Yes, after shelling out more than a billion notes settling claims against the Sun, while denying that It Was The Sun Wot Done It, the Cosa Rupra grudgingly admitted what had been suspected for decades. Without that admission, Haz would not have settled, whatever the scale of the cash mountain on offer. Which was, it seems, in excess of £10 million.
In other words, had the trial gone ahead, even if Haz and Tom had won, they would have had to be awarded more than that sum in order to avoid being hit with the bill for both sides’ costs. It was the kind of risk that put paid to others’ determination to go to trial. This time, NGN will pay for everything, which may well cause the final bill to exceed £25 million. All to stop it going to trial.
As the Guardian told, “The Duke of Sussex has settled his high court legal action … against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN) … NGN offered ‘a full and unequivocal apology’ to Prince Harry ‘for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them’ at the News of the World”.
There was more. Haz’ barrister David Sherborne added “I am pleased to announce to the court that the parties have reached an agreement. As a result of the parties reaching an agreement I would ask formally that the trial is vacated … NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by the Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the Sun”. And who worked for the paper then?
Sherborne, meanwhile, wasn’t finished. “The truth that has now been exposed is that NGN unlawfully engaged more than 100 private investigators over at least 16 years on more than 35,000 occasions. This happened as much at The Sun as it did at the News of the World, with the knowledge of all the editors and executives, going to the very top of the company”. Do go on.
“What’s even worse is that in the wake of the 2006 arrest of a royal correspondent, there was an extensive conspiracy to cover up what really had been going on and who knew about it. Senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails, destroying back-up tapes, and making false denials - all in the face of an ongoing police investigation. They then repeatedly lied under oath to cover their tracks - both in court and at the Leveson public inquiry”. You read that right. Carry on.
“Far from being relics of a distant past, many of those behind these unlawful practices remain firmly entrenched in senior positions today, both within News UK and other media outlets across the world, wielding editorial power and perpetuating the toxic culture in which they continue to thrive”.
Anyone might think he was referring to the currently under-fire Will Lewis. Here on Zelo Street, there is quiet satisfaction that the story first picked up on in July 2009 (see HERE, HERE and HERE) continues to - rightly - embarrass our free and fearless press - and not just the Murdoch chapter of it.
Any more to come? You might wish to ask that. I couldn’t possibly comment.
https://www.patreon.com/Timfenton
12 comments:
British corporate media are a cowardly, rotten-to-the-core, lying, hypocritical gang of corrupt far right gobshites. Murdoch and his cringing employees are the dregs of that gang. So are their groveling apologists.
Problem is, the settlement is probably no more than a minor financial irritant to the pedlars of this corrupt filth.
Once Murdoch has gone - and it can't come soon enough - one of his brats will step in and be even worse. It's what they're indoctrinated and paid for. See also Musk and co.
As one media outlet commented, as long as Murdoch is alive, his senior execs will escape justice. Among the many dodgy trial outcomes over the last 14 years, the pressure govt was able to exert due to the cuts to the legal system, are made clear by the likes of Brooks getting off.
Looking at recent photos, it won't be long before Murdoch rots away and croaks.
Good riddance to the disgusting ratbag.
Doctor Strangelove?.......Pfffttttt.
British corporate media are Trumpeting "generation Z" prefers a dictator to democracy. It seems two world wars, a cold war and mass colonial genocides aren't enough for the Rothermere Heil, the Murdoch Scum and assorted Broadcast Spews outlets.
Herr Stürmer long ago joined them. He and cheap gauleiter Reeves are currently attacking the old, disabled and sick. Well, fascism has to start somewhere.
So there's nothing "strange" at all about this latest manifestation. The perpetrators still love inflicting their insanity on innocence.
If you're looking for the Murdoch catamite McFilth you'll find him hiding under some gnome counties stone.
"... not just the Murdoch chapter..."
You can say that again.
https://open.substack.com/pub/kenklippenstein/p/big-brother-becomes-little-brother?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2j9682
At what stage will sufficient numbers of good people decide enough is enough, organise and send these evil psychopaths to deserved jail.
Do we have to fall to the pits of the insane American Nightmare first?
Oh everything is going to be fine. Herr Stürmer and his self-styled "centrist" apologists and Micawberites say so.
Even though the Rowntree annual UK Poverty report finds that poverty rates in 2022/23 were broadly flat, remaining at a similar level to before the pandemic :
Over 1 in 5 people in the UK (21%) are in poverty – 14.3 million people
Of these, 8.1 million are working-age adults
4.3 million are children
1.9 million are pensioners.
All while the ineffable Reeves and her grotesque accent spew poison about a "crackdown" (read: theft of) on welfare human rights.
Red, blue and yellow tory Britain 2025. Who would have thought it possible....
Talking of the Murdoch press.. If anyone is light headed enough to still believe Starmer and co are any different from their Tory predecessors, then either go over to Mik Wrights site for an excellent analysis, or read for yourselves Starmers latest rant in the Times.
If you can, please share any differences between Starmers gibberish, 'strangled by red tape', 'burden of green requirements' and so forth, and the speeches by Cameron, Johnson, Truss and Sunak he's cut and pasted from, do let us know.
Oh, and heres a heads up - you won't.
Prepare for more Roman point, Grenfell tower's, and an abandonment of green policies, and health and safety slashing even the Tories didn't countenance.
Rather read this than anything from far right corporate media and anything coming from Stürmer's Quisling Downing Street.
https://caat.org.uk/publications/from-revolving-door-to-open-plan-office-the-ever-closer-union-between-the-uk-government-and-the-arms-industry/
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