Scumbags?How about this...

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Details coming to light of possible phone hacking by tabloids of distressed and bereaved families following the London terrorist attacks and the parents of murdered schoolgirls.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14040841

Families of 7/7 bombing victims may have had their phones hacked by the News of the World, it has emerged.

A solicitor representing some of the relatives said one family had been contacted by police and told their phone may have been hacked in 2005.

New allegations have also emerged of payments to the police by the paper.

The tabloid's owners have passed to the police e-mails which appear to show that payments were authorised by the then editor, Andy Coulson.

The BBC's business editor Robert Peston said the e-mails appeared to show payments to police amounting to tens of thousands of pounds.

Nothing new, but I didn't thjink it was this bad. Still at the "alleged" stage, but if true, how could you possibly by a paper from an organisation that engaged in such tactics - even for the tits and football?

Rawhead

They hired Bertie didn't they.

Absurdum

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

how could you possibly by a paper from an organisation that engaged in such tactics - even for the tits and football?

stupid people are stupid I guess

Mr. Rager

Well that's not intelligent

Captain Darling

News of the World in underhanded, dirty tricks SHOCKER!

Its a total gutter rag so its not exactly a surprise. I'd be hard pressed to wipe my hole with it. They'd probably bug my fcuking ring piece.

Sweatynutsack

As stated by a reporter on Matt Cooper show yesterday
People will continue to buy this paper, but if the companies stop advertising with them they're revenue will take a serious dip

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Sweatynutsack wrote: »

As stated by a reporter on Matt Cooper show yesterday
People will continue to buy this paper, but if the companies stop advertising with them they're revenue will take a serious dip

Apparently, Ford did (same article). More to follow?

dubtom

Captain Darling wrote: »

News of the World in underhanded, dirty tricks SHOCKER!

Its a total gutter rag so its not exactly a surprise. I'd be hard pressed to wipe my hole with it. They'd probably bug my fcuking ring piece.

LOL,ring piece.

I have no idea why I find that funny.

mackg

Does anyone think all this coming to light will have much of an impact on the overall sales of the paper? Any police implicated in this should be up for corruption, whoever made the payments should be up for bribery (If the allegations are true). What is coming to light about the NOTW etc. is horrendous and if it is not punished to the full extent of the law sets a terrible precedent about what society is willing to tolerate. Considering the outrage and hysteria these rags like to peddle I hope they get a taste of it themselves now.

mickydoomsux

I don't even understand how the red-tops still exist. They are literally a waste of paper and ink.

Why do spend money on what amounts to utter garbage?

sunflower27

dubtom wrote: »

LOL,ring piece.

I have no idea why I find that funny.

I know. I sniggered, too. Maybe because we are used to reading 'mouth piece'... oh, I dunno....

It is shocking how far these people will go. Deleting personal messages is absolutely appalling. Caught a pic of the two little girls murdered in Soham on the front of a paper today. Didn't get a chance to read the story. Must be awful for those parents to see their little girls all over the papers again

latenia

The NOTW came through the celebrity hacking because it is possible to argue that they are in a sense fair game because they relinquish their privacy in exchange for publicity and money. Of course it was wrong legally and ethically but I don't think their readership care too much if Jordan or Sienna Miller had their voicemails eavesdropped on.

Hacking the phones of Millie Dowler and the families of the girls killed at Soham is an entirely different matter. Because the tabloids rely on creating a mob mentality and a simplistic world view, the worst possible thing that could happen to them is being seen to be on the wrong side of the outrage which they helped create. A simple call to boycott the paper channeled through the mob zeitgeist could gather pace very quickly here and they could find themselves going the way of The Sun in Liverpool.

mackg

latenia wrote: »

The NOTW came through the celebrity hacking because it is possible to argue that they are in a sense fair game because they relinquish their privacy in exchange for publicity and money. Of course it was wrong legally and ethically but I don't think their readership care too much if Jordan or Sienna Miller had their voicemails eavesdropped on.

Hacking the phones of Millie Dowler and the families of the girls killed at Soham is an entirely different matter. Because the tabloids rely on creating a mob mentality and a simplistic world view, the worst possible thing that could happen to them is being seen to be on the wrong side of the outrage which they helped create. A simple call to boycott the paper channeled through the mob zeitgeist could gather pace very quickly here and they could find themselves going the way of The Sun in Liverpool.

We can only hope, I really think we would be a lot better off if the people who read this crap read nothing at all.

sunflower27

NOTW isn't sold in Dunnes, not sure for the reason though.

Is Tesco thinking of pulling it from the shelves as well, or did I dream that?

TheIrishGrover

The problem is that there is no incentive not to do this. Sure, they got a few hundred grand fine/lawsuits but I would imagine that the sales of the papers using stories based on these hacks would outweigh the fines. There should be a hugely OTT fine that makes sure that the risk isn't worth it. They make 1 million out of selling those actual issues? They should be fined 20 million per instance. No appeal. Just a standard fine: Tap a phone? Celebrity? 5 million per instance. Public victim of violence? 20 million plus 3 weeks of non-publication of entire group of papers from publisher.
Surely there is the ability of suspending the publishing group's publishing rights temporarily. I know you are edging closer to government censoring but in open and shut cases like these and the murdered girl's phone there should be no problem. Hacked her/their phones in order to sell a few newspapers? Done.

Plus, if I hear one more effing editor saying they didn't know...... That is NO excuse. They are responsible for the paper. Totally and completely. End of story (No pun intended)

mickydoomsux

mickydoomsux wrote: »

I don't even understand how the red-tops still exist. They are literally a waste of paper and ink.

Why do spend money on what amounts to utter garbage?

But if they go, what are dum-dums going to read?

therewillbe

The Sun/ NOTW were always and still are Rags.I am coming from whwt was said By The Sun in relation to Liverpool supporters who died at Hillsborough FC.
Also the 80`s was boom time for Paddywhacking in that Rag.there is nothing good in these rags except for tittle tattle and semi naked women.I always say to people to read the English version of them and see the different feel for the true feelings of Ireland from time to time. Just dont buy them.

Kevin Duffy

"The BBC's business editor Robert Peston said the e-mails appeared to show payments to police amounting to tens of thousands of pounds."

Is that line taken out of context, or from another piece, or very badly written, or cobbled together from two or more lines in the linked article? I can't see it anywhere and as quoted in the OP appers to implicate UK police in accepting payments relating to this.

Ellis Dee

I hate to admit it, but those scumbags are more or less above the law. They will have to do a lot worse things than hack into the voicemails of crime victims before they face any meaningful consequences. The golden rule is that those who have the gold make the rules, and media empires like those have lots of it. They can make or break a politician as well.:rolleyes:

They would have no power at all if people just stopped buying their titles and subscribing to their WMD (weapons of mass distraction) like Sky News in the UK and Pox News in the USA.:D

Oscar Wilde once spoke of casting false pearls before real swine and, unfortunately, those media know what distressingly large numbers of people want and give them plenty of it: swill.:)

mackg

Ellis Dee wrote: »

I hate to admit it, but those scumbags are more or less above the law. They will have to do a lot worse things than hack into the voicemails of crime victims before they face any meaningful consequences. The golden rule is that those who have the gold make the rules, and media empires like those have lots of it. They can make or break a politician as well.:rolleyes:

They would have no power at all if people just stopped buying their titles and subscribing to their WMD (weapons of mass distraction) like Sky News in the UK and Pox News in the USA.:D

Oscar Wilde once spoke of casting false pearls before real swine and, unfortunately, those media know what distressingly large numbers of people want and give them plenty of it: swill.:)

Very good point, the power that is wielded by these groups is frightening. Just yesterday me and a friend were talking about how there is a chance that Sarah Palin will be president of the US. Thats the equivalent of a Joe Duffy caller being the president of a country and not just any country. Because of fox news and its hold on large parts of American society you get lower class white people voting republican because of their portrayal as being pro family, pro christian etc...When really they are voting for a party who will f*ck them over because they are lower class.

EDIT:I am not saying there no valid reasons for voting republican or that there are no potentially good candidates in the republican party, just that Palins a joke and that a lot of lower class republican voters would be better off with democrat policies. I am open to hearing from anyone with a different opinion about this.

Firefox11

Mr McMullen, a former features editor at the News of the World, joined Mr Grant on the BBC's News Channel to debate the issue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14052690

grizzly

Do people still read these "news papers"? How quaint.

WoollyRedHat

Firefox11 wrote: »

Mr McMullen, a former features editor at the News of the World, joined Mr Grant on the BBC's News Channel to debate the issue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14052690

What a ****