News of the World: Reaction to closure of 168-year-old title
The News of the World has announced it is to close, with the final edition to be published this Sunday, and already the blogs have begun posting reaction.
Paul Bradshaw writes:
It took almost exactly 3 days – 72 hours – to kill off a 168-year-old brand. Yes, there were other allegations and two years in the lead up to The Guardian’s revelation that Milly Dowler was targeted by the newspaper. But Milly Dowler and the various other ordinary people who happened to be caught up in newsworthy events (kidnappings, victims of terrorist attacks, families of dead soldiers), were what turned the whole affair.
So while the Sun may be moving to seven-day production, that doesn’t make this a rebranding or a relaunch. As of Monday, The News of the World brand is dead, 168 years of journalistic history offered up as a sacrifice.
Charlie Beckett comments:
From the Newscorp point of view this is a sensible way to try to put this scandal into the past and to separate it from the BSkyB deal. It does not get to the bottom of the phone-hacking issue, however, leaving big questions against Rebekah Brooks. It does seem that Rupert Murdoch would rather shut a newspaper than sack his loyal lieutenant.
While the Huffington Post is now leading with “End Of The World” as its liveblog of the closure.
Tags: Charlie Beckett, Huffington Post, News of the World, Paul Bradshaw
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