Special Roundtable Session
Murdoch, the ‘Phone Hacking Scandal’ and the Future of Journalism
Friday PM - September 9
The Conference is convening a special Roundtable to provide delegates with an opportunity to discuss the significant implications of what has been dubbed the ‘phone hacking scandal’ for the future of journalism.
The Roundtable will be chaired by Bob Franklin (Cardiff University) and the panellists will be:
Chris Bryant MP and Shadow Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform
Ivor Gaber (City University and the University of Bedfordshire, UK)
Bob McChesney (University of Illinois, USA)
Bettina Peters (Global Forum for Media Development, Brussels)
Lynette Sheridan Burns (University of Western Sydney, Australia)
Panel presentations will be timed to allow fulsome opportunity for contributions and questions from the floor. The session will also be streamed live.
Media feeding frenzy
What UK press coverage called ‘the phone hacking scandal’, generated a steady stream of press stories and rumours across the last five years alleging the illegal invasion of the privacy of celebrities, politicians and members of the Royal family by employees of the News of the World. In July this year the story gained remarkable momentum when it was revealed that private investigators had hacked into the mobile phone of a missing young woman, who was later discovered to have been murdered. Public outrage transformed seemingly arcane concerns about journalism (mal) practice into a media feeding frenzy.
Resignations and closure of The News of the World
Within two weeks, Murdoch had closed his most cherished and successful tabloid, the News of the World, Rebekah Brookes (CEO at News International) had resigned along with Les Hinton (Murdoch’s longest serving and trusted senior aide). Following press and politicians’ allegations about the lack of rigour with which the police had investigated the phone hacking claims, Metropolitan Police Chief Sir Paul Stephenson and John Yates (the officer initially in charge of the investigation) also resigned.
Labour leader Ed Miliband spoke forcibly in Parliament against News Corporation’s efforts to buy the satellite channel BSkyB and Murdoch eventually withdrew his bid. On Tuesday 19th July Rupert Murdoch and is son James were questioned by a Parliamentary committee about their knowledge and involvement in the scandal. Murdoch senior acknowledged it was the most humbling day of his life.
Television news portrayals of Murdoch under questioning by MPs bore little relationship to the powerful media owner previously courted by Prime Ministers, politicians and spin doctors. Power relationships seemed to be in flux. US newspapers reported possible challenges to Murdoch by the Board of News Corporation. In UK newspapers, pundits speculated that Murdoch might close or sell the Sun, The Times and the Sunday Times; a substantial portion of the UK press, but only 1% of News Corporation’s holdings. The ‘brand’ was allegedly ‘toxic’. Commercial logic seemingly trumps public service and the democratic requirement for a vibrant and plural press.
Phone hacking and the Future of Journalism
The Roundtable will discuss the wide range of issues of relevance and significance for the Future of Journalism which became evident as the scandal unravelled.
They include the substantial implications for day to day journalism practice, journalism ethics, media ownership, concentration and regulation, journalists’ relationships with news sources, corporate involvement with the communication of politics and the shaping of media policy, and, of course, politicians’ relationships with news organisations (and their owners) which have grown increasingly supine and seemingly remote from the robust, critical and adversarial relationship necessary for a meaningful, democratic politics.