Fucking hell. So this a firewall to protect the rest of NI/News Corp?
You've got to assume so. Murdoch pere's clearly got his eye on the bigger picture. Either that, or there's some really, really explosive story that's about to break.
Another irony - Rusbridger's probably just done the Obs a massive favour by letting the Graun doggedly pursue this story for years and giving it such a high profile.
This is huge news – but it strikes me that it may also be just the thing that will allow lots of people to just sweep everything under the carpet, and – to at least some extent – let Murdoch, Brooks et all off the hook, as well as facilitating the smooth rubber-stamping of the BSkyB bid.
Good riddance to the rag, obviously, but I’m not sure that this development will turn out to be a hugely positive one for those of us hoping to see this leading to the fatal weakening of NI. It may be just the tactical masterstroke that saves them.
Fucking hell. So this a firewall to protect the rest of NI/News Corp?
You've got to assume so. Murdoch pere's clearly got his eye on the bigger picture. Either that, or there's some really, really explosive story that's about to break.
Firebreak, surely. Which, while being welcome news, doesn't bode well.
Conflicting reports on plans for a seven-day Sun already being put down, while others of staff in fear for their jobs weeping at their desks.
If the latter's the case, what a perfect shit storm: Murdoch keeps power, Brooks keeps job, BSkyB deal goes through, ordinary journalists potentially lose jobs. Ah, the sweet smell of justice.
It allows for a "restructuring" of the print operations in England while at the same time making the approval of the BSkyB takeover more likely and strengthening the "Sun brand".
It also helps create a firebreak in front of Brooks and Murdoch fils.
You reckon this is a good chance to make some people on higher wages redundant? That's assuming they're intending to keep enough on to do the new Sunday paper.
I know newsrooms tend to have a fierce independence from each other and all that, but what the Snu (ding?) being the sister paper of the NotW, how likely is that some shit could be flung at it for essentially printing the same information, from the same sources, as the NotW?
Obviously, plenty of stories break on a Sunday then the Sun keeps up the momentum - surely they're fed stuff by the NotW, they don't have to go out and research everything afresh?
Tubbs, 'integration' operations tend to mean fewer jobs. I have recent experience of this closer to home. This speeds up an integration process already planned. There may be job losses, and not of people on particularly good wages. Still, I'm sure the News International Staff Association will fight tooth and nail to keep jobs...
This isn't a victory. It's a smart tactical manouevre by our opponents, and the Left will be guilty of gross stupidity and naivety if it cheers this development.
John Prescott is spitting fire on BBC News 24 about the screws closing down, because it's a publicity stunt, ordinary people who aren't at fault will lose their jobs, and those that were at fault such as Rebekah Brooks will keep theirs, and is designed to "deflect attention from the criminal acts by the Murdoch press"
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
So who's getting hung out to dry? And what does this mean for the repeated claim that NI had already given all the evidence it had to the police in the original inquiry?
This isn't a victory. It's a smart tactical manouevre by our opponents, and the Left will be guilty of gross stupidity and naivety if it cheers this development.
Ken Clarke has said "all they're going to do is rebrand it".
How easy (and costly) is "integrating" a Sunday and a Daily? No doubt it saves money in the long run, or else they wouldn't do it, but it's not easy, even without the problems here.
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