The resignation of Les Hinton, and following on from Rebekah Brooks is only the latest in the ever-widening crisis facing Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
Brooks stepped down as chief executive officer of the News International UK, the publisher of the now-defunct News of the World, which she once edited. But whatever damage limitation was intended will be small in lower-case letters. She is still expected to appear, along with Murdoch and his son, James, before a parliamentary select committee on Tuesday next to discuss and give evidence on the phone hacking scandal at the News of the World.
Hinton, who was head of News International (NI) from 1995 to 2007, stood down as chief executive officer of News Corporation's Dow Jones & Co. unit. His resignation statement gives the very impression that the rats are deserting the sinking ship.
"That I was ignorant of what apparently happened is irrelevant and in the circumstances I feel it is proper for me to resign from News Corp, and apologize to those hurt by the actions of News of the world."
And so in the run-up to the select committee, Murdoch has broken his silence, chocking on his wards in an interview with is own Wall Street Journal, he centred his remarks on the denunciation of Gordon Brown - made in response to the former prime minister's damning speech on July 13. Murdoch said that some MPs' comments were "total lies".
Well whatever old man Murdoch thinks of Gordon Brown and Parliamentarians in general is not worth the paper its writ-on. In his speech Brown accused News International of "lawbreaking often on an industrial scale, at its worst dependent on links with the British underworld." Murdoch's media "marched in step" with "members of the criminal underworld" and functioned as a "criminal-media nexus".
I think it is very obvious that Brown has his own double-bitted axe to grind. Patrick Winter in the Guardian July 11 is more enlightened. He notes that two months before The Sun switched support to the Tories, and after revelations in the Guardian about phone hacking and mounting evidence of a News International cover-up, Brown started to agitate for a judicial inquiry. For at least a fortnight he was in discussion with the home secretary, Alan Johnson. Brown and Lord Mandelson held discussions with Alan Rusbridger, editor-in-chief of the Guardian, to get clearer understanding of the scandal."
One other very important point we should not overlook is that Murdock was very much a supporter of Blair in the warring escapades of Brown's fractional fight for ownership of New Labour. In more more felicitous days Brown had no problem with Murdock and his vast empire. Brown has never forgot that it was the Sun that won it!"
As we head into the summer parliamentary holidays, and the silly season falls upon us, we can expect this to run on for some time to come, and let us be clear but not surprised that British journalism is reeking along with politicians and especially our police.
This now is the sorry tale of tantalizing tainted love; the sewer stinks as the rats turn on each other looking for an escape route, of course dealing with "Murdoch" means something entirely diffident than it does for the working class. And it is the responsibility of working people to put an end to the destructive anti-social activities of Murdock and his ilk. We cannot rely on anyone to do it for us, especially Ed Miliband and New Labour or blue if you prefer. And a newly re-invigorated Brown guided by personal hard feelings rather than opposition to the social forces represented by the likes of Murdoch, won't do a thing to rid us of these oligarchs.
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