'My column at the News of the World' blog discussion

paidinchickens

geri1965 wrote: »

The people slagging him off are still happy enough to post here, I notice.

That's what I said! How many times are we told to "vote with our feet"

Nick_65

Now is the time to stop buying The Sun as well.
I'm not a newspaper reader, but surely The Sun are using the same information that NOTW did?
They are after all sister papers and the spread of this media cancer has to be stopped.

Imastu

The true way to change what passes for journalism in this country is to do exactly that. The Sun is the real cash cow, and the closure of the NOTW is just something they were going to do at some point anyway - this is the catalyst.

But if people stopped buying and advertisers stopped advertising in the Sun, we would see real change.

Stryder

Do you think Martin will also be paid to turn the lights off as I guess he will be the only one left.

I guess it is hard to boycott major businesses like Tesco's, who I am an avid collector of points

However, I will take my next shopping trip to Sainsbury's to thank them for swift(er) action. Personally I have many doubts about Tesco and I only shop there because of the Clubcard points. However, next year I will finish my OU course which I has relied upon those vouchers for and then I will feel free to shop on where I feel most comfortable.

Stryder

Imastu wrote: »

The true way to change what passes for journalism in this country is to do exactly that. The Sun is the real cash cow, and the closure of the NOTW is just something they were going to do at some point anyway - this is the catalyst.

But if people stopped buying and advertisers stopped advertising in the Sun, we would see real change.

Well the Sun on Sunday will not be sold in Liverpool
Personally I would like to see an upgrading of all the tabloid press into something less reactionary and more considered. However, I have always boycotted News International products for the interference in British politics. I have made further efforts in respect of the memory of those who suffered at Hillsborough. The Sun is due being knocked down a peg or two, especially as it tried to hide the phone hacking scandal under the rug.

I hope that this disease does not spread too far

Paulgonnabedebtfree

Hern wrote: »

Thanks, Paul.

The answer to your question is: yes. For many years.

Not as a freelance. Not as a sub. And certainly not as a 'production editor' wheeled out on Sky News today to say he never knew, during his time at the NOTW, that this kind of alleged 'appalling' behaviour had gone on.

Well, er, that's right. A production editor has nothing to do with news gathering or editorial decisions or reporter assignments. So any Production Editor's contribution to the debate, whether or not -- as in this case -- he appears to be yet another 'professor of journalism', is irrelevant.

Those who know how tabloids work are those who made 'em work: Editors, News Editors, Picture Editors, reporters and photographers.

And they make 'em work collectively. Knowledge is not the monopoly of one individual. Nor is the kind of self-generated 'story' which the NOTW resourced with, of all things, some private eye with a knack of busting into peoples' voice mails, a story which magically appears in print. It is -- if a story created by a Sunday tabloid -- devised, progressed, resourced, and re-checked in a process of editorial conferences held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays every week in the office of The Editor himself / herself. And if its publication is delayed one week, then it's carried forward to the next, and remains on the agenda of all those conferences, of all those senior people, in the office of The Editor.

(Unless, as seems to be the case being argued by News International in general and Rebekah Brooks in particular, the News of The World operated an entirely different protocol and the poor hapless Editor knew nothing about anything until, surprise, surprise, the story was mysteriously all over page 1.)

Contributing columnists, by contrast, haven't a clue (sorry, Martin, but it's best to be honest here.)

Those who already have a media profile, but not a media base, are hired by tabloids (though not necessarily by broadsheets) because it's thought they bring along with them their own audience, one that will swell the tabloid's existing circulation. If it looks like they haven't brought anything to the party, then goodbye, columnist -- whether you were eloquent, honest, insightful or not. You're just a currency for us to spend until time and circumstance devalues it.

And just a final caveat: although it's easy, and understandable, for anyone to think all journalists are tarred with the same brush, the truth is rather different: I was certainly not alone in being a highly-paid staff journalist who could easily have gone for even more loot to the NOTW. But I didn't. Neither did many of my colleagues. We regarded the paper as a sleaze-filled comic. We still do.

Quite why Martin ever got himself associated with it continues to baffle me.

Firstly I would like to say that tarring all with the same brush is something that would be so wrong. I'm sure there are many honourable journalists and columnists who deplore the hacking of murdered girls' and dead soldiers' mailboxes. Apart from that, I am well aware that there are still many who stereotype me because I am a window cleaner. Most of us are not ukulele playing, tax dodging dole cheats. Some of us are very professional about our businesses and some have even gone on quality health and safety courses.

I am struck by the irony in this whole voicemail hacking business. When many (by no means all) MPs were fiddling, engineering and generally manipulating their expenses, the tabloid (and broadsheet) papers were onto them like a pack of wolves, scrapping for every last morsel of blood soaked meat. Now that News International have been shown up for having morals that would leave Hitler blushing, Parliament wants to screw them for every last pound of flesh. Eat your heart out Shylock.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Speaking as an outsider, politicians and tabloid media seem to have a quasi-symbiotic relationship. Quite how they will pull the other down without leaving themselves exposed will be interesting to watch. If there is a lot of tit for tat, maybe it could even bring down the government? Perhaps that's a bit fanciful but there's no telling just how far this might go if someone's neck is on the line and they start singing.
I've always found it interesting how stories like this tend to be drip fed. It's far more effective if you want to nail someone. If all the known facts are released at once, there is a big explosion but the target might survive it. However, release the bit about celebrities being hacked first and many people tut tut. If it's a footballer who's been playing away, some might think that hacking his voicemail for a story could be justifiable. The more discerning will see the folly of it though. Follow that up later with entertainers who the public view with a bit more affection, and the mutterings of discontent grow a bit louder and more widespread. It's still not enough to topple Murdoch though. So then the coup de grace. Milly Dowler, the Soham children and dead soldiers in quick succession.
That's the way News International have played it so they can hardly complain when it's done to them.

At the moment I'm looking out for politicians trying to bury bad news. However, there's so much of it about that they would need a 50 foot grave.

I went into a newsagent shop late this afternoon. There were piles of unsold Suns. The newsagent told me that people were boycotting it. Perhaps people are more discerning than I thought.

DelBoyPhil

How long will it be before it was common pratice at the sun to?

Trust me this is not JUST the news of the world.. I reckon in the next couple of weeks its gonna hit other groups and I wonder if it will hit the BBC to?

Watch this space!!

I was more shocked that martin lewis was going to stay with the news of the world I would have expected him to resign.

Stryder

A reporter at the Sun has said via BBC the Sun on Sunday will definitely be launched.

I hope this is not why Martin remained so loyal, and hope that he does not just get in the lift and go work for the Sun. Remember, it is barely sold in Liverpool so if he does do that he will be ignoring a whole city.

NOTW REBRANDING AS SUNDAY SUN? - BROOKS STILL IN JOB? SAME PEOPLE, SAME DIRTY MONEY

camaj

I think people are being a bit harsh on Martin here. I'm sure we can accept that his column in the NOTW helped a lot of people who would otherwise not know certain things, surely that's the raison d'etre of MSE? Things like this aren't black and white and while it would be easy to throw the towel in, on the other hand it would stop a vital outlet for the MSE message. Does the good that Martin's column do outweigh it's existence supporting NOTW? I would say it does. Sometimes we have to do things we don't like for the greater good and that seems like Martins logic too. There's a big difference between that, and an advertiser who is financially supporting the enterprise.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

Bet Martin wishes he'd not said anything for just a couple more days then this wouldn't be a discussion.

Whilst I am a keen follower of Martin, I am not a fanatic and won't always agree with what he says or does. This is one of those occasions. On the flip side, we are posting this on MSE forums which does show that whilst I don't agree with him on this occasion (in fact I'm blooming disappointed, I think this was a monumental bad call), I am very respectful of MSE being forthright enough to allow a discussion topic on this matter.