Watching Newsnight on a Friday would usually lead me to feel that my life may not be going in the right direction. Whilst this may be the case, I found myself enthralled in a debate that seems to have engaged almost everyone. And by everyone I mean people on Twitter, as I generally don't converse with members of the public face to face about politics, the ownership of BSkyB, and how Rupert Murdoch is trying to gain a strangle hold over the media, it usual goes as far as "keep the change mate ".
I don't usual take an interest in major news stories but this has developed over time to the extent where I can't help but have an opinion. When the original news broke that many celebrities phones had been hacked, I felt a bit aggrieved and sorry for them. Whilst I know a number of so called "celebrities" love the gaze of the media and enjoy headlines whether embarrassing or not, I couldn't help but think this is privacy breach of the highest, and as Steve Coogan strongly puts it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkeSJLgzG8k), some celebrities aren't looking for headlines, and don't care for some poxy newspaper filling column inches with trivial drivel. All they care for is their privacy, and they don't deserve their private conversations to be heard by anyone, let alone the News of The World journalists and then filtered through to the general public.
I just shook my head, and thought "is this what it's come to for newspapers to gain headlines". Walked off and thought that was the end of it. However this sickening story suddenly became not just a matter of privacy and headlines, but one of attitude and most importantly morals. Yes, as a journalist you want an impressive news scoop. Yes, you want people reading your paper, and yes, you want stories before other papers. But at what stage do newspaper journalist and basic human morals collide. How can you possibly make any case for hacking the phone of a lost child, listening to the voicemails, then deleting them, given the parents false hope, so you can receive more information. How can an employee of the News of The World feels they have the right do this, as a human being, let alone as a journalist. It's as Coogan puts it, morally bankrupt. You must have no morals to do this.
I'm not saying all News of The World journalist are corrupt, as I'm sure ninety-nine percent are innocent, and whether you agree with the regular content of their work, you cannot argue that this is fairly irrelevant with what the higher powers of the company have been engaging in. I, for one, have never read the News of The World, but if like other tabloids then I'm sure it was full of celebrity nothingness. Where relationships, drug uses, and clothes rule all, like some real life nonsensical unentertaining Eastenders.
In following this news coverage I found another story about Paul McMullan, featured in the video link above. He tells how, after the death of her father and famous actor Denholm Elliot, daughter Jennifer Elliot's life went drastically downhill. He persuade interest in it, writing articles about how she's turned to drug use and prostitution. She eventually killed herself.
In Paul McMullan's own words, he 'totally humiliated and destroyed her' leading to the suicide. All in the pursuit of filling an inch or two in a newspaper. This is yet another example of the volatile and vile lengths that some journalists will go to, just to get a headline. It not only says a lot about the newspaper, but of the evolving media as a whole. The people behind all of this, the former editor Rebekah Wade, and global tycoon Rupert Murdoch, may very well find a way to wriggle out of this and hope it all blows over, which if they do will be a crime against humanity. It is clear that they only care about themselves by the fact they trademarked 'thes*nonsunday.com/.co.uk' over a week ago, knowing fully well that if they have to close down they can simply repackage the same crap just under a different name. And don't get me started on The S*n.
On a positive note however, it has amazed me how strong an influence a social network such as Twitter can have over such a sensitive and national issue. On hearing the news, people in their masses campaigned to advertisers to stop appearing in the News of The World, and withdraw funding. This, without a shadow of a doubt was a major reason behind the closure, all thanks to the public, and one hundred and forty characters. A few years ago if Rupert Murdoch wanted to take control of BSkyB he would only have the government to contend with, now, due to Twitter and it's knack of bringing people together, he now has the public.
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