a sick World we live in, garbage in…garbage out.
