This is Rupert Murdoch’s apology published in today’s national press:
We are sorry
The News of the World was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself.
We are deeply suffered for the hurt suffered to the individuals affected.
We regret not acting faster to sort things out.
I realise that simply apologising is not enough.
Our business was founded on the idea that a free press should be a positive force in society. We need to live up to this.
In the coming days, as we take further concrete steps to resolve these issues and make amends for the damage they have caused, you will hear more from us.
Sincerely,
Rupert Murdoch.
A couple of questions which spring to my mind are:
1. Who exactly is “we”, and why doesn’t he refer to them by name? As it stands, this apology is impersonalised, and yet Murdoch signs off in his name. It reminds me of when Margaret Thatcher famously said, “We are a grandmother.”
2. What about including the innocent World staff who had no involvement with phone hacking, have lost their jobs and feel tainted by their association with the paper. I don’t blame them for suing for damages.
Never has the reputation of the British media been at such an all-time low. I would like to see the Society of Editors hold an emergency meeting with its national media editors to discuss the issues around this crisis which is having repercussions on the newspaper industry and its ethics, as well as the importance of retaining a free press which is vital for our democracy, and how they can win back the trust of the public. I don’t want to see our media restrained, I want it to continue holding high ranking officials and no-gooders to account when justified without fear of super injunctions. We need a debate on this – and soon!
The Society’s executive director Robert Satchwell is a former associate editor at the News of the World and my former Editor at the Cambridge News where he was fondly known as Captain Bob. Let’s hope he can help steer these stormy seas into calmer waters!
Update 17 July: PR Week reports how News of the World staff are seeking PR jobs, but have been warned that the paper’s “toxic” reputation could harm their chances. They might like to read my post about switching from journalism to PR which reflects on my personal experiences.
Get real Ellee , this is not only the News International at fault , what about the politicians ( including your Conservative lot ) who have been so far in bed with Murdock and every other press outlet that they really have no room to talk .Supping with the devil should also get them burnt .
And possibly even more at fault all those senior people in the Met who have now proven themselves to be as corrupt and bent as the Westminster bunch.
Real todays Daily Mail and the article by Max Hastings ” The police , press , politicians , civil servants , bankers , royalty .. our great institutions are becoming tainted by venality and incompetance .
Where are the leaders of integrity when we need them ”
Hes spot on , we are surrounded by filth and the smell of corruption and the press is no better nor worse than all the other bodies .
We are lost , Im afraid the country has gone to the dogs and we are all going to hell on a handcart .
By the way have you not noticed how quiet Cameron has gone !
This is one shocking story that I am still absorbing. Here in the United States there has been mention of a formal investigation. However, this remains to be seen.
disaffected, I agree entirely and have read the Max Hastings article. It’s a truly shocking business, and I’m particularly shocked by allegations about the Met who should be totally honourable at all times as gatekeepers of the law.
At the same time, we need a rigorous free press which can stand up and report on public figures who are less than honourable, including unscrupulous coppers and politicians. The dodgy actions of a few should not be blamed on other journalists, either from the News of the World or elsewhere.
The apology hardly has the air of sincerity. It makes no mention of all the jobs lost whilst trying to save the career of a certain redhead..
Well now the Met chief has resigned and knifed Cameron at the same time ( and with the good old lefty BBC as usual doing its best to topple a Conservative gov ) one wonders is Cameron toast ?
Murdock will now have his revenge on Tuesday , what has he now to loose .
Rebekah will claim the 5th amendment .
There are more heads to roll before this story is over.
And on top of all this Friday could be break day for the Euro , yippee ,
Roll on David Davies a safe pair of Tory hands .
Im off to book into Champneys !
And another one bites the dust.
Weve now had press heads roll and police heads roll how long before its a politicians ?
So now News of the World whistleblower Sean Hoare has been found dead .
This is getting murkier by the minute .
Mind you the Met dont think its suspicious and I expect we all have loads of confidence in their opinions dont we .
Any one remember the circumstances around the death of Dr Kelly ?
Cameron coming home , to resign ?
OMG, how terrible, I had no idea. It’s all so sinister and spine tingling. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare
Reminds me of the death of David Kelly: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3076801.stm
The situation is dire now Ellee and I cant believe there isnt now blood on hands even if its a case that he was feeling enormously under pressure and was tipped over the edge by it all ( the same excuses that were made about Kelly , the evidence didnt weigh up there either )
The spin will no doubt be that he was after all a boozer and had a drug problem but after all he was the one who started all this he would have now had a great many dangerous and influential enemies wanting his guts.
I cant see how this will end now without someone in the political class also loosing their head .
Time to bring out HM soldery on a Chassy2 at Horseguards and train it on the 650 till they send out the right men ?
That should include Blair , Brown and Prescott oh and of course Alistair C .
Disaffected is referring to the resignation of Sir Paul Stephenson as head of the Met police following revelations about his freebie at Champneys in Hertfordshire:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/18/champneys-spa-paul-stephenson-phone-hacking
This is where I lay down my cards and reveal that I was also a guest there of the owner, Stephen Purdew, prior to my wedding, when I enjoyed a three-day freebie while working at the Cambridge News where I wrote a weekly health and beauty page. I remember meeting a group of women on a hen party who thought it was great to slip out to the local pub for a drinking binge, while I was there to chill out be cleansed inside and out!
“This is where I lay down my cards and reveal that I was also a guest there of the owner, Stephen Purdew, prior to my wedding, when I enjoyed a three-day freebie while working at the Cambridge News where I wrote a weekly health and beauty page.”
Care to print the subsequent, ‘impartial’ review.?
Hi wibble wibble, I didn’t do a write up following my stay, it was a “no strings” visit. I was invited there once before too by Clarins for a promotional event and wrote a brief article then.
Im sorry but that just doesn’t even sound like a real apology to me. I feel very sorry for the poor honest people who lost their jobs.
“Never has the reputation of the British media been so low.”
I don’t get it.
Never has the reputation of The News of the World been so low – but the whole of the British media ? Yes. I can see that indignance is being whipped up so that the rest of the ‘right wing’ press can be targetted.
What is equally – if not more – shaming than the NotW hacks is the culture of spin in our main political parties and I do not buy it for one single minute that it is the Murdoch tail (press) wagging the political dog. Otherwise why – whether we elect Tory or Labour – is it the Guardian’s agenda which is being delivered in full by our politicians ?
I’ll tell you why. Guardian and BBC people are cut from the same cloth. They wield the true media power in this country dictating virtually every policy from energy to immigration. One is a failed business (subsidised) with minority readership – the other is imposed on the public with a tax which is enforced on pain of prosecution.
Murdoch’s role ? For himself it is to make money and to do that he has to follow public mood – otherwise his papers wouldn’t sell. For the politicians it is for Murdoch papers to endorse them in the run up to general elections and to layer them a veneer of Conservativism.
Blair convinced the public through the Murdoch press (The Sun) that he was a Tory in disguise. Cameron was able to convince the public through the Murdoch press (The Sun) that he wasn’t a socialist in disguise.
I hope Cameron is forced out by this. He’s conned us all.
I think the Murdoch apologies sound as hollow today, in the same way as this this advertisement, they are merely thinking of saving their own skin as they know they have failed the public by ignoring so many previous opportunities to investigate hacking allegations. Getting a scoop was their priority, not ethics. I can’t believe they had no knowledge, or interest, about the goings-on at the NoW. They were faking it.
I agree that Cameron is very vulnerable right now, but I doubt he will see it that way. And he has done such tremendous work too.
I’d have to agree with Electro-Kevin’s first point here, Ellee.
It seems like there are some, such as the BBC who are using this as a chance to get Cameron and promote the rather policy-less Milliband.
I entirely agree with you, Ellee.
With you completely, Ellee.
Just another Rupert’s fail. I think another big fail was Ruprert’s Myspace story. When he bought it and of course paid so much. Eventually sold very cheaply. Maybe this is karma debt?