‘New Sun rising’ feels like more of the same

I was one of more than 2.6m people who bought the first copy of the Sun on Sunday, launched today under a manifesto to campaign for its readers and champion good journalism. Today’s leader sets out the ‘new’ paper’s approach in typically strident terms:

Links I like 11.11.18

Tom Watson reveals how the phone hacking scandal affected him – Express and Star This local newspaper column was being shared across Twitter this morning. MP and ‘scourge of the tabloids’ Tom Watson writes in the Express and Star about the campaign against phone hacking which has played a huge part in exposing the problems [...]

Editor’s final speech to NoTW colleagues

With the News International crisis escalating further this week, it’s been easy to forget that just a few days ago many News of the World journalists who had nothing to do with the phone hacking scandal were caught in the crossfire and lost their jobs as a result. This video on YouTube of the editor [...]

NoTW staff use new media to turn on old employer

Some of the most fascinating details about the News of the World’s closure seem to be coming from former staff who are deeply unhappy about finding themselves out of a job today. Anonymous Twitter feeds have been set up by people claiming to be former staffers on the paper and one (@ExNOTWJourno) already has more [...]

Phone hacking is only part of the story

Anyone who’s worked in a newsroom will understand the uncomfortable situations journalists sometimes have to address when pursuing a story. A very good example of this – which I have experienced – is the ‘death knock’, where reporters are sent to interview a family who has just suffered a tragedy. Often, the best stories result [...]

Some feelings on phone hacking and journalism

I’ve followed the unfolding phone hacking saga with interest over the last couple of years, since The Guardian first broke the story, and with amazement as the crisis escalated to claim The News of the World, which has been culled today. It’s an amazing story, which everyone has commented on but no-one connected with it [...]

Tomorrow’s going to be worse for Murdoch

I am half way through a draft blog posting, and think I’ll to sleep on it before publishing. As Twitter continues to sing on the scandal, this tweet from Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger about The Telegraph’s front page tomorrow shows that this story is going to get even worse tomorrow, and for a long while [...]

‘Andy Gray-gate’ highlights slack media practice

Andy Gray’s sacking today after another of his puerile outbursts (this time to colleague Charlotte Jackson last month, above) has taught him a harsh lesson. Someone of his experience should know that ‘private’ (as in off air) comments are still fair game if someone within earshot finds them offensive enough to share with the media. In fact, if you utter them in a room [...]

Spokesman becomes ‘the story’ some would rather ignore

I blogged recently on the media’s general reluctance to report on matters involving itself, which became impossible following the irresponsible coverage of the Joanna Yeates murder investigation. And so it is with yesterday’s resignation of Number 10′s former director of communications Andy Coulson, who quit amidst continuing allegations over his role in the phone hacking [...]