Vince Cable vindicated as News of the World is shut down in disgrace

The weight of scandal dogging the News of the World has finally dragged it beneath the waves, following James Murdoch’s announcement that this Sunday’s issue is to be the last. Murdoch’s statement claims, “…indeed – if the recent allegations are true – it was inhuman and has no place in our company… The News of the World is in the business of holding others to account. But it failed when it came to itself."

From a News International (NI) point of view the most important phrase here is, “has no place in our company.” One of the main offshoots from the latest round of accusations being slung at NOTW reports has been a renewed debate over News Corporation’s (NI's parent company) proposed purchase of remaining BSkyB shares. Critics of this proposed buyout insist that it will leave too much of Britain’s media in the hands of the Murdoch clan, and that News Corp does not pass the “fit and proper” owner test that would clear the way for the deal.

Although Vince Cable made a very poor error by openly speaking of “declaring war on Rupert Murdoch” to an undercover reporter, he probably had good reason to be wary of NC further increasing their grip over the British media. It’s unfortunate that Cable’s public humiliation and subsequent sacking from the deciding panel handed the Murdochs such a PR coup, allowing them to cast themselves as victims; I feel he would have been the strong character needed to resist NC’s immense influence. As things now stand, it seems fairly certain that Murdoch has simply sacrificed the NOTW to improve his chances of the deal going through unhindered.

Who can blame the critics of the proposed deal in this case? If NC must prove to Ofcom that they are ‘fit and proper’ owners, worthy of owning 100% of BSkyB, this is far from a glowing advertisement. NOTW commands a fraction of the public attention that Sky does and, crucially, employs a fraction of the people. If there was such a culture of deceit and criminality embedded within the NOTW’s staff, the prospects of the same thing happening at Sky are terrifying. As a multi-media monolith they have access to far more public and private information than a lowly red top tabloid paper, including my own details and those of nearly everybody I know. Given the sort of people NC’s subsidiaries evidently employ, blocking this deal must be a no brainer. Come back Vince Cable, all is forgiven!