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The investigation into the phone-hacking scandal that brought an end to Rupert Murdoch's News of the World British tabloid grows more bizarre every day. His wife helped fend off a pie-throwing protester as Murdoch testified before a Parliament committee. Murdoch, whose News Corp. owns U.S. media institutions such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and the Fox broadcast and cable properties, faces questions about damage to his personal reputation. How closely are you following developments in the phone-hacking scandal and should Murdoch resign because of it?
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Comments
I haven’t been keeping up with the scandal as I have been on an unwired vacation, but I must say that I don’t think that Murdoch has been a positive influence in the world of journalism.
This scandal makes me so sad. It’s just so bad for journalism. Frankly, journalists were having a hard time remaining credible and legitimate in this 24/7, cable TV-driven news cycle. Add this kind of horrible scandal to the mix and we all seem like scheming, untrustworthy, greedy animals. I mean how dare someone hack into the phone of a murdered teen, so that her family thinks she’s still alive. What good does that do for journalism? How does that help relay the truth and tell people the news? It’s horrifying and embarrassing for the rest of us who got into this business thinking they could make a difference. I don’t know who should resign, but something has to be done to clean up journalism and redeem the reputation of journalists everywhere.
I’m still not sure what all happened and really don’t care to learn more, but I do agree with the other comments. Greed and desire for power (via the ultimate scoop) has taken many a reporter or news writer down the wrong path. Journalism was once about discovering truth. I would like to see us get back to that as our primary objective.
I think it’s a shame that most of the great journalists I grew up watching and the ones before my time have been replaced with cable TV news pundits and print journalists willing to break the law just to get a story. I’ve been following this story loosely because I find it too sad to watch more closely. Whatever happened to pounding the pavement and asking questions to getting the story as opposed to committing a crime just to get the dirt? These types of stories are why the media are blamed for everything, which is also a shame because there are so many honest journalists out there who do a wonderful job.