Once again, Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper has failed to report the latest sickening revelations in the phone hacking scandal, reports Shamik Das.
Once again, Rupert Murdoch’s Sun newspaper has failed to report the latest sickening revelations in the phone hacking scandal, as the spotlight is further shone on the discredited, disgraced former editor Rebekah Brooks. For them, no mention of Gordon Brown on the front page, nor anywhere.
In stark contrast to when the paper invaded his privacy by reporting the news his son Fraser had cystic fibrosis, causing untold distress to Gordon and Sarah just to sell a few more papers and further line Murdoch’s pockets.
The head-in-the-sand blindness to what is going on was evident all last week at the Sun, which failed to report the original Milly Dowler phone hack scandal last Tuesday, and didn’t report the phone hacking story on its front page at all till Friday, when it splashed on the end of the News of the World.
This morning, Mr Brown accused Murdoch’s News International of using “known criminals” to gain access to personal information, and of having links to the “criminal underworld”. On the gross invasion of privacy by Brooks’s Sun publishing details of Fraser’s medical records, he said he was “in tears” when told by journalists the story was about to break.
He said:
“Sarah and I were incredibly upset about it, we were thinking about his long term future, we were thinking about our family.”
And on the hacking into his bank details, and the phone hacking scandal overall, the former prime minister added:
“I’m shocked, I’m genuinely shocked to find this happened because of the links with known criminals who were undertaking this activity, hired by investigators who were working with the Sunday Times.
“If I, with all the protection and all the defences and all the security that a chancellor of the exchequer or a prime minister has, is so vulnerable to unscrupulous tactics, unlawful tactics, to methods that have been used in the way that we’ve found – what about the ordinary citizen?
“What about the person – like the family of Milly Dowler – who were in the most desperate of circumstances, at the most difficult occasions in their lives – in huge grief… and then they find that they are totally defenceless in this moment of greatest grief from people who are employing these ruthless tactics?”
In other developments, Met Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who failed to fully investigate the scandal, will be grilled by MPs on the home affairs select committee, from 11:30am; watch it live on BBC Democracy Live here.
44 Responses to “Yet again, the discredited Sun fails to report the main story”
Robert
From Miliband point of view it’s the battle ground he has been looking for, but not forgetting Mr Miliband was off to the News International do to speak as the guest speaker.
If this had not broken I wonder if Miliband would have started this crusade I very much doubt it.
getting on band wagons is great until the wheels fall off and your left carrying the can
Ed's Talking Balls
john,
You won’t find me defending News International. Stories about the medical conditions of politicians’ children are not in the public interest and the story is more disgusting because of how the information was obtained.
The point I was making, and clearly others are thinking this too, is that this has been going on for years, under several different governments. Brown and Blair knew about it; surely Major and Thatcher knew about dodgy behaviour too. There’s no political capital to be made out of this. That he is trying at all tells us plenty about Miliband’s judgment.
There’s no point whingeing that Brown faced criticism from the Murdoch press (certainly no need for the hyperbole: ’10 year onslaught’ is utter rubbish), less still is there any point in Brown himself suggesting that he could still be in power if this had come to light earlier. What a chilling thought…
No, the most unpopular Prime Minister in history was treated shabbily by a visceral media desperate to shift papers, but his own incompetence caused his defeat, not the tabloid press reflecting public opinion.
Anon E Mouse
john – So it’s OK for you to criticise people who happen to believe in Parliamentary democracy and were angry when Brown promised Blair would serve a full third term then when people like me believed him, voted for Blair and got Brown were miffed?
Of course you neglect to mention that he was involved in employing Wheelan, McBride and Draper, calling a Labour supporter a bigot, smearing David Kelly and Cameron the week HIS disabled son died and numerous other despicable acts.
Brown made Labour unelectable and whilst his complaint is fair about his son’s medical situation being leaked to the media, to see him on his high horse after throwing mobile phones at staff is sickening.
And if it is proven to be true that The Sunday Times did “blag” info illegally I will immediately stop, after 30 years, reading the Times – that’s called integrity john.
How many of the anti Murdoch brigade have now cancelled their Sky subscriptions – have you john?
Certainly the author of this very article hasn’t I’ll wager….
Patricia Sleeman
Yet again, the discredited Sun fails to report the main story: http://bit.ly/qmP2w6 – by @ShamikDas #phonehacking #Murdoch
Peter
If I had a Sky subscription it would certainly be cancelled, but though I’m very into sport I wouldn’t touch anything Murdoch with a barge pole. This whole thing has caused ructions within my immediate family because I have a close relative who lost his job on the NoTW through no fault of his own. However, I do believe its demise will been a very very good thing if out of it we get less influence on politicians from billionaire media barons.