Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News and the United Kingdom’s “News Of The World” news paper, got some bad news today. The 168 year old paper is shutting down, publishing its last paper this Sunday amid an ongoing investigation into the company’s authorization of phone tapping.
BBC reports a statement from the current chairman of News Of The World, Murdoch, advising his staff of the decision to close the paper.
In a statement made to staff, Mr Murdoch said the good things the News of the World does “have been sullied by behaviour that was wrong – indeed, if recent allegations are true, it was inhuman and has no place in our company”.
“The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself.”
He went on: “In 2006, the police focused their investigations on two men. Both went to jail. But the News of the World and News International failed to get to the bottom of repeated wrongdoing that occurred without conscience or legitimate purpose.
“Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued.
“As a result, the News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter.
“We now have voluntarily given evidence to the police that I believe will prove that this was untrue and those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences. This was not the only fault.
“The paper made statements to Parliament without being in the full possession of the facts. This was wrong.
“The company paid out-of-court settlements approved by me. I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so. This was wrong and is a matter of serious regret.”
He reiterated that the company was fully co-operating with the two ongoing police investigations.
