· Rebekah Brooks – Started off as editor, then progressed on to be CEO 1st sept 2009 One of the main culprit to allow illegal techniques in the company
· Andy Coulson – paid police for information, became media advisor for David Cameron
· Clive Goodman – Wrote about Prince William, obtained information through phone hacking
· Glenn Mulcaire – PI for royal phone message hacking
· Les Hinton – senior aid for Rupert Murdoch, said they underwent rigorous investigation but found no evidence
· Regulation watchdog of newspaper (Press Complaints Commission)– did a report but also found no evidence
· James Murdoch – son of Rupert, chief executive in dec 2007
- Milly Dowler: She represents “everyday” civilians. the phone hacking scandal was heavily investigated and much attention was brought to it due to this case. Compared to when the Royal family (Prince William) was hacked who has a large presence in the public. When Milly was hacked this was more significant to the public as it meant that “anyone” could be subject to these, not just those in the public eye - it PERSONALISED the problem to the general public. This lead to investigation of extent of where phone hacking was “ok”- although famous/public figures were susceptible.
News of the World (NoW) - Issue: Corruption
The unsound foundations of NoW erected from poor governance and a dubious company culture. This, in combination with corruption resulted in the NoW scandals we have today. With the phone hacking scandal going back a decade, it raises two key issues; ‘Crony Capitalism’ and widespread bribery.
NoW is in an industry that sits in an unique position in the economy. This perch gives them the power to influence and shape ideologies of a nation. It is an innate fact that most people in the UK or even the world believe what they read or see in the media. The market dominance and popularity of NoW gave them tremendous power that remained a threat to two parties namingly; government leaders and the image sensitive corporations. This brings up the issue of ‘Crony Capitalism’ - where one gets into an agreement with somebody in a powerful position to achieve a win-win situation, a practice that is deemed illegal. Parties who live in fear of NoW would want to stand on the correct side to either gain competitiveness or for reduction of image degradation risk.
the power to sway public views is a essential to politicians and to a business the power to do what your competitors cannot means a competitive advantage in business. The ruthless and corrupt executives of NoW incorporated acts of ‘Crony capitalism’ into their