Twas a Bad, Bad day for Rupert Murdoch. A breakdown of today's most important stories.

[Snoutport]

Woah....was quite a night in the news hacking scandal. I checked my usual English websites at midnight, went to bed and 8 hours later...woah.

Of course you know that Rebekah Brooks and both Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch will be grilled by Parliament tomorrow. THey all continue to voice they had no idea that all the evil was going on. Tomorrow they will be under oath so anything they say can be used against them. Micheal Wolf, biographer of Murdoch, thinks that Murdoch is going to do very poorly. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2011/jul/18/phone-hacking-scandal-live-coverage (3:15)

Sean Hoare--one of the first Murdoch Employees to speak out in public and accuse Andy Coulson of knowledge of phone hacking was found dead in his apartment. Just last week he informed press about "pinging". How Murdoch's papers were paying the police to trace cell phone pings and tell them where people are. This news heavily implicated the police. The police are saying it is not suspicious but, um, I think it is highly suspicious. He was the most vocal whistle blower and the only one brave enough to speak with his name attached. http://www.guardian.co.uk/

John Yates, the investigator in charge of the second phone hacking investigation has stepped down. This means that the top two Police Officers in England have had to resign over phone hacking. Remember the third policeman who investigated found no wrong doing and retired only to be hired immediately by Murdoch's paper as a columnist. The head of Scotland Yard was found to be taking holiday vacations at a 1000 pound a day spa courtesy of a News of the World ex-employee. The same one he hired to advise him on the phone hacking scandal...his advice? Pressure the Guardian Newspaper to stop running stories about phone hacking. Yates, it appears, got this same Murdoch Minion's daughter a job at Scotland Yard. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/18/john-yates-met-police-resigns-quits ALso a good story in the NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/world/europe/19hacking.html?_r=1&hp

Police are now investigating four top officers. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ipcc-to-probe-four-senior-officers-2315827.html

For those of you who are newer to this story: Murdoch owns 30% of the British News. None of those papers covered the phone hacking so it was left to the Guardian, BBC and eventually the Independent covered the story. During that time Murdoch used his papers and influence at BSkyB news to pound into the airwaves that nothing bad happened and that the Guardian was out of line. There was also a huge push by the right to take the BBC down.

Roy Greenslade, a popular columnist who has pushed hard to get this story the attention it deserves and led the boycott of News of the World advertisers, is now calling for the Liberal Democrat party (Nick Clegg) to: "The prime minister is damaged goods – by ousting him from power the Lib Dems could win back their credibility and support". (my words--->)I have been saying since September that phone hacking and Murdoch's ties to the government would pull down the conservative government. I still feel the people will demand that Cameron step down. I think it is coming sooner than later. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/18/phone-hacking-nick-clegg-lib-dems-david-cameron There are members of Parliament now calling for Cameron to step down. (Sir Gerald Kaufman and Dennis Skinner)

London Mayor Boris Johnson is not holding up well. He had great political plans but his political career may well be ruined. Boris Johnson frays under pressure at phone-hacking press conference: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/davehillblog/2011/jul/18/boris-johnson-rattled-at-phone-hacking-press-conference Johnson managed to put in good words for the police who have stepped down and for Murdoch and his papers. Johnson himself was a hacking victim. I cannot understand why he would be so supportive of nearly EVERYONE who has stepped down in shame. Unless, when he was hacked, Murdoch got ahold of such terrible information that Johnson is stuck doing Murdoch's bidding.

If you saw my posts from yesterday you would have seen these stories: Brooks arrested, Murdoch pressured to step down from News Corp, James Murdoch pressured to step down from BSkyB and, best of all, News Corp stocks have slipped to a two year low.

That was your lunchtime update!

[myrna minx]

1. Thank you so much for these wonderful posts. You've been on this since the beginning.

:toast:

[OneGrassRoot]

2. I second this! :) K&R n/t

[Snoutport]

8. It's been so interesting! How could I NOT follow it??

Plus I am a real fan of a free press...so to me, Murdoch is the worst thing to happen to Democracy since Hitler.

[Snoutport]

32. Original New York Times Article that broke the story

I read this and I was hooked!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05hacking-t.html

[myrna minx]

42. Thanks. I never read this at the time.

:hi:

[defendandprotect]

61. Thank you --

Wrote this up for my journal -- :)

As Scotland Yard tracked Goodman and Mulcaire, the two men hacked into Prince Harry’s mobile-phone messages. On April 9, 2006, Goodman produced a follow-up article in News of the World about the apparent distress of Prince Harry’s girlfriend over the matter. Headlined “Chelsy Tears Strip Off Harry!” the piece quoted, verbatim, a voice mail Prince Harry had received from his brother teasing him about his predicament.

!!! VERBATIM !!!



News of the World was hardly alone in accessing messages to obtain salacious gossip. “It was an industrywide thing,” said Sharon Marshall, who witnessed hacking while working at News of the World and other tabloids. “Talk to any tabloid journalist in the United Kingdom, and they can tell you each phone company’s four-digit codes. Every hack on every newspaper knew this was done.”


Parliament member George Galloway's phone was hacked -- but Scotland Yard refused to tell him

who had done the hacking.

Lewis, who is 45, hardly fit the profile of a high-powered London lawyer with the resources and gumption to take on News International. He worked in the more proletarian city of Manchester, where he sometimes showed up at the office wearing black jeans and a punk T-shirt, his hair a spiky peroxide blond. Nonetheless, shortly after the meeting, he filed a lawsuit on Taylor’s behalf against News International and Mulcaire. Lewis’s suspicions on the eavesdropping were confirmed later that year, when Scotland Yard was compelled to produce the relevant evidence it had collected at Mulcaire’s home. A draft of the paper’s unpublished article about Taylor’s alleged affair indicated it was based on a voice mail message he had received from his assistant. Lewis said the message went: “Thank you for yesterday. You were great.” The paper assumed “she was talking about shagging,” Lewis explained. In reality, she was referring to a speech Taylor gave at her father’s funeral. “The story had been made up,” Lewis said.

Tom Watson, a committee member, later said that the eavesdropping “went to the heart of the British establishment, in which police, military, royals and government ministers were hacked on a near industrial scale.”




Prosecutors were "promised" by Scotland Yard that they would notify everyone whose phones

had been hacked -- however, they didn't --



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/magazine/05hacking-t.html

[malaise]

3. That was even better than lunch -lovely report

:fistbump:

[aquart]

4. NOTW whistleblower Sean Hoare found dead.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/07/news_of_the_world_whistleblower_reportedly_found_d.php

WHAT A CONVENIENT COINCIDENCE.

Sorry, didn't see it up top. "The only one to do it with his name attached."

I want Murdoch to fry.

[Snoutport]

9. My hope is he got everything down on paper before this happened...

I'm hoping he had the sense to know he was in danger and wrote it all down and gave it to a friend.

[KharmaTrain]

12. The LAST Thing Murdoch Would Want To Make Happen...

He wants this scandal to go away...and fast. A corpse tied to the scandal would kick this thing into hyperspace in Britain. Seems if this was some "coincidence" it may have been done by someone out to add to Rupe's problems.

[aquart]

33. Riiiight.

Entertaining theory.

[Snoutport]

35. they are saying the police and perhaps the British version of the CIA

are soon to be implicated. There are a lot of powerful people posed to lose their jobs. If people wanted Murdoch implicated keeping Hoare alive was the best plan. If someone killed him my guess it is in an attempt to keep all the info Hoare had talked about, secret.

[Octafish]

5. And the police enjoy a ''special relationship'' with MI5 and MI6.

And they have a "special relationship" with CIA.

Gee. And to think fish rot from the head down.

[Snoutport]

11. Yeah...that is kinda scary

His reach goes deep. I'll admit, back when I was the only DUer posting about this, I started worrying that my computer might get a bug. I did a search on google about hacking and the number one search item was one of my DU posts. Then I started seeing my posts here being linked to other sites...or seeing my whole posts up on other websites... it was kind of scary to be the one breaking the stories there for a while!

[aquart]

34. And David Kelly committed suicide. Case closed.

Before his daughter's wedding? Not a chance.

[Snoutport]

43. do you have a good post to read on this?

[aquart]

50. No, nothing I can steer you to.

Everyone has their theories. And there were tons of stories. As soon as I read that his daughter's wedding was coming very soon, I knew it wasn't suicide. Anyone can argue anything they want, but I will never believe his death was a suicide. Never.

[felix_numinous]

6. Thanks snoutport

that was a very clear update :)

[Ikonoklast]

7. Man, are you going to be busy if you keep this up.

The book written about this will be a best-seller.

[Snoutport]

25. I KNOW! But so much to share--it would be too many individual posts.

Hmmmmm....Maybe I should be writing a book instead!

[tsuki]

10. Les Hinton is finally getting the attention he deserves. He

was at the center of the 2006 cover-up attempt as CEO of NI, and chair of the PCC.

And I thought Murdoch owned 40% of the British News. Still, if they drop foreign news ownership to 20%, that is a lot of media Rupert Roo will have to fire sale.

[Snoutport]

28. And that many more people not being brainwashed by his message!

I'm hoping for media monopoly laws.

[tsuki]

52. If Cameron's government falls, and elections are held, the PCC may

be moved from self-regulating to independent and foreign ownership capped at 20%.

What a fire sale that would be.

[thereismore]

13. Murdoch will do poorly? That's just an expectation-raising trick. Just one of many that

Murdoch has up his sleeve.

[libodem]

14. thank you

Again.

[Snoutport]

15. Murdoch's grilling will be televised!! link

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1513571

[Stuart G]

16. thank you.

[Uncle Joe]

17. This paragraph needs bolding.

For those of you who are newer to this story: Murdoch owns 30% of the British News. None of those papers covered the phone hacking so it was left to the Guardian, BBC and eventually the Independent covered the story. During that time Murdoch used his papers and influence at BSkyB news to pound into the airwaves that nothing bad happened and that the Guardian was out of line. There was also a huge push by the right to take the BBC down.

That is a shame about Mr. Hoare's passing.

Thanks for the thread, Snoutport.

[malaise]

20. They also used the police to try and silence the Guardian

This is huge!!

[Snoutport]

58. yeah--that was pretty skanky

[JournalistKev87]

23. I hope BBC gets their budget restored, since they've been vindicated.

Or a budget boost. I really hope the press conference goes horrible for Murdoch, his son and that evil little ginger Brooks (why does she have to be ginger? I love gingers).

Say it with me--jail tiiiiiiiiiime!

[Snoutport]

40. The conservative party did everything they could to pull the plug on the BBC

i think that that is going to be tied to News Corp here pretty soon as well. More dirt to dish. :0)

[ikri]

18. I have some doubts

That Rebekah Brooks will actually give any evidence at Parliament tomorrow. Since she's been arrested and is potentially facing criminal charges, any media attention she receives could prejudice a future jury against her, or against the prosecution. If she's asked any questions it's likely that she'll be unable to respond with anything substantial.

Convenient isn't it?

[malaise]

22. I found it hysterically funny that Brooks' lawyer complained that

her reputation has been damaged by the arrest. Bwaaaaaaaaaaah the destroyer of reputations is worried about her own. Isn't that hilarious?

[ikri]

24. What reputation?

Before the hacking claims became widespread I doubt 99% of the population would know who the hell she was, the other 1% would have probably mistaken her for Sideshow Bob.

[malaise]

26. The one in this bag

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1516349

[SpiralHawk]

19. Stunning - Republicon Family Cesspool Values - International style

can no longer contain the stank emanating from their heinous cabal (R).

[Dappleganger]

21. What time tomorrow will be the hearing in Parliament?

I want to make sure to have enough buttery popcorn and beer ready for the event, with Olbermann's commentary of course.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

60. 9:30 a.m. EDT on Current TV

Popcorn and beer at this hour? Come on over for coffee and donuts.

:nuke: :donut:

[malaise]

27. Chris Bryant is on BBC's Hardtalk right now on the hacking

BBC International

He actually demanded complete investigations way before the others. He's been asking questions for eight years.

[Snoutport]

30. yeah, he has been under attack by News Corp the whole time too

the guy must have balls of steel

[Snoutport]

29. Sean Hoare knew how destructive the News of the World could be

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/sean-hoare-news-of-the-world

[Snoutport]

31. Hoare's BBC interview

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11200802

[Snoutport]

36. TV Presenter felt hunted by News of the World

http://www.channel4.com/news/former-met-detective-felt-hunted-by-now

[femrap]

37. Eat peas, Murdoch......

hope this ends in his news empire being liquidated!

[Kingofalldems]

38. Excellent job reporting this huge news

:toast:

[Snoutport]

39. New NY Times article: Murdoch Aides Long Tried to Blunt Scandal Over Hacking

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/world/europe/19tactics.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

"Two days before it emerged that The News of the World had hacked the cellphone of a murdered schoolgirl, igniting a scandal that has shaken Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, his son James told friends that he thought the worst of the troubles were behind him. And he was confident that News Corporation’s $12 billion bid for the British satellite company British Sky Broadcasting would go through, according to a person present.

Now, with their most trusted lieutenant, Rebekah Brooks, arrested on suspicion of phone hacking and paying police for information, the broadcasting bid abandoned, the 168-year-old News of the World shuttered, and nine others arrested, Rupert and James Murdoch are scheduled to face an enraged British Parliament on Tuesday.

Evidence indicating that The News of the World paid police for information was not handed over to the authorities for four years. Its parent company paid hefty sums to those who threatened legal action, on condition of silence. The tabloid continued to pay reporters and editors whose knowledge could prove embarrassing even after they were fired or arrested for hacking. A key editor’s computer equipment was destroyed, and e-mail evidence was lost. Internal advice to accept responsibility was ignored, former executives said. John Whittingdale, a Conservative member of Parliament who is the chairman of the committee that will question the Murdochs, said they need to come clean on the depth of the misdeeds, who authorized them and who knew what, when."

Ooooh...I love good investigative journalism!

[Major Hogwash]

41. That fucking Murdoch is the most evil motherfucker on the planet!!

He's about 10X worse than Khadaffi!!!

Jesus Christ!!

[Snoutport]

45. He doesn't work alone. He is the mouthpiece and cheerleader

but the right wing will not work so well without the power of his press.

[Firebrand Gary]

48. I hear you loud and clear!

Amen!!!

[Maru Kitteh]

44. YAY. Thanks for taking the time to put this together :-)

[Snoutport]

46. Think Progress saying Murdoch th inking about stepping down

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2011/07/18/272379/murdoch-considers-stepping-down/

I'm surprised he'd say anything...not his style to tip his hat.

[malaise]

47. He's trying to save his son from prison

but it may be way too late

[pacalo]

49. The Guardian has been an exceptional source for Americans since the Iraq invasion

when the American media began cheerleading the Bush administration without any journalistic scrutiny whatsoever.

The Guardian was so impressive in digging for facts & providing the truth. I'll forever be appreciative to that newspaper.

[October]

51. I agree. I go to the Guardian site often!

/nt

[DFW]

53. One of the good ones. They honored me a few years ago

They found out (no idea how) that I did political satire videos against the American right, and
they asked me to do one about a British politician I didn't even know. They helped me with info
on the guy, so I did the lyrics and music and they did the animation. I found out later that
something like 2/3 of Parliament viewed it (!!!). It's still viewable even today.

They offered to pay me, but I was so awed that they had bothered to ask that I refused payment.
They stand up to pressure from people like Murdoch. That was (and remains) payment enough.

[pacalo]

70. How nice!

I'd love to see it, if you'd provide the link.

Your integrity in not receiving payment is impressive. A payment would have been okay, considering the time & expertise that goes into that type of project. Not just anyone can do that type of work, you know.

:hi:

[DFW]

71. You're right, of course

But I can do that kind of work, and I could afford the cost, so I did it for the fun, and just
for the honor of being asked in the first place. They said they would offer to pay, although their
budget didn't allow for a generous fee. I said their generosity in allowing me the honor of doing
this was not something I could put a price on in the first place. The primitive animation was done
by the Guardian's in-house staff. I just did the music track. I was also sick as a dog the day I did
the vocals, but they said they liked the rough sound, said it really did sound like drunken sailors.
For the record, on the instrumentation, I did the 12 string guitar, and the Freedom Toast filled in
the concertina, banjo and bass. We were emailing music tracks to each other across the Atlantic, and
recording over them in studios in Germany and Atlanta. It was finally mixed in Atlanta and emailed
to London. Talk about global production!

Here's the link:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,,1969697,00.html

[pacalo]

72. Thanks so much for the link.

I'm away from my pc & my iPhone doesn't have flash, but I'm looking forward to seeing it tomorrow when I get back home.

What an honor for you, to be contacted by them!

[DFW]

73. It was right out of the blue, too

At first I thought someone was putting me on, but I called their political editor on the phone, and it was for real.

[russspeakeasy]

54. Twasn't as bad as it's going to be...

May their stocks take a 50% dip just to make my day.

[Firebrand Gary]

55. I don't care if he removes himself as CEO or not, News Corp MUST be investigated to the fullest!

PERIOD!!!!!

[defendandprotect]

56. Thank you for the update -- and one question for you ....

Why are we limiting our questioning of this scandal to 9/11 victims?

Don't know what they were trying to find out about the victims --

but imagine they have plenty of interest in our elected Dems?




Thanks again -- and will try to look at the links --

Cameron is pushing a 20% cut for BBC -- and from what I've heard reported on C-span

over a decade or more, heavy attacks on the BBC --

same as we've had here over decades on our taxpayer sponsored public radio/TV which

are finished now --

[defendandprotect]

57. Parliament Hearing Tuesday to be televised .... ? They're 5 hours ahead of US ...

[Iwillnevergiveup]

59. It will be broadcast on Current TV

at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Keith made that announcement on his show tonight.

K&R this fantastic thread.

[defendandprotect]

62. Thank you -- C-span may also carry it later in day ...

[Lars77]

63. This shows the importance of The Guardian

In this corporate news environment, The Guardian stands out as the beacon of truth.

Non-profit news is what we need.

[NewJeffCT]

64. I wonder how many politicians in both the UK and the US

have been intimidated into silence because of something potentially embarrassing/humiliating that was obtained through the hacking?

[Pacifist Patriot]

69. I suspect I'd need more than my fingers and toes to count them all.

[tclambert]

65. And a shareholder of News Corp. has filed a lawsuit.

News Corp., Murdoch Family Are Sued by Holder for Damage Caused by Hacking

News Corp. (NWSA) Chairman Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James were sued in Manhattan federal court by a shareholder who says the phone-hacking scandal damaged the company and who described their actions as “damning.”

Gregory Shields, a News Corp. shareholder from California, alleges Murdoch and the other defendants breached their fiduciary duties by their actions, engaged in “gross mismanagement” of News Corp. and wasted corporate assets. . . .


http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-18/news-corp-murdoch-family-are-sued-by-holder-for-damage-caused-by-hacking.html

[Dappleganger]

68. Perfect.

[madfloridian]

66. k & r

Great summary. I had not been keeping up with it closely...so this really helped.

[Pacifist Patriot]

67. Whatever one thinks about The Telegraph, they've been all over the story.

I know they're a Tory rag, but they've been great about covering this scandal.