News of the World axed by News International
The Guardian UK
7th July 2011
Sunday edition of Murdoch's tabloid to be last in the aftermath of political and commercial fallout from phone-hacking scandal
News of the World: to be closed after 168 years.
News International announced on Thursday that it is closing the News of the World after this Sunday's edition, with no end in sight to the political and commercial fallout from the phone-hacking scandal after 72 hours of mounting crisis.
Sunday's edition of the paper will be the last, News International chairman James Murdoch told News of the World staff on Thursday afternoon.
Murdoch told employees at the 168-year old title: "The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed to when it came to itself".
Murdoch said in a statement: "Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued."
Murdoch also conceded the company had "made statements to parliament without being in full possession of the facts. This was wrong".
He said: "The News of the World and News International wrongly maintained that these issues were confined to one reporter" but that was untrue, and that the company had passed information to the police which would demonstrate this.
"Those who acted wrongly will have to face the consequences", he said.
Murdoch also said in his statement to staff that he had authorised out-of-court payments to victims of hacking and that: "I now know that I did not have a complete picture when I did so."
He added: "That was wrong and is a matter of serious regret."
It is the first national newspaper to close since Rupert Murdoch shut Today in 1995.
A spokesman for the company would not comment on whether News International will continue to publish a tabloid title on a Sunday.
The News of the World has been News International's most profitable title for many years.
There are already industry rumours that the News of the World's stablemate the Sun could be turned into a seven-day operation.
Murdoch told staff some of them would be leaving the company and said that was a matter of regret. He paid tribute to their "good work".
There will be no adverts in Sunday's edition and any money already received will be donated to good causes
To be continued