News for cash - cash for news

News has a value, to the newspaper, the subscriber and also to the government officials and the police.

The latest turn in the scandal of the world's biggest media group, News International has just emerged. Adding more turmoil to the telephone hacking and bribery saga, the chief of operations of his father's media empire, James Murdoch, resigned from his post in the UK and decided to return to the US to continue operations there.

The Sun, which has a three million circulation and eight million readership in the UK has hacked telephones and bribed a network of public officials and police officers in order to obtain exclusive news related to politicians, sport personnel, victims of crime and celebrities. They have listened to the messages left on answer phones and mobiles of the said people.

James Murdoch, the CEO of News International in the UK, once appeared before the Commons Culture, Media and Sports Committee headed by the members of Parliament. He was criticised for his role as the CEO who made no efforts to eliminate the bribery culture in exchange for important news. The Leveson Inquiry, which was appointed by the government to investigate the scandal and headed by a retired judge, made it clear that the government officials and the police officials were allegedly paid to provide information to the tabloids. After this came to light, many celebrities and relatives of the victims of crime who were affected by the hacking scandal sued News International.

David Cameron

Rupert Murdoch

Rebekah Brooks

There were many out of court settlements with pay-outs amounting to millions.

When the hacking allegations emerged last year, the News of the World, which was established in 1843, shut down by the News International after pressure from the government and the public. It was the most circulated and read tabloid in the United Kingdom.

The owner Murdoch thought that by closing down the most corrupted tabloid in the hacking scandal, it would clear his name and give him a clean bill of health. But it didn’t end there and his son became the latest victim of the episode.

There were more than ten journalists arrested along with some police officers during this news for money and phone hacking saga over the past few months.

The latest arrest was on Tuesday March 13, of the former CEO of News of The World, Rebekah Brooks, her husband, and six other prominent journalists. Rebekah’s husband Charlie is a school friend of Prime Minister David Cameron and their families have a very close relationship. Cameron was on his way to the US when the arrests were made.

At the parliamentary inquiry held last year to look into the allegation of corruption against News International, the owner Rupert Murdoch said it was the most humble day of his life. But by counting the allegations mounting on a daily basis against his media empire it seems that he has more humble days to come.