back to article Rebekah Brooks quits - Murdoch accepts this time

News International boss Rebekah Brooks, who has been at the centre of the phone-hacking scandal, has resigned from her post and apologised for the "hurt" her company had caused to crime victims and others. She confirmed in an internal memo to staff this morning that she was leaving the sister company of Rupert Murdoch's News …

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  1. Winkypop Silver badge
    FAIL

    The hypocrisy is astounding

    "The reputation of the company we love so much, as well as the press freedoms we value so highly, are all at risk," wrote Brooks."

    And who's fault is that then?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The hypocrisy is astounding

      You overlooked what, in my opinion, is the most unbelievable

      >how sorry I am for what WE NOW KNOW to have taken place

      And I now know day is light and night is dark.

      I wouldn't want to call her a complete and utter liar but hands up all who believe her.

    2. Arctic fox
      Happy

      Re "The hypocrisy is astounding."

      That is indeed one of the most striking things about all recent statements from key players within the senior levels of NI, the impression of hypocrisy one get. However, IMO, it is likely the case that to a considerable extent they do *not* actually get it, hard though that may be to believe. Hypocrisy requires that one *knows* that one is pretending to have a moral code whilst not actually practising what one is preaching. One should not underestimate the self-justifying pathology that such people are capable of exhibiting. Such types are fully capable of believing in their heart of hearts that they have not done anything wrong even when what they are doing is blatantly illegal. An American hotel-heiress who got caught bending by the US tax authorities a decade or so ago famously remarked that "rules are for the little people" (one assumes she was referring to me and thee and not leprechauns!). In this way these sociopaths (for that is what they are) manage to project (before they are eventually caught out) a very convincing front - because they have succeeded in convincing themselves.

      BTW, if anyone feels that I have gone a touch over the top in using the term "sociopath" I include the URL to a list of the symptoms - I think that you will recognise many of the characteristics the moment you read them! A certain wealthy and influential businessman and his chums are positively *clinical* examples.

      http://www.sociopathicstyle.com/traits/classic.htm

    3. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Unhappy

      RE: The hypocrisy is astounding

      Until she's sentenced to some serious porridge it's not enough.

    4. Charles Manning

      Translation...

      "The reputation of the company we love so much, as well as the press freedoms we value so highly, are all at risk," ---> "Damn. We've been doing this for ages and getting away with it. WTF happened this time?"

  2. TeeCee Gold badge
    Happy

    Poor choice of words?

    Presumably she wouldn't have alluded to the management of NI as "the bridge" if she'd known that her successor would be called "Mockbridge".

    Maybe someone at NI *does* have a sense of humour after all......

    1. frank ly
      Happy

      In the interests of journalistic integrity.......

      ... I should point out that his name is (apparently) Mockridge.

      1. TeeCee Gold badge
        Happy

        @frank ly

        Ah, so someone at El Reg has a sense of humour?

        Business as usual in both camps then.

      2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Headmaster

        @frank ly

        "... I should point out that his name is (apparently) Mockridge."

        So he's not a *real* bridge but just a fake or simulacrum of one?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    "I just want ...

    ... to spend more time with my cats" cackled the witch.

    1. Elmer Phud

      cats

      and the flying monkeys

      1. Captain TickTock
        Coffee/keyboard

        Can't... stop...

        giggling in office

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Second redtop gone in a week

    At least there won't be a nasty conflict of interest at Call Me Dave's next dinner party.

    It'll be interesting to see where La Brooks pops up next.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      It'll be interesting to see where La Brooks pops up next.

      Tuesday, 14:30, Parliament.

      Popcorn.

      1. Josh 15

        Hopefully

        ...In a prison cell, if justice has even one good eye.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Megaphone

    EXTRA! EXTRA!

    Brooks hired for Palin 2012 campaign.

    EXTRA! EXTRA!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Mushroom

      Wrong.

      That would be the Obama 2012 campaign already in progress as the Truthiness Czar.

      <total silence from the Totally Transparent Obama Administration>

    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Joke

      AC@09:56

      Prepare for red hot ginger-on-moron action.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Savvy

    " I now need to concentrate on correcting the distortions and rebutting the allegations about my record as a journalist, an editor and executive."

    I would have said this was impossible, but with the backing of News Corp (including Fox, Sky, The Times, The Wall Street Journal etc. etc.) there is a chance that key influencers will be got at.

    Very badly handled by News Corp.

    1) Fire her

    2) Close the News of the World

    3) Do *not* create a Sun on Sunday - i.e. lose market share

    4) Keep BSkyB bid open

    Thank goodness they didn't think about it too much and the old boy wanted to protect his CEO.

    The formal enquiry will be, yet again, a whitewash - they'll get to the key personnell very fast - everyone has skeletons in their cupboards...

  7. jm83
    Happy

    riddled

    Her use as a meatshield for the murdochs had clearly run its cause.

    I'm sure she will still get herself a plum job somewhere else... hopefully it will be working in the kitchens at her majesty's pleasure though.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Pfft

      If she doesn't appear somewhere else in the Murdoch empire in a year I'll eat my hat.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Mushroom

      indeed

      You can almost see her semtex and ballbearing jacket as she runs into the machine gun fire wearing a big hat saying 'I did it all, shoot me, not the Murdochs!'

    3. nsld
      Thumb Up

      plus 1

      for the term "meatshield" especially as she has burnt up on re entry!

  8. Southern
    Coat

    Must be a friday

    Lots of good news on a Friday. A surprise it's taken this long but nonetheless not unexpected.

    Meanwhile we are debating in the office what she's going to do for another job. Something tells me the police may have other plans however!

    Pic related, it's her as she gets her coat to leave.

  9. Daniel 1

    To every thing.. churn, churn, churn

    It is interesting to watch how a story that was largely, unearthed after long years of old fashioned slogging research-based journalism by Nick Davis, has (of all things) simply become the new 'churn' in the 'churnalism' bucket.

  10. David Harper 1

    How much was the payoff?

    I'm guessing that she is going to get a seven-figure payoff from Murdoch, so I won't shed a tear for her.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    a career in PR

    Because bad people always "go into" PR.

    1. Elmer Phud

      PR PM

      Wot like Call-Me-Dave?

      1. Alan Firminger

        Precisely

        Remember Paxman's question, to David Milliband : What are you ? And the aspiring leader of a great political party was stumped for a reply until he stammered "I'm an MP."

        To Dave every problem is a matter of PR .

    2. Robert E A Harvey

      Could be worse

      >bad people always "go into" PR

      It could be worse. She might stand as an MEP. Although she would blend in nicely with the rest of the trough-feeders

  12. Neil Barnes Silver badge

    Next week's Private Eye

    should be interesting...

    1. Richard Taylor 2
      Meh

      and I have to say

      Private Eye is continuously on the money. Forget the Gruaniad, this is worth buying. Bit of a shame that having predicted the current press crisis their publishing schedule did not fit. The Guardian has been good but without Private Eye it would have been nothing.

  13. LPF

    Next Weeks Private Eye .... GAURDIAN AVOIDS TAX USING OFFSHORE COMPANIES

    lol one wonders how long befor ethat one becomes to big to not notice :P

    1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

      Avoiding tax

      Is not a crime. Evading tax is.

      1. Number6

        Missing the point

        They are campaigning against other companies who have arranged their tax affairs to legally avoid paying UK tax whilst apparently doing exactly the same thing themselves

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Flame

        Re: Avoiding tax

        Yes - no issues with avoiding tax.

        If, on the other hand, you publish articles criticising banks and multinationals for avoiding tax while doing the same, you are open to being accused of hipocrisy. Or treating readers to the "banks are bad, lefty media outlets are good, m'key?"

    2. IT veteran
      FAIL

      @LFP

      Would that be the same story the Eye have been banging on about for years? Along with the dodgy tax affairs of many UK companies, including several newspaper groups.

      Of course, legally avoiding tax, whilst reprehensible, is in no way comparable to hacking a missing girls's voicemail and bribing police, which ARE illegal.

      Seems to be the latest meme from the right - attack the tax affairs of the Guardian, now that attacking Johann Hari is no longer a goer.

      1. Daniel 1
        Joke

        Well, I think it's mainly Paul Staines

        ... who is, basically, a more secretive version of Julian Assange - with fewer sources, more skin-pigmentation and slightly better jokes.

      2. LPF
        Thumb Up

        @IT veteran

        "Would that be the same story the Eye have been banging on about for years? Along with the dodgy tax affairs of many UK companies, including several newspaper groups.

        Of course, legally avoiding tax, whilst reprehensible, is in no way comparable to hacking a missing girls's voicemail and bribing police, which ARE illegal.

        Seems to be the latest meme from the right - attack the tax affairs of the Guardian, now that attacking Johann Hari is no longer a goer."

        Actually attacking a company which is AVOIDING PAYING ITS PROPER TAX by using off shore tax shelters , while at the same time its attacks a government that is trying to mean an economy cocked up by Labour is wrong?

        You dont see anything wrong in them spouting off about morals, while denying tax revenue that could be used to buy decent protection for our soliders and resources for our children?

        What makes their crimes even worse is they hold themselves up as some kind of moral gaurdian(sic) and defender of the week, while their tox executives screw this country out of tax revenue.

        Your defence is that other companies do it, and Private Eye has been banging on about this for years..you are right , privater eye has been banging on about this for years and the thing with private eye is they tend to get their man in the end ;)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          There will always be tax havens

          how else do you think the oligarchs stash their cash?

  14. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    Lots of hypocrisy but not where people see it

    Firstly, it's not hacking - it's just guessing a pin number...

    But the amount of fuss the politicians raise about the whole thing when compared to the insignificance of the alleged offence is truly disgusting.

    Let's face it - there is only an investigation because a) it affected personally a few schmucks who had the power to start the inquiry and b) because it helped those same schmucks to get back at Murdoch and score some political points for that.

    Things much more damaging to society happen all they time and the MPs don't talk about them, let alone call for inquiries.

    Tell me how did that half-arsed digital economy bill get passed so quickly after few lunches between whatshisname and the industry lobbyists?

    Why is Tony Blair still at large instead of doing jail-time for taking the country to a hopeless war for no good reason other than his personal benefit?

    Many more examples can be found, yet, the revenge for outing the name of some MP's lover is so important that the whole country must work to pay for their personal crusade.

    Yes, when someone accesses a voicemail of a missing person it disrupts the police investigation because they will see the messages being read - this is serious, so find the perpetrators and prosecute them for that.

    But to present this as some sort of momentous crime against democracy? And using News Corp as a scape goat (I'm 100% sure that journalists in all other media companies do the same things and more)? At the same time ignoring the real problems? This is hypocritical to the extreme.

    The Boys from Lagos are doing much more serious damage every day, hi-jacking corporate PBXs but try to get the police to do anything about investigating that or an MP to call for nationwide inquiry - fat chance!

    1. jm83
      Facepalm

      Comment below

      It may or may not be hacking. It is still illegal to intercept telecommunication messages not intended for you.

      Same as reading someones post.

    2. teebie

      "a few schmucks who had the power to start the inquiry"

      There was no inquiry when it seemed only politicians and famous people and politicians were affected, so presumably inquiry is being set up by schmucky grieving relatives. Those bastards.

      Crime against democracy? Somewhat. Crime against decency? absolutely

      1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

        Grieving realtives are being used

        As a tool to push through the inquiry. Quite shamelessly and cynically too.

    3. lglethal Silver badge
      Thumb Down

      Sorry Vladimir...

      ... But i could not disagree with you more!

      I potentially could agree if the hacking (and it was hacking - illegal entry into an electronic device without permission. The technical details of how it was done are irrelevant.) was done in the interest of news worthy stories. Actual news worthy stories. And there exists a public interest defence in such cases, in fact, in the past MP's have been caught out doing illegal things by means of deception and illegal entry. This is considered legal due to being in the public interest.

      But the fact of the matter was that, the hacking that the NotW was doing was not in the public interest, it was in the sole interest of peddling cheap trashy headlines to morons and selling more newspapers.

      And for the examples you mentioned - if the hacking had been done to try to prove that there was collusion between MP's and industry lobbyists then no one would be complaining. Tony Blair's actions where immoral for certain, but unfortunately they were not illegal under UK law. Yes there are more serious crimes out there, but by the same token then you may as well ask the police not to bother dealing with assaults and robberies because theres murders happening out there.

      The NotW journalists (ironic that theyve always been called Hacks!) broke the law and they did so not for some high ideal of journalism or attempting to unearth a stroy that it is in the public interest to know, but solely to peddle utter tat, and make a bit of profit from others misery. If that doesnt deserve the full hand of justice then i dont know what does...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Sorry Vladimir

        >This is considered legal due to being in the public interest.

        No it isn't. At best you may get away without being prosecuted for the illegal activity but that doesn't mean it is considered legal.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Black Helicopters

        "peddling cheap trashy headlines"?

        Not quite. Trashy headlines are just a lucrative sideline.

        The *main* reason for the hacking was to build up a dossier of dirt on any potential political or business opponent. The lurid headlines in the NoTW were just a means to keep the threat real.

        Any attempt to regulate the press? We'll smear you.

        Any attempt to reign in the Murdoch empire? We'll smear you.

        Any attempt to investigate criminal wrongdoing? We'll smear you.

        There have been numerous examples of inappropriate influence on government policy by large media organisations. Just look at what happened to Labour's (eminently sensible) proposals on regional news. I dread to think what tactics led the UK Government to agree to Sky's monopoly on satellite broadcasting. The bodies must be buried *somewhere*.

        The success of the Murdoch business empire is about much more than a few quid here and there from the red tops. It is about elimination of all competition, based on Rupert's freedom to do whatever the hell he likes.

    4. Richard IV
      Mushroom

      Hypocrisy indeed...

      In case you hadn't noticed, the hacking story only reached epic proportions when it was revealed that some non-shmucks were affected too. It had rumbled on for years before that.

      It's funny how in another comment you draw a distinction between tax avoidance and tax evasion and then proceed to rant about the lobbyists on the digital economy bill - how do you think many of the avoidance schemes stay or become legal? I would suggest that tax lobbyists do more damage than any of the examples you cite.

      Damn straight it's a crime against democratic society. The phone hacking, while pretty illegal, isn't the big issue - it's the suborning of police officers.

      1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

        @Richard IV

        You're mixing so many things in one pot...

        Avoidance is and should be the right of every tax payer. You just can not have a society where you have a duty to maximise your tax - you will become a slave to the state.

        If you find loopholes - by all means, go ahead and close them. However, before you do that you must consider whether this closing of a loophole will not result in the underlying or related tax-generating business be taken away (so you will end up with less tax collected than if you'd kept the loophole open).

        The bribery of police officers is a hugely serious issue. However, all I hear from TV is "phone hacking, phone hacking". So far, the police bribery is being swept under the carpet...

        I absolutely disagree that the story has been drawn to epic proportions only after revelations about crime victims's messages interception. The inquiry was already inevitable long before that - so much powerful self-interest got on the band wagon and they have already been smelling blood for months...

        You see, I am not trying to justify News Corp actions at all - I just abhor the cynical show put up by the politicians who cover their ulterior motives by the banner of public interest (there is nothing new in that, though...)

        1. Richard IV

          Back @Vlad

          "You're mixing so many things in one pot..."

          Only because you used a kettle...

          I know and you know that all avoidance is not created equally. You can't have a society either where the duty is to minimise your tax. Ideally (and yes, I do realise I'm being hopelessly utopian), avoiding tax should be easy; evading it hard - the use of gifts and donations to avoid inheritance tax smell far less than trust funds in Crown dependencies to achieve the same. Not that the chancellor has used the latter, of course.

          When thinking about loopholes, lots of noise is often made about the underlying business being taken away, but there is very little empirical evidence for whether it would happen or not - and the models are developed by asking those who benefit from the loophole what they'd do. You'd have thought that monitoring the number of non-doms leaving as a result of the 30k residency tax would have been a good start in collecting that kind of evidence, but no monitoring was done. There's more than one way of covering ulterior motives...

          The investigation was always going to happen, true, but it would have been more muted and easier swept under the carpet by the other side of the powerful self-interests.

          I was never suggesting that you were justifying News Corp. I too abhor the cynical show, but all your additional complaints were like moaning about the state of the NHS in the hope that the trains would run on time.

          1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

            @Richard IV: puzzled

            "all your additional complaints were like moaning about the state of the NHS in the hope that the trains would run on time."

            But I didn't have any additional complaints... Only about politicians making a mountain out of a molehill while ignoring or covering up more important issues.

    5. texiso

      Replies listed in order.

      Re: Firstly, it's not hacking - it's just guessing a pin number..

      Vlad, it really does not matter whether the number was guessed or not. It was unauthorized access. If you left your home unlocked and someone entered, its still illegal entry. It might not be BREAKING and entering

      Re: here is only an investigation because a) it affected personally a few schmucks who had the power to start the inquiry

      Ah, yeah, and the point is, these individuals might have other content (on their vmail) related to national security. So the UNAUTHORIZED access is potentially more serious and requires closer review than it would be if your babysitter left you a voice mail to say she won't make it friday. If you don't understand that, then the next point will truly be lost on you.

      The rest of your comments seem to be where you really have some personal objections and are more just random rants than anything factual. Come up with something a little more relevant and we can resume the discussion. Thanks

      1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

        @texiso

        "It was unauthorized access"

        Legality is not an issue here, maybe I was not clear in my previous post. Whey you say "hacking phone systems" it sounds much more dramatic than "listening to voicemails without permission".

        The former has the sinister black-hat connotations (which is why it is being used by the MPs now), while the latter will be shrugged off by the public as a boring "what's-a-big-deal" type of thing.

        "these individuals might have other content (on their vmail) related to national security"

        This really made me LOL. If these individuals used an unsecure public infrastructure and *default* or easily guessed-at passwords for matters of national security they must all be fired immediately and the News Corp be given a medal for exposing a critical vulnerability.

        And, of course, my "rants" reflect my personal objections. That's why I've bothered to post in the first place - to express my personal opinion (which may include personal objections). So had you.

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Black Helicopters

      Re: Lots of hypocrisy but not where people see it

      "But to present this as some sort of momentous crime against democracy? And using News Corp as a scape goat (I'm 100% sure that journalists in all other media companies do the same things and more)? At the same time ignoring the real problems? This is hypocritical to the extreme."

      Are they ignoring the real problems? Maybe the inquiries will lead to a dead end, just like a lot of inquiries, but the political class have tasted blood. Of course, many of them have also benefited from Murdoch's despicable control over public figures, as well as being victims of that control, and some of them won't survive in politics, but they have an opportunity to take revenge.

      And this isn't about something important to us but not so important to them, like whether Blair started an illegal war or had knowledge of (and maybe even accepted) torture in conducting that war and the related circus around it. So you can be sure that these people will pursue this more vigourously than such other matters.

      I have to say that you seem naive about the way British political society functions. A public figure can do all sorts of wrongs, many of them completely blatant, but they only tend to fall from power when they break a seemingly innocuous rule or push just one wrong button after having pushed many others. Everybody knew about the basis of this scandal and nothing significant was done about it, at least as far as the top-level perpetrators were concerned, but it took only one instance of something that everybody could agree was reprehensible, and then the repercussions could begin.

      Sure, we could be seeing "business as usual" if Cameron chums up with Murdoch - the Tories were always great at nepotism - and gets "reassurances" and all the usual bullshit that enables stuff to be swept under the rug, but there are plenty of people who won't let this slide any more. If it does slide, expect a repeat of the end of the last Tory dynasty: leadership challenges, sleaze, resignations, the works.

  15. Gary Riches

    Name

    Isn't it Mockridge not Mockbridge?

  16. Pete 43
    FAIL

    "I'm sorry...

    we were caught"

  17. Morteus
    Facepalm

    Not Hacking?

    "Firstly, it's not hacking - it's just guessing a pin number..."

    I see! So if I "guess" the password to the National Insurance database and obtain confidential information without authorisation I'm not hacking at all! That's all right then...

    1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

      You're right

      Hacking should involve knowledge of the target system and actions to circumvent or disable its security components.

      Guessing a password does not involve any of the above. You may call it hax0ring if you like...

      Note, that I am not saying that it not being hacking means it's OK. But to call it "hacking" sounds like an insult to the IT profession...

      1. The Indomitable Gall

        You're wrong.

        @Vladimir

        Guessing a password involves knowledge of the system -- to whit, system default passwords.

        1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

          Knowledge?

          "You have reached extension XXX, please enter your password"

          teet-tuut-taat-tyyt

          "Invalid password"

          tuut-tuut-tuut-tuut

          "You have a new message..."

          Where is the knowledge required here? :-)

          1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
            Stop

            Oh Vlad,

            Do give it up. Gaining unauthorised access to a computer system (in this case another person's voicemail) by deception (guessing the password) is just that - unauthorised access gained through deception.

            Whether you call this hacking, or cracking is a mere matter of semantics (it could be argued that this better reflets the original meaning of the term hacking than other uses), the fact remains that it is illegal. As is bribing police officers, as is tampering with evidence in an ongoing police investigation, along with other forms of bribery and corruption.

            Given the size of the organisation involved, it is, to my mind, right an proper that there should be a large scale investigation. I don't see NewsCorp being made a scapegoat here, I see them being held accountable for their actions over a period of years, now that they seem to have lost the power to apply the cosh to politicians to an extent.

            The matter has also exposed how useless the PCC is in regulating the press, and it is therefore also right and proper that regulation of the press should be reviewed. At the very least, journos should be punishable for wrongdoings without being able to blurt out some 'freedom of the press' excuse along the lines of, "I kicked in his door and photographed him in bed with his mistress in the interests of the press M'lud, therefore I am not liable for any criminal damage", etc.

            The press needs both regulation and freedom to investigate. The two need not be mutually exclusive.

          2. Morteus
            Facepalm

            So simple...

            ... or is it? I'm sorry, I may have missunderstood the example you illustrate, but are you suggesting that someone just sat down and tried random 4 digit combinations until they got the right one? There are 10,000 possible combinations using the digits 0 - 9. Might have took a while then...

            1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

              Combinations

              Given that only 3 or 4 of the 10 thousand are being commonly used as default passwords, the task is not as difficult as it may seem...

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: Combinations

                "Given that only 3 or 4 of the 10 thousand are being commonly used as default passwords"

                Knowing which 3 or 4 to use shows knowledge of the systems being hacked.

                Even by your definition of hacking you have refuted your own argument.

                1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

                  @Norfolk 'n' Goode

                  "Knowing which 3 or 4 to use shows knowledge of the systems being hacked."

                  No it doesn't because they all use the same 3 or 4 numbers.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Worse than guessing...

        It is, in most cases, simply knowing a handful of default passwords that are (or where) set on voicemail. Dial the target, press hash/star/1 during the outgoing message and dial 0000 or 1111 or 1234 etc and hey presto, you iz sup3r l33t voicemail h4ck0rz...

        Thankfully now many operators disable external access to voicemail until the password has been changed.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Hacking - I don't think that word means what you think it means

        That lexicographic train has long since left the station.

        The word 'hacking' now means any attempt to break into a computerised system no matter how it is done. It joins words like 'nice', 'garble', 'brave' and 'artificial' in having dramatically changed their meaning with time.

        Give up, the battle is lost.

        1. HMcG
          Devil

          Hacking - I don't think that word means what you think it means

          Not to mention the very recent and radical change in meaning of the word 'honest', as in '"This is now detracting attention from all our honest endeavours to fix the problems of the past."

          1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

            @HMcG

            Back when I was at school in the Soviet times I resisted the then popular Brezhnevisms. I don't see why I should gladly accept newspeak corruptions here, especially when their purpose it to distort the message and not just to please an aging gensec...

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              @Vladimir Plouzhnikov

              "No it doesn't because they all use the same 3 or 4 numbers."

              Please explain how you know that "they all use the same 3 or 4 numbers" without having knowledge of the systems?

              "I don't see why I should gladly accept newspeak corruptions here....."

              The natural evolution of language transforms the meaning of words, there is no big brother conspiracy going on, you are not being subverted.

              You need to throw off your old communist conformity and accept change as a positive and natural phenomenon.

              1. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

                @Norfolk 'n' Goode

                "You need to throw off your old communist conformity and accept change as a positive and natural phenomenon."

                If you re-read your post carefully you will (hopefully) realise that it is you who advocates conformity here...

                "Please explain how you know that "they all use the same 3 or 4 numbers" without having knowledge of the systems?"

                Consider the existence of phenomenon of default passwords as system-agnostic (see, I can also use neologisms when they mean something), hence, not requiring knowledge of a particular system.

  18. Ant Evans
    Devil

    Pwned

    You do not get to buy your soul back from the Man.

  19. CatFunt
    Facepalm

    Italy FFS !?!?!?!

    Has anybody else spotted that Rebekah Brookes' replacement was flown in from ITALY, where bribery and corruption are an everyday event in business (allegedley).

    I reckon the chaps on "Mock the Week" will have a field day with this news!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Devil

      Well...

      At least it was not flow in from the Middle east...

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Has anyone else spotted...

      ... your crude use of simplistic stereotypes as a substitute for actually *thinking*?

      1. Steven Roper
        Thumb Down

        Re: Has anyone else spotted

        Whenever I see words like "stereotype" in a post I can safely assume the poster has resorted to the crude use of PC psychobabble as a substitute for actually *thinking*.

  20. David Lawrence
    Flame

    Good riddance to the smirking ginger minger

    The only thing any of them really regret is being found out. Once this little feeding frenzy is over and our appetite for revenge is sated they will all re-group anyway and will continue to ply their grubby trade selling idle gossip, slander, rumour and tittle-tattle to brainless morons who mistake it for 'News' or 'Entertainment' when it is neither.

    That is all.

  21. Bunker_Monkey
    WTF?

    "hurt"

    Darling, you have no idea!

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wonder...

    .... If she's hoping this might mitigate any criminal charges she's due?

  23. The Fuzzy Wotnot
    Happy

    Oh I see what he did there, hmmmm

    "Mockbridge is also a non-executive director of BSkyB, which Murdoch has just given up trying to take over - at least for now."

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Deluded twat

    The tone of her statement suggests she live in some Nth dimensional cloud-cuckoo land where black really is white and preying on the misery of others is an honourable pastime. Hopefully she and her bosses will get to dwell fondly on the Land of Honest Endeavours for a long time at Her Maj's Pleasure.

    It wus the scum wot dunnit!

    Ok, OK; mines the one with the happy pills in the pocket.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    She will do a Mandleson.....

    Out for a short while, then back in...out once more then back in until booted into the Lords. Where the troughing can get really lush.

    God those political moral arbiters are a fantastic example aren't they.

    Connery mode on...

    'Do you expect me to talk Vaz-Finger?'

    No Ms Brooks I expect you to die!

    Connery mode off....that is all.

    1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Coat

      AC@11:41

      Shurely that should be

      "'Do you expect me to talk Vaz-Finger?'

      No Ms Brooks I expect you to lie.

      Likewise time to be gone.

  26. peter 45
    Trollface

    Reality Check

    "At News International we pride ourselves on setting the news agenda". No Dear. What you should be doing is REPORTING the news.

    "The reputation of the company ....at risk" What Reputation would that be? The bottom of the pile of scum-scucking, gutter press? Nope not at risk. Confirmed as true.

    "sorry I am for what we now know to have taken place" It remains to be seen what you 'did' know.

    "News International is full of talented, professional and honourable people." Honourable.? Possibly to your definition of honorable. Not to mine.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @peter 45

      Regarding the risk to the company, I think they are now very worried about two important matters that are arising from all these shenanigans.

      Firstly there is the rising fallout across the pond, where Murdoch makes a lot more of his money than he does over here. It was kind of fine when it was just slebs and politicos getting hacked - after all these people make a living out of courting the press so having sympathy when the press turns on them is in the same league as having sympathy when those two camp magicians were attacked by their captive tiger.

      But now the news is involving photogenic schoolgirls, terrorist atrocity victims and soldiers, which is a different matter entirely and guaranteed to go down particularly badly with Murdoch's key US audience (right wing - family values - ohmygodterroristseverywhere - fox newsy brigade)

      And more importantly, Murdoch is absolutely not stupid and he can see that he is sailing close to being on the end of a "Fit and Proper Person" test which in today's climate would go very badly for him (these tests are done on individuals not companies) - it is probably the main reason he dropped his Sky bid - but if he was subjected to a test and failed it would be disastrous for his media interests in the UK.

  27. Baked Beans
    Facepalm

    Is it just me

    Or is anyone else sick to the back teeth of hearing about this "hacking" scandal yet? Yahoo "News" (crap, I've just laughed my drink all over my keyboard) has a text service where you can keep up to date with it as each tiny bit of minutiae comes out. I mean for fucks sake people.

    1. Morteus
      Happy

      On the evidence...

      ... of this rapidly extending forum post, it's just you... yet here you are :)

    2. Secret geek
      FAIL

      Oh I'm sorry...

      ...is one of the most important situations in recent decades in our modern 'democracy' in terms of it's relevance to our political system, the power of the media, the ethics of journalists and our law enforcement officers, the widespread abuse of individuals right to privacy in order to sell papers and the dubious ethical stance of those corporations who own that media and try and sell us their products through it despite their glaring hypocrisy by claiming to be ethical, getting in the way of you wanking in a dark room by yourself is it? For fuck's sake indeed.

      1. DF118
        Thumb Up

        @Secret Geek

        Upvote x 10^n

    3. DF118
      FAIL

      @Baked Beans

      "Go back to bed, America. Your government has figured out how it all transpired. Go back to bed, America. Your government is in control again. Here. Here's American Gladiators. Watch this, shut up. Go back to bed, America. Here is American Gladiators. Here is 56 channels of it! Watch these pituitary retards bang their fucking skulls together and congratulate you on living in the land of freedom. Here you go, America! You are free to do as we tell you! You are free to do what we tell you!"

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Happy

      Scone Facking Handle

      Happy now?

    5. Steven Roper

      I'm trying to figure out

      how "Baked Beans" anagrams to "James Murdoch" but I'm not having much luck.

  28. Mage Silver badge
    Black Helicopters

    Tip of Iceberg

    What about all the other shenanigans of NI/NDS/Sky etc.

    EU wasn't fussed about his bid for BSkyB as they think he already makes all the important decisions.

    Alleged card hacking promotion to destroy

    Ondigital, Canal+

    Pay Satellite TV and "bad practices" on "locked in boxes" even though owned by customer

    Their Pay TV USA, Mexico, Brazil, Ireland, Germany, Italy, UK, Australia.

    Ofcom's refusal to regulate reasonable EPG and Encryption Costs

    Sky Ireland's refusal to pay Irish VAT other than Installs (All goes to UK, contrary to EU rules on larger businesses).

    Sky/Murdoch interference in Politics and Technology of Terrestrial Rollouts of Digital in UK, Ireland and Italy (Though amazingly Ofcom did stop the "Picnic" on DTT).

  29. Baked Beans
    FAIL

    Vlad the Nerve Impaler

    Wooh seven thumbs down, you're almost as good at telling people what they don't want to hear as I am. Let's see if I can get 9 thumbs down again:

    The world, his dog and especially the good commenters at El Reg have been praising Wikileaks, Anonymous and various psychopathic, cretinous splinter groups who admit they cause damage for "the lulz" - if that isn't psychotic behavior I don't know what is - and everybody has been making absurd excuses from "they're white-hat hackers highlighting security flaws" to "they're fighting for openness and transparency" (by destroying personal privacy) as they openly admit they only want to cause harm to people they feel have the wrong opinions. Sir Assflange The Great (PBUH) admitted before a cabal of journalists that "collaborators" in Afghanistan and Iraq (read: people who are fighting for freedom from rule by Theocrats and fascists) deserve to be killed and that's why he dumped their private details in the public domain.

    Well now it's been revealed that people associated with Rupert Murdoch have being doing the exact same thing, sans dumping all the information they steal straight into the public domain in the hope of causing as much harm to their victims as possible and now the sky is falling! The sky is falling! Yes, Vlad the Nerve Impaler is right: you're all a bunch of hypocrites and those who prattle on about Teh Big Bad Merikan Guvmunt's secret torture chambers are manchild versions of Alex Jones and you need to grow up and grow a brain.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @ Baked Beans

      Seriously? I mean you seriously believe not only that it was worth the time to type that incoherent mess of rabid, error filled bullshit but it is actually credible?

    2. Elmer Phud

      Let's see if I can get 9 thumbs down again:

      No, let's not have a willy-waving competiton, boys.

      Anyway reading Vlad's stuff carefully and not getting hooked on the emotive stuff he seems to have several valid points.

      However, we are in the standard moral secnario of 'freedom fighter/terrorist' - it all depends which side of the fence people choose to be on or whether to get splinters in their bums.

      Personally I find 'for the lulz' preferable to 'for the money, power and blackmail potential'.

    3. Alex 14
      WTF?

      Why does this fallacy always come up?

      "The world, his dog and especially the good commenters at El Reg have been praising Wikileaks, Anonymous and various psychopathic, cretinous splinter groups who admit they cause damage for "the lulz"...now it's been revealed that people associated with Rupert Murdoch have being doing the exact same thing...and now the sky is falling!"

      Have you been taking names of the people praising the first groups you mentioned and comparing them to the names of the people condemning Murdoch et al.? No? Then have you considered the possibility that the people praising some groups and the people condemning the other might be different people?

      Or are you just that good at intuiting the pulse of the nation?

    4. Secret geek

      Apples and oranges

      For me the main difference between NI and Lulz etc and part of the reason that I can quite happily feel justifiable anger at NI's actions is that Lulz don't spend every second of their existence thinking of ways of trying to sell me more shit.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Re: Vlad the Nerve Impaler

      I thought you were "sick to the back teeth of hearing about this "hacking" scandal". Oh wait, that was astroturfing strategy #1 (cultivate indifference) failing hard. Here comes strategy #2 (you non-patriots are hypocritical hippies and should get a crew-cut and sign up to serve your country).

      We now await strategy #3 (throw mud at accusers, detractors) as soon as you realise how badly your little propaganda exercise is going.

  30. BoldMan

    its just you!

    See title

  31. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    According to Private Eye.....

    she was about to go on maternity leave shortly anyway, so the effect to the business is more or less the same.

    Watch for her in another Murdoch empire job soon as the fuss dies down.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Alert

      Re: According to Private Eye.....

      Maternity leave? But that would mean that someone..........OMFG, it's too horrible to think about!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        AI

        doesn't just stand for artificial intelligence, y'know

      2. Arctic fox
        Happy

        @TeeCee Re Maternity Leave

        "Maternity leave? But that would mean that someone..........OMFG, it's too horrible to think about!"

        The gentleman concerned may simply have followed the advice allegedly given to Victorian ladies -

        "Close your eyes and think of England"

      3. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Happy

        @TeeCee

        Hate to break it to you but she *is* married.

        No pix of the hubby.

    2. BillyIdol
      Paris Hilton

      @Private Eye

      They said she has been embarking on a serious course of Ugandan Discussions in order to bring a junior hacker into the world. Whether or not she does might be a different story...

      I'm sure we can read all about it in the News of the Screws... oh wait....

      Paris, because I mentioned discussing Uganda and there isn't an Idi Amin icon.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      The Ugandan...

      ...Wont turn out to be Australian, do you suppose?

      I'll get me dri-az-a-bone

  32. Burbage
    IT Angle

    Hm

    Mrs Brooks' value as a human shield to the Murdochs seems to have plummeted since they got their parliamentary summonses. She'll be worth much more as a scapegoat.

    There's a lesson in that for most of us, I suspect.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  33. Jim 59

    Murdoch

    Murdoch merely owns the company that owns the company that owned the NoTW. In my view that puts him far enough from the action so as to be unaware of it, or at least to introduce enough doubt about his knowledge and guilt.

    RB on the other hand was NoTW editor. It does not seem possible that she could be unaware of what, it has emerged, was a common practice at the paper and the source of many front page stories. How could she edit the paper and not be aware of it ?

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    This whole situation

    makes me feel so insignificant. As far as I know my mobile phone hasn't been hacked.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    That hair is fake right?

    Her hair is a dye job isn't it?

    We can do without the racist comments about "Gingers".

    1. DuncanL

      FFS....

      Ginger is not a race.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Joke

        Ginger is not a race.

        No, it's a disabilty <duck for cover>

        1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
          Happy

          ACV@16:21

          How soon they forget the lash of the moderatrix.

  36. Morteus
    Megaphone

    Gee, we're all so dumb...

    ... or it pleases some people to think so. I personaly don't consider myself to be particularly niave, but hey - it's all depending on how much you know (or at least, think you do).

    My Uncle gave me one of the most useful (and profound) pieces of advice I ever had when I was young. "The worsth crime in the world, is getting caught". Sadly, it took me a long time to really understand how true that is, and what it really signified about human nature.

    I'm not going to waste your time stating the obvious - I'm not even going to bother to vote a certain post down. I'm sure there are many here as 'clueless' as me who know what I mean.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Happy

      The worst crime in the world.

      As I recall, the Spartans had that as their one and only crime. It carried the death penalty....

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @Morteus

      To be fair though, it is not often someone gets punished for a crime without getting caught first.

    3. M. Poolman

      Erm

      "... or it pleases some people to think so. I personaly don't consider myself to be particularly niave, but hey - it's all depending on how much you know (or at least, think you do)."

      ??

      "My Uncle gave me one of the most useful (and profound) pieces of advice I ever had when I was young. "The worsth crime in the world, is getting caught". Sadly, it took me a long time to really understand how true that is, and what it really signified about human nature."

      How profound that is. I got caught for riding my push-bike with out lights (at night would you believe). I hear about the massacres at (e.g. srebenica, rwanda, etc.) committed by loads of people who never got caught. I 'd look up to them if I wasn't hanging my head in shame.

      "I'm not going to waste your time stating the obvious - I'm not even going to bother to vote a certain post down. I"

      Good

      "I'm sure there are many here as 'clueless' as me who know what I mean."

      I doubt it.

  37. Spoonsinger
    Terminator

    Pictures tell a thousand words, (probably)

    Every picture taken of her recently kind of reminds me of the female executive at the end of RoboCop 2.

  38. DF118
    Trollface

    I wonder

    How would we go about getting Murdoch senior to cry live on BBC News?

    Long may this car crash continue.

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can we get a quote

    from Ross Kemp on this business?

    1. Secret geek

      aka Ross Kemp

      I saw it was about to kick off...

      ....so I closed NOTW.

    2. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Thumb Up

      AC@14:01

      Forgot he was ms Brooks hubby.

      Went totally over my head.

  40. John Armstrong-Millar

    Isn't is ironic

    When Rebekah was editor of NOTW the favourite sport for the "silly season" was to pick a government minister as see if you could get him to resign. Now it's the other way around.. amusing don't you think?

  41. Cthonus

    Inhuman shield

    re:Burbage

    Actually I'd like to see Brooks go down for offences on her watch if only to remind the rest of the newspaper industry of the adage that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Not 60p and pair of tits on page 3.

    (edited for bungling quote...)

  42. laird cummings
    Black Helicopters

    Elliot Carver rides again!

    The plot of "Tomorrow Never Dies" is looking a bit less fictional...

    1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
      Happy

      @lair of cummings

      "Elliot Carver rides again! → #"

      Now that's simply not fair. You *know* that the character of meglomaniacal media tycoon Carver was not based on Rupert Murdoch.

      They said so at the time.

      1. laird cummings
        Devil

        Ah, Right.

        Disclaimer *was* issued. So silly of me!

  43. Baked Beans
    Facepalm

    Causing harm for lulz

    Nope, if I had an honest cretin on one side who caused harm with some particular goal in mind (I wonder if you can point to any evidence that the big bad Murdoch was planning to blackmail anybody) versus a person who causes harm and discomfort because he gets pleasure from it then give me the thug any day of the week.

    And I'm not making any moral judgment on whether people who murder their fellow citizens are "freedom fighters" but the people who are being murdered sure are. that is why they are "collaborating" with Teh Big Bad Imperialists. And Assange has openly and honestly admitted that they should be killed. Real collateral murder in Iraq much?

    http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/05/assange-collaborators-deserve-to-die/239511/

    1. Steve Gill

      collaborators

      has this quote been verified?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Re: Causing harm for lulz

      "I wonder if you can point to any evidence that the big bad Murdoch was planning to blackmail anybody"

      Astroturfing strategy #4: there's no proof of wrongdoing and the angry mob must stand down at once. Or maybe it's strategy #3 and the mob must be turned on the accusers.

    3. Daniel 1

      verified?

      Who knows? I'm not even sure which thug, Baked Beans whats us to "give" him, now, to be honest. Can you work it out, from reading all that crap? I think it's the one with a goal, in mind (or maybe he meant 'gaol' - in which case it could be any of them).

      Anyway, he's posting about Julian Assange in a comments section about Rebecca Brookes resigning. All I can gather, is that he's asserting that the people who think News International did illegal things and should be investigated (preferably by some policemen who _didn't_ accept bribes), are the same people who think Anonymous are "heroes" and Assange should go free. Why he thinks this, is beyond me, unless he finds it easier to hate an enemy, with as one-dimensional a set of views, as his own.

      (At least he's not passing judgement on "people who murder their fellow citizens"... Which was nice of him, I thought. That's the trouble with people, these days, you see? Too judgmental.)

    4. M. Poolman

      WTF

      Has Assange got do to with whether or not it's OK to access the voice-mails of murdered children, for the entertainment of the Great Britisish Public ?

      Back in your hole, troll.

  44. yossarianuk
    Windows

    Murdoch: a Microsoft's Partner!

    Just a reminder:-

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/23/murdoch_microsoft_google/

    Anyone who has given Microsoft any money has helped the dead child bothering bastard .

  45. Baked Beans

    Nope, but

    I'm guessing that a highly regarded Guardian journalist wouldn't lie solely for the purpose of discrediting Assange, especially since the same journalist wrote a fawning tribute to him (WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy) . Besides it sounds like something many people of his political persuasion would say.

    It's also worth noting the term that the One uses in place of redacting: damage reduction. So how much damage were you intending to cause in the first place Mr. Assange?

    1. Daniel 1

      Ah - astroturfing strategy #5

      "Nick Davies is an unreliable journalist."

      What's up, baked Beans? Suddenly found yourself with a lot more time on your hands? It's tough, when an employer goes to the wall, but times are hard, and arses have to be covered, you know?

      Anyway, I'm sure the paper-bag-faced old bastard had your best interests at heart, really.

  46. J 3
    Coffee/keyboard

    No comments, except...

    The doll in the icon you used in the front page for this story is hilarious. Maybe it's just me...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      No

      not just you

  47. Baked Beans

    Astroturfing?

    Astroturfing strategy #4: there's no proof of wrongdoing and the angry mob must stand down at once. Or maybe it's strategy #3 and the mob must be turned on the accusers.

    Soooo I'm being paid by News Corporation now? Kay.

    1. Daniel 1

      Well, you must admit

      It does look better if we could believe someone was actually paying you to write this shit.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Re: Astroturfing?

      "Soooo I'm being paid by News Corporation now? Kay."

      Well, you could be. Or you could be working for someone else who would rather we didn't look into this business too deeply. I believe some of the people involved have public relations businesses.

      Or you could be a stupid template "Britard" whose life revolves around gossip and voting for the suited-and-tied idiot who claims to serve your best interests, conveniently endorsed by the toilet paper masquerading as a source of news which satisfies your cravings for easily-consumed trivia and opinions on things that you can't be bothered to understand. As a result, you might just be bitter that your favourite publication isn't being printed any more and are throwing a tantrum.

      But so far you've only discredited yourself over and over again. So if this is your job, I hope someone isn't paying you for it. If this is your hobby, I suggest finding something you can hope to be good at, because this isn't it.

  48. BillyIdol
    Pint

    @Elliot Carver

    It was based on Ruert Maxwell, but it looks like a load of fat cheques have been handed out anyway...

    Beer, because this forum has turned into Private eye

  49. Baked Beans
    Facepalm

    I was wrong, it can get more pathetic

    "At least he's not passing judgment on "people who murder their fellow citizens"... Which was nice of him, I thought. That's the trouble with people, these days, you see? Too judgmental."

    Well since somebody here thinks they are "freedom fighters" I don't want to get into a political row. If you want me to get judgmental then no, no I don't believe people that blow up children using IEDs are freedom fighters. I guess your smartarse comment inadvertently puts you on the side of the big bad imperialists now. Sorry about that.

    And if you're too god damned thick to understand what I'm saying I'll say it as simply as possibly:

    People not criticize Assange/Anon when steal data. People criticize News of World when do. Me not know why. You do know why?

    Do you understand that?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Boffin

      Yes, me understand

      It's very simple: when you steal from the rich to help protect the poor that is a Good Thing. When you steal from the poor to help make the rich richer, that is a Bad Thing.

      You understand now?

      Didn't think so.

    2. M. Poolman

      I don't want to get into a political row.

      Then STFU

    3. me n u
      WTF?

      @Bakedbeans

      People not criticize Assange/Anon when steal data. People criticize News of World when do. Me "not know why. You do know why?

      Do you understand that?"

      Huh? u say sumthin

      1. Daniel 1

        Stop feeding him

        His brain-farts come in 57 different varieties... but he follows through on every single one.

        So they all end up smelling of the same thing.

  50. Alan Firminger

    Something very big is hidden, and it might stay there.

    All performers to date, that is News International and the Metropolitain Police have made a dogs dinner of their communications. Why ?

    All parties have access to skilled PR people. Before they open a mouth all the options are thrashed through until the right positive message is identified. So why are all these people behaving like four year olds caught in the larder.

    They could all have put out far better apologies.

    So something is hidden. They will get done for the petty crimes of bunging a few grand to coppers, RIPA and a host of other laws that they consider appropriate for the little people.

  51. Lord Lien

    Ding Dong!

    The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Ding Dong WRONG

      >The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!

      Sorry but the last I heard Margret Thatcher was still alive.....

  52. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Unhappy

    Remeber folks that a good *loyal* (as in keeps their mouth shut) henchperson is hard to find

    The world will hear from Mrs Brooks again.

    Although I would not like to be anywhere near her breakfast table for the next couple of months or so.

  53. me n u
    Devil

    Why did she resign???

    In America, you get promoted for this, seriously! Shite floats.

  54. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Baked Beans and the Impaler

    Hi ! Nice to meet you. I don't think you've posted here before. Just give it a few more threads, and I'm sure you'll start to fit in just fine.

    BTW wouldn't the title be a cas name for a band ?

  55. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    So how come "Deluded twat" is OK...

    ... but "illiterate fuckwit" isn't? (re: my earlier comment you refused to post.)

    Seriously, an editor of a major newspaper ought to know the difference between "distract" and "detract", and regardless of the morality of hacking into people's phones, basic subject-matter competence is actually really relevant to the matter of whether someone should be promoted to the higher reaches of a corporation?

  56. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Rebekah didn't write the statement

    Just posted the statement into http://www.hackerfactor.com/GenderGuesser.php#Analyze and it says the statement was written by a male. Guess she might not be so sorry after all...

    1. Steven Roper
      Thumb Up

      She still might have

      To quote from the site you linked:

      "Many factors can impact the interpretation from any single person's writing. The content, knowledge of the material, age of the author, nationality, experience, occupation, and education level can all impact writing styles. For example, a woman who has spent 20 years working in a male-dominated field may write like her co-workers. Similarly, professional female writers (and experienced hobbyists) frequently use male writing styles. Gender Guesser does not take any of these factors into account. "

      So with that in mind, and considering the Ms Brooks has been a newpaper editor for a long time, it's certainly conceivable that with the adaptation of her writing style to that of her colleagues she still could have written that speech.

      Furthermore, just out of interest, I posted a couple of pieces I've written into that Gender Guesser. One was a fictional interview with a female character from one of my short stories. It was written entirely by myself, of course, but when I pasted the female character's responses into the Gender Guesser, it identified the writer as female for both informal and formal writing modes. The other was a post I made here the other day concerning a proof for atheism. The Gender Guesser correctly identified the writer as male for both modes that time.

      Which tells me two things: 1) a man who can write like a woman can fool it, and presumably vice versa; and 2) I can convincingly write like a woman. That may yet come in useful at some point, now that I know I can do it!

  57. Baked Beans
    Joke

    Who's really paying me

    Only the Zionist Committee For World Domination and the Miscellaneous Evil Conspiracy Organization (a group of Shinto shrine maidens planning to take over the world). I removed myself from Murdoch's payroll when he promised me a mere 1% of the world once we conquered it. What a tightarse.

    Also that Grauniad journalist did have a bit of a falling out with Assange; people with narcissistic personality disorder and no sense of irony don't make great friends and apparently dumping massive amounts of classified data into the public domain without regard for consequences is not cool (something about, 'sit called again, "ethics" is it?):

    http://video.techcrunch.com/video/5562404-the-guardian’s-david-leigh-talks-about-julian-assange-and-wikileaks

    Christ, I'm agreeing with a Grauniad journalist. I need to take a bath.

  58. Andus McCoatover
    Windows

    "she said she can fully concentrate her efforts on the ongoing police investigations"

    OK, perp prep'd for jail time?

  59. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Coat

    But, but, but.

    How does this account for all the rain we've had this week?

  60. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Interesting

    ...that the majority of assumptions appear to be that the phone hacking was as simple as guessing a PIN rather than social engineering tactics taken on helpdesk staff to actually enable a PIN on voicemail in the first place. I've not yet seen a news report that suggests that all the people concerned already had PINs set on their voicemails; if someone would care to point me in the right direction for an article that confirms this is the case then that would clear that query up.

    I don't have a PIN on my voicemail BECAUSE it allows remote retrieval; thus it can only be retrieved from my handset (or a device that has my SIM or a clone of my SIM in it). if my handset/SIM were out of commission, without speaking to helpdesk staff to have the remote access facility enabled I expect I would be unable to retrieve my messages.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Stop

      Re:Interesting

      You sure about that?

      Last I heard, just faking the CLID from any phone is enough to get access to voicemail. No SIM cloning required.

  61. Paul Johnston
    Thumb Up

    And now!

    Nicked :-)

  62. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Here's a nice song ...

    sums it all up fairly well, I think. Allegedly!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o88j0BVxBQk

  63. Sam Therapy
    Happy

    Overheard in a pub yesterday...

    "Rebekah Brooks has been arrested"

    "What for?"

    "Being ginger".

    Cheered me up, that did.

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