The News of the World is no more - good riddance!
A lot of the criticism of the News of the Wold has been by tainted sources e.g. vested commercial broadcasting interests like the rivals BBC, which oppose News Corporation's attempt to buy out the rest of BSyB satellite TV broadcasting, something which is not directly linked with newspapers at all.
Other critics like the Labour party, are desperately trying to divert attention from their own disgracefully close involvement with Rupert Murdoch.
The "Screws" and the mainstream media, including the other brands owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, are busy recalling a very selective history of the 168 year old newspaper.
Remember that even before Murdoch bought it in 1969, the News of the World had a long history of making payments to Policemen and to convicted serial killers and prosecution witnesses in lurid criminal trials.
The News of the World and Fleet Street's dark era
They also interfered in the Moors murder trial of Brady and Hyndley, by paying a prosecution witness.
The combination of Rupert Murdoch's approval of "chequebook journalism" and previous Conservative and Labour government's deliberate attempts to pander to the prejudices and phobias of the tabloid newspaper's mass market, readership was toxic to any innocent private individuals who get caught up in the tabloid and mainstream media artificial groupthink of what constitutes "news" or "celebrity".
Spy Blog supports real whistleblowers and proper, ethical, genuinely public interest investigative journalism, but there is little evidence that the News of the World has bothered to do this recently, except for a few foreign sports corruption stories.
It is very significant that the News of the World refused to pay for and publish real "public interest" whistleblower stories, such as the House of Commons "second homes etc." Expenses scandal CDROMs, which were eventually sold to the Daily Telegraph.
However, the News of the World were willing participants in the (increasingly hated as time passes) Labour government's evil "Climate of Fear" propaganda
which they used to justify their huge number of repressive, yet ineffective "Must Be Seen To Be Doing Something" anti-terrorism legislation and the expansion of the
the Database Surveillance State.
e.g. News of the World agents provocateurs like Mazher Mahmood the "Fake Sheikh" and the criminally stupid terrorism trial involving non-existent "Red Mercury" and no terrorist money or plotters whatsoever ?
On trial for terrorism, due to the "fake sheikh" and mythical "Red Mercury"
Red Mercury terrorism trial results in acquittals
However, the News of the World is not the only newspaper to have employed private investigators, who have used illegal methods.
Spy Blog has noticed some recent search engine queries from Police networks, searching for information on some of the "private investigator" criminals named in:
We are completely cynical about the promised "investigations" into alleged Mews of the World payments to Police Officers in this mobile phone voicemail "hacking"scandal.
Will these promised new inquiries and investigations now re-open and properly follow up the Information Commissioner's underfunded Operation Motorman investigation ?
This revealed over 300 newspaper journalists who were customers of of the criminals in the Operation Glade case back in 2003:
Stephen Whittamore and John Boyall (private investigators), Alan King (retired police officer) and Paul Marshall (former civilian communications officer) were let off scot free with only:
A 2 year conditional discharge i.e. no fine and no prison sentence, for possibly 11,000 breaches of the Data Protection Act and for breaching the security of the Police National Computer, for profit,
The News of the World were only middle ranking customers of these criminals, who were used more frequently by the Daily Mail etc.
The Guardian also reveals another criminal "private investigator"
Jonathan Rees: private investigator who ran empire of tabloid corruption
Given that there were clear references back in 1999 to Jonathan Rees's involvement in criminal acts with the News of the World and with other tabloid newspapers to follow up the evidence of Data Protection Act and Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act breaches, which was available to them from from the 6 month Intrusive Surveillance electronic bug planted in his office.
But Rees did get nicked - and for a serious criminal offence. The listening device caught him being hired by a man who was getting divorced and wanted to stop his wife getting custody of their children. Rees came up with a plan. Aided and abetted by yet another corrupt police officer, DC Austin Warnes, he arranged to plant cocaine in the car of the unsuspecting woman, so that she could be charged, convicted and smeared as an unreliable parent.
In order to stop that plot, in September 1999, Scotland Yard raided Rees and charged him with conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Fifteen months later, he was taken off Fleet Street's payroll when he was sentenced to six years in prison, increased to seven years on appeal. DC Warnes was sentenced to four years.
Why have the Police been so reluctant to properly investigate such unethical and illegal snooping by the tabloid newspapers ?
Could it be that the culture of snooping on mobile phones, is now so routine within the Police, that they are not sufficiently shocked by such invasions of the privacy of innocent people ?
Or did they succumb to to political interference and pressure from the the then labour government ?
Or are some of those Police officers who were allegedly on the pay roll of the News of the World and perhaps of other newspapers, in senior enough positions to block or downgrade the necessary resources for such an in depth investigation ?
If News Corporation do decide to launch a "Sunday Sun" replacement, for the News of the World, will they take the opportunity to set up proper, anonymous encrypted web and email and mobile phone etc. contact methods, for genuine whistleblowers, backed by real investigative journalists ?
See the LeakDirectory.org wiki for some examples.
Or will they continue with their use of dodgy private investigators or corrupt policemen and "anonymous" briefings from Whitehall spin doctors. ?
If you care about your own electronic Privacy and Security and that of your family, friends business associates and other innocent people, you should join the cross party NO2ID Campaign