Friday, 15 July 2011

So, Rebekah Brooks has finally resigned

(Published earlier on Lib Dem Voice)

Brooks resigning is obviously a good thing, and the right thing. Her position was untenable, and as I've blogged before - whether she knew what was going on in the newsroom when she was editor of the News of the World is irrelevant. She was in charge, and needed to take responsibility.

However, I can't help but worry that this is still all part of a bigger tactical game being played by News Corp. Wait til Friday to resign - fewer journalists working over the weekend, less time to make more of the story. Time it for the morning the BBC journalists are on strike, so the largest news organisation in the country can't really handle the story (Murdoch will do anything he can to stuff the BBC, won't he). Have the replacement CEO all lined up - this isn't a spontaneous act this morning, it's clearly been planned for a few days.

But most importantly - distract.

The media will spend all day chasing the 'Rebekah Brooks resigns' story.

Meanwhile the FBI investigating News Corp, links between a former NOTW employee and the commissioner of the Met Police, the news that John Charles de Meneze's relatives may have had their phones hacked - all get shunted down the pecking order.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Murdoch announced they were hiring a global PR company to handle the crisis yesterday either.

So I think its important that everyone keeps the pressure up. That politicians keep asking the questions, and bloggers keep posting things as they hear them.

And we talk about the things we think are important. Not the stories that News Corp or the Murdochs decide they'll let us have - to stop us talking about the rest of it.

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