The newspaper has had a long history, first starting as a newspaper for the newly literate working class of 1843 and then evolving into the sex, scandal and celebrity tattler under the helm of Rupert Murdoch himself in 1969.
As Australian columnist for Sydney's Daily Telegraph (owned by Murdoch's News Limited)Tim Blair has noted:
This was no convenient closure of an unprofitable masthead:
The title remains the UK’s biggest-selling paper, with a circulation of 2.66m in May this year …
The News of the World has been NI’s most profitable title for many years.
Hence understandable shock and amazement.
So why was the paper shut down?
The Australian (owned by News Limited) succinctly sums up issue:
The shock move comes after Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper was hit by allegations that it had hacked the phones of a murdered girl, the relatives of dead soldiers and hundreds of celebrities, politicians and royals.
Actually more than 'hit by allegations'. The assertions were true - unlike many of the assertions made about celebrities in NOTW pages over the years.
Two separate but related scandals sounded the death knell for "Screws Of The World" and both are to do with hacking.
The first, quoting The Australian again:
Scotland Yard said up to 4000 people may have had their voicemails accessed by the News of the World and added that it was probing claims that the paper had paid policemen for information.
The Royal British Legion said it was "shocked to the core" by claims in the Daily Telegraph that an investigator hired by the News of the World may have accessed the voicemails of relatives of dead soldiers.
It said it was dropping the tabloid as a campaign partner as it could not maintain its links with the paper if it had been "preying on families in the lowest depths of their misery."
The second concerns the murder of British teenager Milly Dowler. It is a complex story that involves the police fixated on prosecuting the girl's father for her death and ignoring evidence that an already convicted sex offender had means motive and opportunity was behind the crime. In June 23 this year Levi Bellfield was convicted of the girl's murder.
NOTW greatly contributed to the hampering of the case by hacking into Milly Dowler's mobile phone. At that time the police were unsure in the teen was simply missing or was dead. The private detective employed by NOTW's boss Rebekah Brooks deleted the backlog of text messages in order to monitor new messages that came in. The fact that messages were being deleted from Milly's phone gave both her parents and the police false hope that the girl was still alive.
Then came revelation of other hacking incidents initiated by the newspaper.
Unable to bear the weight of negative public opinion and advertiser boycotts, the NOTW will publish its last edition on Sunday with all proceeds going to charity.
So who are the suspects in the death of this newspaper?
Suspect 1 - Rebekah Brooks - News International's CEO
Obviously Ms Brookes, as she was directly involved in commissioning illegal acts - although, oddly, her actions are being defended by James Murdoch.
Rebekah Brooks, News International’s Chief Executive and the editor of the News of the World at the time of the Milly Dowler hacking, has said she is “sickened” by the allegations and has promised the “strongest possible action” against those responsible.
She added she has pledged her “full co-operation” with the police inquiry into the scandal.
Later in the day, James Murdoch said that he was satisfied with the “standard of ethics” of Ms Brooks.
Which is odd as it appears Ms Brooks has a direct link with the hacker in the Milly Dowling case.
And she won't even be defended by a News Limited colleague at The Times:
Roger Alton, Executive Editor of NotW's sister paper The Times, which is also run by News International, told the channel the news was 'very sad.
He said: 'It is too upsetting for words, that this fine paper has been shut down.'
'Some people at the News of the World might think it would have been better if Ms Brooks had been shut down rather than the paper.'
Suspect 2 - Rupert Murdoch
Also in the 'suspect's frame' is Rupert Murdoch himself.
Of course no one is suggesting that he had direct knowledge of the decisions of his senior editors to break the law, but he is responsible for establishing and condoning the culture that allowed this poisonous attitude to take root and flower.
Suspect 3 - NOTW world journalists and media industry
Also equally responsible are the newsroom colleagues who were undoubtedly aware of how some of their 'exclusives' were obtained. They accepted the practice and it continued.
It should be noted that a journalist's job is not to simply and accurately report on the events of the day for our consumption. It is to write a 'good story'.
What defines a 'good story' is based on newsworthiness. Newsworthiness is a story that has one or more of the following criteria - timely, topical, quirky, contentious, wide community interest.
However, there is no independent standard by which ‘newsworthiness’ is judged. It is the sole and arbitrary decision of the editor.
As we've discovered, what constitutes a 'good story' isn't necessarily true, isn't necessarily obtained honestly and isn't necessarily done to bring 'truth' to readers.
4. Accessory before and after the fact - the 2.6 million readership
Also an accessory before and after the fact in the death of NOTW are the 2.6 million Britons who bought the paper every Sunday - just as the millions middle class women who bought the paparazzi-filled women's magazines were in part responsible for the death of Diana, Princess of Wales back in 1997.
Every time you or I reward a media outlet with the purchase of newspaper, visit their web sites or give our attention to radio and television news, we justify the tactics journalists use to get their stories.
As former newspaper journalists (yes, for News Limited), Duncan and I will defend the very necessary role journalists play in aggregating events of the day and the work they do to ensure public officials do their jobs with integrity and for the benefit of the people. However, until journalists allow their work to be given as much transparency and scrutiny as they demand of others, then we will see more media outlets being similarly killed.
And that is no good for an honest, robust democracy.
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