Former Aide to Cameron Is Arrested in Tabloid Scandal
By JOHN F. BURNS and ALAN COWELL
Andy Coulson, a former editor of The News of the World and a former aide to Prime Minister David Cameron, was arrested on Friday.
The end of the World as we know it
Jul 7th 2011, 17:18 by The Economist online
AS POLITICIANS lacerated it and advertisers withdrew their business this week, the future of the News of the World, Britain’s biggest-selling Sunday paper, looked bleak. Then, in a dramatic announcement, James Murdoch, the chairman of News International, his father Rupert’s British newspaper outfit, announced that, in fact, the paper would have no future it all: its issue of July 10th, he said, would be its last.
It was a bold bid to regain the initiative after a week of appalling revelations about wrongdoing at the News of the World. It began with the revelation that one of the many victims of voicemail-hacking by the paper was Milly Dowler, a 13-year-old girl who was murdered in Surrey in March 2002. On July 4th the Guardian reported allegations that Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator working with News of the World journalists, had hacked into Dowler’s voicemail in the days after her disappearance, removing some messages to free up space when her account became full. The effect was to make her family think she might still be alive.
Other dreadful allegations followed. The relatives of people killed in the terrorist attacks in London of July 2005, and of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, might also have been targeted. News International acknowledged that it had passed e-mails to the police that appeared to document illegal payments to police officers by News of the World journalists. Even worse was alleged by some MPs in a heated parliamentary debate on July 6th.
Mr Mulcaire was jailed in 2007 for hacking voicemail messages of members of the royal household, along with Clive Goodman, the News of the World’s royal correspondent. At the time, and for a long time afterwards, executives at News International insisted that Mr Goodman was a lone, rogue operator. In the past few months that defence has collapsed, amid a deluge of civil cases brought by the lengthening list of hacking victims, pay-offs and the arrest of more journalists. James Murdoch acknowledged that the defence was untrue, and that he himself had approved out-of-court settlements with some hacking victims without having “a complete picture”. This was “a matter of serious regret”, he said.
Quite what this means for News International and the British newspaper market is unclear. Rumours swirled that the Sun, the News of the World’s weekday sister paper, might begin to be published on Sunday too (and that a rejig of the firm’s tabloid operations was in the pipeline anyway). News International has not disclosed its plans for an alternative publication if any.
But Mr Murdoch has evidently decided that the reputational damage to News Corporation outweighs the revenue the News of the World generated. The tabloid is a relatively profitable part of the Murdochs’ British newspaper business, but piffling in comparison with the serious earners—such as BSkyB, a hugely profitable satellite broadcaster in which News Corporation already has a 39% stake, and wants to buy the rest of. Jeremy Hunt, the culture secretary, looked set finally to approve the deal after a consultation on its impact on media plurality ends on July 8th, but politicians and others are urging him to reconsider or at least find a pretext for delay (the announcement now looks unlikely to come soon). Meanwhile Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, is obliged to consider whether the holders of broadcasting licences are “fit and proper”. It is “closely monitoring the situation”.
Out to dry
News International may have bought itself a little awed breathing space, but others are in the line of fire too—including the police, and not only because of the revelations about bungs from journalists. That was only the latest aspersion cast on various police forces by this affair. The Metropolitan Police itself stands accused of failing for several years to notify potential victims of hacking and failing to pursue leads: the evidence for many recent allegations comes from notes seized from Mr Mulcaire in 2006. The Met launched a fresh probe in January. On July 7th its commanding officer said it that 4,000 names were mentioned in the paperwork.
Two former editors are also in deep trouble. Andy Coulson resigned from the paper in 2007 after Mr Goodman and Mr Mulcaire were convicted, though he insisted that he knew nothing of their nefarious methods. He resigned again, this time from his job as Mr Cameron’s communications chief, in January this year, as the hacking scandal escalated. Mr Cameron’s judgment in hiring Mr Coulson after his tabloid escapades now looks ropier than ever. Mr Coulson is said to be implicated in the e-mails that point to illegal payments by journalists to police officers.
His predecessor as editor was Rebekah Brooks; she is now News International’s chief executive. She has rebuffed calls for her resignation, declaring herself “shocked” at the latest charges and promising to “vigorously pursue the truth”. For the moment, at least, Mrs Brooks appears to be protected by what insiders describe as an intense, almost familial bond with Rupert Murdoch; he this week called the recent allegations “deplorable”, but stood by her.
In the gutter
And it isn’t only the Murdoch press that is set to feel the backlash. Ed Miliband, the leader of the Labour Party, wants a public inquiry into the culture and regulation of the press; Mr Cameron agrees that there ought to be one or more inquiries, after criminal proceedings are over. One result may be a change to the current model of newspaper self-regulation; the Press Complaints Commission, the toothless body responsible for it, has handled the hacking affair woefully.
Most MPs were in the past much more diplomatic about the press, especially the Murdoch stable, which, so exaggerated legend had it, could decide the fate of governments. But the calculus for politicians has suddenly shifted—along with the ecology of British journalism, public perceptions of the police, and much besides.
Read on: A full judicial inquiry is needed immediately to clean up British journalism
新聞報導 | 2011.07.08
隨著《世界新聞報》死去的英國一角
英國《世界新聞報》是英國發行量第二大的報紙
英國《世界新聞報》是英國發行量第二大的報紙
傳媒巨頭默多克新聞集團旗下的英國《世界新聞報》本週末發行最後一刊。結束英國這家有168年曆史，發行量最大的周末報命運的是它的員工。有證據表明，該報記者在尋找新聞線索的過程中，曾監聽當事人的電話。
據英國媒體報導，《世界新聞報》的部分記者監聽的語音信箱跨度廣泛。從殺害兒童案的受害者到英國軍方的死難者家屬。也包括恐怖襲擊事件的受害者家屬。福克斯的兒子死於2005年7月7日的倫敦恐怖襲擊，他當時也成為了《世界新聞報》的竊聽對象。該報記者通過電話監聽了他為兒子擔心受怕的過程。福克斯表示，記者這種侵犯他人隱私的囂張行為另他目瞪口呆。他說："當你知道，有人竊聽了你的私人談話時，您會感覺到整個事情其實更糟."
英國花邊小報媒體在發掘新聞素材時不擇手段已經成為一種傳統，而與此相關的討論已經延伸到英國議會。首相卡梅倫對此義正言辭的說："謀殺案、恐怖襲擊的受害者被監聽。這簡直太不可理喻了！所以警方對此必須全力以赴，展開調查。"
英國警方已經對《世界新聞報》展開全面調查英國警方已經對《世界新聞報》展開全面調查
雖然卡梅倫談起這件竊聽醜聞時的態度堅決強硬。但是他也不得不面對此事帶來的尷尬。因為《世界新聞報》的前任總編庫爾森（Andy Coulson）曾在英國政府內掌管對外交流。而且他所領導的記者以及其他私人偵探曾經也竊聽過皇室工作人員的電話。庫爾森堅稱不知道記者竊聽的事情，但當新的指責浮出水面的時候，庫爾森提出了辭職的申請。英國《衛報》最近發布報導稱。本週五，警方可能因為懷疑庫爾森在2003年到2007年任《世界新聞報》編輯期間與竊聽醜聞有關而將其拘捕。
默多克的新聞集團踩下急剎車
路透社評論認為，本週四宣布關閉《世界新聞報》的消息是默多克充滿爭議的職業生涯中，最富戲劇性的事件之一。該評論認為，這位80歲老人作出決定的動機是避免旗下傳媒帝國中其他營利豐厚的業務受到負面影響。直接負責管理英國這份報紙的是默多克的兒子，詹姆斯·默多克（James Murdoch）。他指出，父親1969年收購的這家報社被"不正確的做法所玷污。"在面對美國新聞機構的採訪時，他對在英國當地管理該報的國際新聞集團主編麗貝卡·布魯克斯（ Rebekah Brooks）做出的這一決定表示讚賞："我對麗貝卡非常滿意，她在公司的領導能力以及她在倫理道德上所奉行的標準都非常令人滿意。我想她的這種決定和我們與警察在透明的環境中主動配合調查的做法再次表明我們願意主動推進整個事件的調查過程……我對這些做法非常有信心，這顯示了我們正在做正確的事情。 "
《世界新聞報》本以暴露他人的醜聞為己任《世界新聞報》本以暴露他人的醜聞為己任
這次關閉《世界新聞報》的決定對於該報社的員工來說可不是一個正確的決定。據英國媒體報導，員工聽到關閉報社的消息後都感到無比震驚。英國廣播公司援引該報社的一名工作人員稱，在那里工作的都是一些"勤勞且受人尊敬的記者。"現在要為他們的前任所犯的錯誤付出代價。他在接受英國廣播公司的採訪中表示，現在200名在報社工作的員工中，只有3個人是在竊聽事件發生的時候就在公司就職的員工。如今導致報社關門的竊聽事件大都是10至11年前發生的事情。那時的編輯和記者都是另外一批人。
儘管如此。本週末，這份印刷量為每週270萬份的英國第二大報紙將徹底退出人們的視線。新聞集團總裁默多克稱，將在最後一份報紙中完全撤掉廣告，並會將所有的銷售收入捐給慈善機構。 《世界新聞報》穩定的合作夥伴《時代周刊》稱，"昨天，英國的一角死去了。而這家報紙講述了許多偉大的故事並揭露了許多人們犯下的錯誤。"
作者：任琛
責編：謝菲
法新社倫敦17日電，隨著週日出刊的「世界新聞報」（News of the World）停刊，英國媒體無不想盡辦法搶下該報讀者。但分析師警告，短期報紙銷量雖可能衝高，但長期來看，市場很可能垮臺。
過去1週，英國其他報社增印報紙，發起行銷活動，並至少有1家報社據傳有意推出全新週日刊物，盼搶下「世界新聞報」約750萬名讀者。
倫敦恩德斯分析公司（Enders Analysis）分析師麥凱比（Douglas McCabe）告訴法新社，週日報紙未來幾週銷售量會暴衝。
他說：「未來幾週報紙活動量大增。每家報紙都會大量增加印刷量。」
每天銷量約200萬份的「每日郵報」（Daily Mail）據傳將推出全新週日小報，搶攻大眾市場。
據報導，發行量一般不到200萬份的「週日郵報」（Mail on Sunday），這個週末印刷超過300萬份。而「每日星報」（Daily Star）的週日小報加印兩倍，總印刷量衝到220萬份。
但多數分析師表示，週日最熱銷的「世界新聞報」消失，長期只會有負面影響。
倫敦城市大學（City University of London）政治新聞教授嘉伯（Ivor Gaber）表示：「我認為週日報紙市場會縮減。任何1家報社關閉，都會流失一些讀者。
樂觀看待短期市場的麥凱比，也認為報紙市場前途堪慮，預測「世界新聞報」半數讀者可能永遠不再讀報。
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